Environmentally friendly separation of dysprosium and neodymium by fractional precipitation of coordination polymers

Abstract

Against a backdrop of increasing demand, the recovery of neodymium (Nd) and especially dysprosium (Dy) from manufacturing scraps and used magnets has necessitated the development of Nd/Dy separation technologies. To this end, we suggest a simple and environmentally friendly separation method by fractional precipitation of coordination polymers (CPs)—extended complexes of metal ions and organic ligands. With the di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid ligand functioning as a precipitant, Dy was exclusively precipitated as a CP due to its precipitation equilibrium that is considerably different from that of Nd.