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Prospects of metal recovery from wastewater and brine

Nature Water volume 1, pages 37–46 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Modern technology relies on an undisrupted supply of metals, yet many metals have limited geological deposits. Recovering metals from wastewater and brine could augment metal stocks, but there is little guidance on which metals to prioritize for recovery or on the techno-economic viability of extraction processes. Here we critically assess the potential for recovering metals from wastewater and brine. We first look at which metals are critical for recovery on the basis of their supply risks and the impacts of those supply restrictions. We then assess the feasibility of recovering these metals from various water sources by estimating the required operational costs to match market prices. Next we discuss the limitations of established separation technologies that may inhibit the practicality and scalability of metal recovery from water. We conclude by highlighting materials and processes that could serve as more sustainable alternatives to metal recovery with further research and development.

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Fig. 1: Determination of which metals are critical for recovery from water.
Fig. 2: Economic assessment of metal recovery from water.
Fig. 3: Established separation methods for metal recovery.
Fig. 4: Strategies to engineer technologies and processes for metal recovery.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support received from the US–Israel Binational Science Foundation (grant number CBET-2110138) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (grant number EEC-1449500). R.M.D. acknowledges the Abel Wolman Fellowship from the American Water Works Association (AWWA), N.J.C. acknowledges the eFellows Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE, NSF grant number EEC-2127509), S.K.P. acknowledges the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology and L.M. acknowledges the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The contents of this Perspective are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF, AWWA, ASEE, AMTA or Bureau of Reclamation.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Ryan M. DuChanois, Nathanial J. Cooper, Boreum Lee, Sohum K. Patel, Lauren Mazurowski & Menachem Elimelech

  2. Center for Industrial Ecology, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Thomas E. Graedel

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Correspondence to Thomas E. Graedel or Menachem Elimelech.

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DuChanois, R.M., Cooper, N.J., Lee, B. et al. Prospects of metal recovery from wastewater and brine. Nat Water 1, 37–46 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-022-00006-z

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