TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Ligand-Assisted Capillary Electrophoretic Separation of Rare Earth Elements (REEs)

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Ligand-Assisted Capillary Electrophoretic Separation of Rare Earth Elements (REEs)

An efficient, eco-friendly method for separating rare earth elements (REEs).

Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to explore a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this Ligand-Assisted Capillary Electrophoretic Separation system. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.

Overview: Rare earth elements (REEs) are vital components for an array of technological applications, including electronics, batteries, and defense systems. Traditionally, their separation from ores has been a challenging and environmentally taxing process, primarily due to the use of volatile organic chemicals. Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) stands as a viable alternative but has been underutilized in the realm of REEs due to their similar chemical properties.

Description: This innovative technique optimizes conventional capillary electrophoresis by incorporating complexing agents in the electrolyte solution. The process begins by loading the capillary with a ligand-containing mixture and injecting the REE mixture at one end. Once an electric field is applied, the REEs migrate, and the ligand facilitates a more significant degree of separation between each REE. Early tests have shown substantially increased separation efficiency, reducing the time needed for a complete separation cycle to under 5 minutes with a theoretical plate count between 100,000 and 500,000.

Benefits:

• Accelerated separation process, reducing time from 30 minutes to under 5 minutes.

• High separation efficiency with a theoretical plate count between 100,000 and 500,000.

• Environmentally safer alternative to traditional methods involving volatile organic chemicals.

Applications:

• Rapid geological analysis of REE ores.

• High-throughput analytical chemistry of REE mixtures.

• Potential for incorporation into existing industrial separation processes.

Development Status: The technology is currently at TRL 3, with analytical and experimental proof-of-concept having been established. Future research will explore more ligands to further enhance separation efficiency.

IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/514,313, “A CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORETIC SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS OF SEPARATING RARE EARTH ELEMENTS,” BEA Docket No. BA-1439.

INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.