Mechanochemically prepared Zn–Al LDH precursor for rare earth elements recovery

The ionic rare earth elements (REEs) was mainly recovered by in-situ leaching process. The concentration of rare earth ions in the leaching solution after long-term leaching process would be too low for traditional precipitation process for REEs recovery. The adsorption process was ideal for the low concentration REEs recovery. In this study, Zn–Al LDH precursor were successfully synthesized by mechanochemical method for the adsorption of REEs (including La − , Eu 3+ and Er 3+ ). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron energy spectrometer (XPS), and Zeta potential test was applied for adsorption mechanism illustration. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Zn–Al LDH precursor for La 3+ , Eu 3+ and Er 3+ reached 492 mg/g, 346 mg/g, and 1154 mg/g which was significantly higher than other types of adsorbents. The adsorbed REEs on the Zn–Al LDH was hard to be desorbed. The Zn–Al LDH precursor after REEs adsorption could be directly used as high content REEs resources for further process.Therefore, the Zn–Al LDH precursor could be a promising adsorbent for REEs recovery in practical application.