Highlights
- Chinese Academy of Sciences develops novel DOAM-PPA extractant with unprecedented selectivity in heavy rare earth element separation
- New extractant achieves 86% extraction rates and outperforms existing Western and Chinese separation technologies
- Research signals China’s strategic advancement in rare earth processing midstream technologies
- The development challenges global supply chains
The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (opens in a new tab) Institute of the Haixi Research Institute (opens in a new tab) has announced a significant technological breakthrough in the separation and recovery of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), a longstanding industrial challenge in the processing of global critical minerals. Led by Dr. Yang Fan (opens in a new tab) at the Xiamen Rare Earth Materials Research Center, the team has developed a novel extractant, **(**dioctylamino)methylphenylphosphinic acid (DOAM-PPA), that dramatically outperforms existing Western and Chinese separation agents in both selectivity and operational flexibility.
Heavy rare earths such as lutetium (Lu), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y) are critical for defense, clean energy, and high-tech applications—but notoriously difficult to separate due to their near-identical chemical properties reports (opens in a new tab) China Northern Rare Earth.
Dr. Yang Fan (opens in a new tab) at the Xiamen Rare Earth Materials Research Center
The Breakthrough
The DOAM-PPA molecule was engineered with both electron-donating and bulky steric groups to increase selectivity and separation speed. In tests, the extractant achieved a Lu/Y separation factor (βLu/Y) of 53.55—a notable improvement over common industry standards, such as P204 and Cyanex 272. Remarkably, DOAM-PPA maintained high extraction efficiency across a wide pH range (1.25–4.00), providing it with a far broader operational window than existing extractants.
Perhaps most significant is DOAM-PPA’s industrial potential. Under real-world conditions using leachate from LYSO (lutetium yttrium silicate) ore, the agent achieved extraction rates exceeding 86% and maintained a βLu/Y above 20, even at elevated concentrations. Its performance surpassed the U.S.-developed Cyanex 272 and China’s P204 by substantial margins, with saturation capacity for Lu(III) at 2.45 times greater than P204.
Published in Separation and Purification Technology (opens in a new tab), the research reflects not only scientific progress but strategic intent. The project received direct funding from China’s National Key R&D Program, Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Project, and the innovation arm of China Rare Earth Group—the nation’s state-owned rare earth monopoly.
This integration of academic research, industrial policy, and national security infrastructure signals that China is reinforcing its dominance not just in mining, but in the midstream technologies that the West still struggles to scale.
What’s the Potential Implication for the USA? West?
This development poses a direct challenge to U.S. and European efforts to decouple from Chinese rare earth processing. While the West focuses on mine development and basic separation facilities, China is racing ahead in molecular engineering—creating extractants that can refine rare earths more efficiently, cleanly, and at lower cost.
Without comparable investments in separation science and rapid technology deployment, allied nations may find themselves technologically outpaced and still reliant on Chinese technology for high-purity HREEs, essential for lasers, quantum technology, and precision munitions.
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