Rare Earth Research Institute, Nanchang University

In 2020, the Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University was established relying on the Research Center of Rare Earth and Micro-Nano Functional Materials of Nanchang University and the Jiangxi Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Rare Earth Material Precursors. It focuses on the green extraction of ionic rare earth resources, rare earth chemistry, manufacturing technologies of micro-nano functional materials, and their engineering applications.

The organized rare earth research at Nanchang University began in the late 1970s with research groups led by He Lunyan and Feng Tianze, who improved the extraction process of heavy rare earth resources in Longnan. A leap from the sodium chloride leaching process to the ammonium sulfate leaching technology for ionic rare earth extraction was achieved, and the large-scale popularization of mixed rare earth oxide preparation technology was realized, which has been widely adopted in southern ionic rare earth mining areas. Meanwhile, technologies such as the ammonium sulfate leaching-ammonium bicarbonate precipitation process for rare earth extraction were successfully developed and applied in ionic rare earth mines nationwide. This classic process has been in continuous use for more than 30 years and represents a core technology supporting China’s rare earth mineral products in the international market. Based on these landmark achievements, the Institute of Rare Earth Chemistry of Jiangxi University—the first rare earth research institution in the history of universities in Jiangxi Province—was founded in 1986, with Professor He Lunyan as the director. Targeted rare earth technical training courses were provided for Longnan Rare Earth Mine, Dingnan Rare Earth Company, and Longnan Rare Earth Smelter. Nanchang University also launched the first rare earth major class in Jiangxi’s higher education, cultivating a group of high-level professional talents in rare earth science and engineering.

In 1993, Jiangxi University merged with Jiangxi University of Technology to form Nanchang University. The Institute of Rare Earth Chemistry was consolidated with the Analysis and Testing Center, Institute of Chemical Physics, and Catalysis Research Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry to establish the Institute of Modern Applied Chemistry.

In 1997, the Rare Earth Engineering Research Center of Nanchang University was founded on the basis of the Rare Earth Research Laboratory of the Institute of Modern Applied Chemistry. Representative achievements during this period included the crystallization precipitation method of rare earth carbonates, the control technology of chloride content in high-purity rare earth products, and the production technology of new-type high-speed rare earth polishing powders. These technologies have been successively applied in many enterprises in Jiangsu, Baotou, Jiangxi, Gansu, Shandong and other regions, and have become widely used in the rare earth industry.

In 2003, the Rare Earth Engineering Research Center was renamed the Research Center of Rare Earth and Micro-Nano Functional Materials. The research scope was expanded to micro-nano functional materials beyond rare earths, focusing on advanced materials, new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, biomedicine, and sustainable resource development. The center has made important contributions to the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and socioeconomic development, and published a series of high-level academic papers at home and abroad, such as those on Controlled Synthesis and Properties of Function-Oriented Micro-Nano Materials. It undertakes the discipline construction and talent training for the doctoral program of Materials Physics and Chemistry, the doctoral program of Micro-Nano Materials Science and Engineering, the Jiangxi Provincial key discipline of Inorganic Chemistry, and the master’s programs of Applied Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, making important contributions to the disciplinary development and talent cultivation of Nanchang University.

During the decade from 2009 to 2019, Nanchang University carried out scientific and technological cooperation and technical services with key rare earth enterprises including Qiandong Rare Earth Group, Baotou Rare Earth High-Tech Co., Ltd., Quannan Baotou Gangjinghuan Rare Earth Technology Co., Ltd., Grinm Rare Earth New Materials, Gansu Rare Earth New Materials Co., Ltd., and Zibo Baotou Ganglingzhi Rare Earth High-Tech Co., Ltd. Research and development covered green processes for rare earth smelting, production technologies for rare earth polishing and ceramic materials, and highly efficient green extraction technologies for ionic rare earths. These achievements were successfully industrialized, yielding remarkable economic and social benefits. The Jiangxi Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Rare Earth Material Precursors was approved by the Jiangxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission, with Li Yongxiu as the director.

On May 20, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Jiangxi Province and put forward new strategic requirements for the development of the rare earth industry. Taking this as an opportunity, Nanchang University led ten nationally competitive institutions engaged in ionic rare earth research and successfully obtained the National Key R&D Program Project: Integrated Technologies for Efficient and Green Development and Ecological Remediation of Ionic Adsorption Type Rare Earth Resources, with Li Yongxiu as the project principal investigator.

Under the academic leadership of Li Yongxiu, the Rare Earth Research Institute has built a core team for rare earth research and industrialization at Nanchang University. By aligning with national and Jiangxi provincial major strategic plans for rare earths, the institute has undertaken and completed a number of key national projects including the National Key R&D Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. A new generation of highly efficient and green extraction process for ionic adsorption rare earths has been developed and industrialized, providing new solutions for mine environmental remediation and the optimization of subsequent high-purity rare earth production. Facing terminal applications, the institute develops high-purity nano-functional materials using high-abundance rare earth elements, and has achieved a series of high-level innovations for the rare earth industry and related fields such as electronic information, chip manufacturing, transportation, energy and environment, and medical health. A distinctive complete industrial chain has been established, covering rare earth resource development, high-purity rare earth separation, rare earth material and precursor manufacturing, and rare earth material applications. A number of world-class demonstration bases for industry-university-research-application integration and demonstration production lines for new products and technologies with independent intellectual property rights have been built in Jiangxi, Shanghai, Shandong, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu and other regions, boosting the high-quality development of the rare earth material industry.The highly efficient and green extraction technology for ionic adsorption rare earths has reached the international leading level. Featured applications have been formed in rare earth polishing, rare earth ceramics, rare earth catalysis, rare earth energy-saving and wave-absorbing coatings, lightweight equipment, medical detection devices, 5G communications and other fields. A number of new products with international advanced levels have been developed, achieving better economic and social benefits through technology transfer and achievement incubation. The institute contributes significantly to energy conservation, emission reduction, ecological environmental protection, sustainable development, the construction of a world-leading scientific and technological country, and the improvement of people’s well-being and health.Relying on its comprehensive disciplinary advantages, the Advanced Research Institute and the Rare Earth Research Institute of Nanchang University have launched the Rare Earth Experimental Class, which connects with the special postgraduate program of the Ganjiang Innovation Academy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, realizing the integrated bachelor-master-doctoral training of high-level innovative talents.

At present, the institute has a laboratory area of more than 1,500 square meters, fixed assets of over 10 million yuan, and project funds of more than 20 million yuan. It has 7 professors, 12 associate professors, 1 lecturer, and nearly 90 doctoral and master’s students.

Address: College of Science and Life Sciences, Qianhu Campus, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Honggutan New District, Nanchang

Postal Code: 330031