DailyDirt: Valuable Metals Abound
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Things that we use every day, like cell phones, computers, and other consumer electronics, actually contain a wide variety of valuable metals, such as europium, dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, and yttrium. When these electronics reach the end of their useful life, these metals are often lost to landfills if they're not properly recycled. Rather than let these useful materials go to waste, the U.S. Department of Energy is now working to recover rare earth elements from used consumer products, using methods employed in nuclear fuel reprocessing. Here are some other examples of ways to get at valuable metals.- Researchers at Murdoch University have developed a faster and cheaper microfluidics approach to recover precious metals like platinum and palladium from spent automotive catalyst. The new technique could also be used for the purification of rare earth elements. [url]
- British company Metalysis is hoping to isolate useful metals like tantalum, titanium, neodymium, tungsten, and vanadium from their oxides via electrolysis in molten salt at 1,000 degrees Celsius. The electrolysis is done directly on the powdered oxide, which acts as the cathode and is gradually transformed from the oxide to the metal. [url]
- Companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries have ambitious plans to mine asteroids for useful metals (and water). Planetary Resources plans to build a couple of low-cost robotic prospecting spacecraft that can survey, intercept, and process asteroids, and then deliver the resources directly to where they're needed. DSI has similar plans, but it's also developing a 3D printer ("Microgravity Foundry") that will be able to create high-quality metal components in orbit. [url]
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Filed Under: asteroid mining, electrolysis, metals, mining, recycling
Companies: deep space industries, metalysis, planetary resources
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we'll be mining our garbage soon...
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Re: we'll be mining our garbage soon...
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Every home consume materials shouldn't that waste be transformed at the home level somehow, turn every house into a mini refinery for raw materials.
I think about cells each and everyone of them do something and their waste is collected and disposed and then it gets reused by other organims.
Beer is something that most people would understand in this manner.
Yeast multiply and consume sugar and poops alcohol, that then is reuse by us to produce other things, and when we poop we create an environment for other bacteria to live in.
So we are reaching a point were turning houses into production cells make sense.
If any country is a human body, that body is missing a liver.
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but the extraction of the metals and elements from electronics is a very dangerous and toxic process. (as is gold mining generally) (but more so).
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also there is a great deal of gold found in sewage treatment plants, seem a high percentage of people lose their gold fillings by swallowing them. Also diamonds are commonly found in raw sewage. (for some reason). But lots of got. (and corn !!!,, chew your corn) :)
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Re: Re: we'll be mining our garbage soon...
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"Murdoch University."
"How were your grades?"
"All A's. I guess you could say I was a member of an elite team."
"Now the world you must face, man."
"I hope someone can hire me."
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