Phinix LLC and Partners win R&D project from US Department of Energy, EERE

Phinix LLC has added another R&D contract to its list of prestigious projects focusing on processes & product development, energy efficiency & conservation, recycling, scrap sortation & sustainability. The company has been awarded an R&D contract by the U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE).

The fund has been awarded for the project topic “Rare Earth Element Separation Using Gas-Assisted Micro-Flow Extraction with Task-Specific Ionic Liquids.”

The project has been awarded under the Advanced Manufacturing Office FY20 Critical Materials Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) program.

Phinix LLC will be doing the project together with their research partners:

• NICHE Industrial Chemicals

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The research team will design, assemble, and optimize a novel rare earth element (REE) separation system. A novel bench scale extractor based on gas-assisted microflow extraction (GAME) theory would be constructed, which would include dispersion modules. Various task specific ionic liquids (TSILs) used for extraction of heavy metals from aqueous systems would be evaluated and compared. The most efficient and cost-effective liquid would be synthesized and used to generate rare earth solutions from bauxite residue. A process flowsheet would be created for guidance on producing high-quality rare earth elements from bauxite residue.

The project would be completed over three Budget Periods (BPs).