Fabrication of polyvinylidene fluoride-based polymer inclusion membranes for the selective extraction of rare earth elements from electronic waste leachates

Abdul Fauzi, Fathiyyah Nadhirah and Mat Harttar @ Mohd Hatta, Maziati Akmal and Wan Yusri, Wan Syasya Nabilah and Ismail, Wafiuddin and Ahmad, Farah (2026) Fabrication of polyvinylidene fluoride-based polymer inclusion membranes for the selective extraction of rare earth elements from electronic waste leachates. Jurnal Sains Nuklear Malaysia, 38 (Special Issue). pp. 25-36. ISSN 2232-0946

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Abstract

Rare earth elements (REEs) are important materials of modern technologies, but these elements are difficult to obtain from conventional mining due to both environmental and geopolitical reasons, which has led to the exploration of secondary sources such as e-waste. Herein, we report on the early-stage development and evaluation of PIMs, prepared using PVDF, with the aim of extracting REEs. Membranes were fabricated using three different solvents, namely dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and dimethylformamide (DMF), using the NIPS technique and then quenched with either water or air. The membranes were characterized by analyzing the mechanical strength, thickness, and morphology, and the results were analyzed to determine the influence of fabrication conditions on the structural properties relevant to REE transport. The results indicated that water-quenched membranes were generally thicker than air-quenched ones, whereas membranes made with NMP had the highest tensile strength, at approximately 4.3 MPa. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of the membranes confirmed that those fabricated with DMAc had the most porous structure, followed by DMF and NMP, which is consistent with the lower swelling index (40.68%) and higher water absorption (8.94%) of these membranes, allowing extractants to diffuse more readily through the membrane. Overall, these results demonstrate that the choice of solvent and quenching method is critical to the determination of the membrane strength and porosity, two properties that are critical to the efficient extraction of REEs, and future work will incorporate ionic liquid extractants and assess the transport of REEs from e-waste leachates.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Rare Earth Elements; Polymer Inclusion Membranes; Electronic waste; Polyvinylidene Fluoride; Nonsolvent Induced Phase Separation
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry T Technology > TP Chemical technology T Technology > TP Chemical technology > TP1080 Polymers, plastics and their manufacture T Technology > TP Chemical technology > TP200 Manufacture and use of chemicals
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Engineering
Depositing User:	Dr Maziati Akmal
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2026 11:15
Last Update:	10 Jul 2026 11:15
Queue Number:	2026-06-Q3852
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/129629

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