Determine the experimental conditions (pH, temperature, sample pre-treatment) that provide the most efficient extraction of REEs from U.S. Appalachian Basin clay.

Roanoke ,virgina Stewartsville,clay ,speciation and the characterizing .

Therefore, novel extraction methods are high-priority research subjects. A report from the

USGS (United States Geological Survey) on REEs revealed that the geology and climate of the Central Appalachian Mountains provide a suitable environment for the formation of regolith hosted ion-adsorption clay minerals, which raise the extracted quantity of REEs. Thus, this research aims to develop an efficient strategy to quantify and extract REEs from resources obtained from the Appalachian region in the U.S.⁵   Specifically, this research has the following objectives.

1. Employ established sequential leaching methods to speciate REEs present within U.S.

Appalachian Basin clay samples.

1. Determine the experimental conditions (pH, temperature, sample pre-treatment) that provide the most efficient extraction of REEs from U.S. Appalachian Basin clay.

• Investigate the benefit of common chelating agents to increase the extraction efficiency of REEs from U.S. Appalachian Basin clay. Possible chelating agents are Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and ethylenediamine succinic acid (EDDS).

1. Study the inhibition of REE leaching by ever-present phosphate (PO₄^3-) ions in samples of environmental importance.