| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/C528972/1 |
| Title: |
Greener Extractive Metallurgy: Recognition and Transport of Chlorometallate Complexes |
| Principal Investigator: |
Tasker, Professor P |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
University of Edinburgh |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
12 September 2005 |
Ends: |
11 September 2008 |
Value (£): |
205,635
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Chemical Synthetic Methodology |
Co-ordination Chemistry |
| Materials Characterisation |
Separation Processes |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Our research programme will help to advance processes for the hydrometallurgical recovery of base metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and zi precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium from their ores. Modern hydrometallurgical processes are increasingly preferred over established pyrometallurgical ones because they involve lower consumption of materials and energy and they can also be used to recover metal: much lower grade ores and from deposits containing complex mixtures of metals. The potential environmental benefits are huge since the propo: hydrometallurgical cycles are more efficient and much cleaner than the current pyrometallurgical methods of producing pure metal.The mining industry has been very active recently in developing technologies to leach metals from their ores into aqueous solutions using as ber conditions (low temperatures and pressures and non-corrosive reagents) as possible. Many such processes generate complex mixtures of meta chlorides. To selectively remove and purify one specific metal from a solution that may contain higher concentrations of an array of other metals important challenge.Our approach involves the design and preparation of new molecules that will attach themselves and recognise specific metals present in the soft generated from low grade metal ores. Since these metals may be present in solution as negatively charged or as positively charged species, the molecules that we will make will have different regions in them that will recognise and attach to both positively charged and negatively charged rr fragments simultaneously. In this way, the overall package of the binding molecule and the positive and negative metal fragment(s) will have zen charge and will then be extracted and purified by extracting it from water into an organic solvent. With clever design, we can then transport this p to a facility where addition of some acid will release the metal fragments, which will then be electrolysed to produce high purity metal. The metal: we will remove and purify are the base metals cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc and the precious metals palladium, platinum and rhodium, which h; high commercial value and have very many uses in industry and medicine.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ed.ac.uk |