Extraction of critical minerals using polyanions

Abstract

A method of extracting a critical mineral cation from a composition is provided. The composition can be any type of composition having critical minerals. The method can include contacting a polyanion to a composition, wherein the composition includes the critical mineral cation. The method includes complexing the critical mineral cation with the polyanion to form a polyan-ion/cation complex in the composition. The method can include separating the polyanion/cation complex from the composition. The method can also include releasing the critical mineral cation from the polyanion.

1 . A method of extracting a critical mineral cation from a composition, comprising:
 contacting a polyanion to a composition, wherein the composition includes the critical mineral cation;   complexing the critical mineral cation with the polyanion to form a polyanion/cation complex in the composition;   separating the polyanion/cation complex from the composition; and   releasing the critical mineral cation from the polyanion.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the critical mineral cation is a metal ion that is a monovalent ion, a divalent ion, or a trivalent ion. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the critical mineral cation is lithium. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the critical mineral cation is strontium. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the critical mineral cation is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, cobalt, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, terbium, silicon, bromine, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is an anionic dextran, an anionic cellulose, an anionic polysaccharide, a negative polymer, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is dextran sulfate, dextran phosphate, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, pectin, kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, lambda carrageenan, hyaluronic acid, fucoidan, polystyrene sulfonate, polyvinyl sulfonic acid, polyacrylic acid, polymethyl acrylic acid sodium salt, 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is conjugated to a particle, bead, substrate, flow path surface, membrane, or other body. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion is not bound to another body. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is a processing solution, prepared from a processing solution, or waste from an industrial facility. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the composition, wherein the composition is from an industrial facility, an oil processing facility, a gas processing facility, a geothermal energy facility, or from a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) facility. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the complexing is performed under mixing. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the separating is performed by centrifugation, precipitation, filtration or charged membrane separation. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the releasing is by changing pH, salinity, or composition of the separated polyanion/ion complex. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion has an entrapment efficiency for the critical mineral cation of at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, or at least about 80%. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 separating the released critical mineral cation from the polyanion; and   collecting the released critical mineral cation without the polyanion.