Selective recovery of rare earth elements from permanent magnet and coal fly ash leachate solutions using novel diglycolamide-carbamide based impregnated resin

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are crucial components driving technological advancements due to their unique properties, and are currently confronted with a growing demand crisis and supply constraints. This study investigates the recovery of REEs using modified diglycolamide and carbamide resin TK221 through extraction chromatography. The extraction behaviour of Nd(III) and Fe(III) from hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid was studied as a function of various parameters such as acid concentration, extraction kinetics, concentration of metal in the aqueous phase, amount of resin, resin acid stability after prolonged acid exposure, and influence of interfering ions. The results revealed that resin TK221 showed extremely fast kinetics that fit a pseudo-second order model, along with a high Langmuir adsorption capacity (40 mg.g −1 ). The high selectivity and enrichment of REE over other metal ions, together with the efficient recovery from real permanent magnet leachate and simulated coal fly ash leachate solution, indicate that TK221 is a promising candidate for the recovery of REE from leachate solutions.