I recently stumbled upon this news,
seawater contains 47 minerals and metals. Starting with the most abundant and proceeding to the least abundant, these are chloride, with a concentration of 18 980 parts per million (ppm) in seawater, sodium (10 561 ppm), magnesium (1 272 ppm), sulfur (884 ppm), calcium (400 ppm), potassium (380 ppm), bromine (65 ppm), inorganic carbon (28 ppm) and strontium (13 ppm). Then follow boron (4.6 ppm), silicon (4 ppm), organic carbon (3 ppm), aluminum (1.9 ppm), fluorine (1.4 ppm), nitrogen in the form of nitrate (0.7 ppm), organic nitrogen (0.2 ppm), rubidium (0.2 ppm), lithium (0.1 ppm), phosphorous in the form of phosphate (0.1 ppm), copper (0.09 ppm), barium (0.05 ppm), iodine (also 0.05 ppm), nitrogen in the form of nitrite (also 0.05 ppm) and nitrogen in the form of ammonia (once more 0.05 ppm). Thereafter, we have arsenic (0.024 ppm), iron (0.02 ppm), organic phosphorous (0.016 ppm), zinc (0.014 ppm), manganese (0.01 ppm), lead (0.005 ppm), selenium (0.004 ppm), tin (0.003 ppm), caesium (0.002 ppm), molybdenum (also 0.002 ppm) and uranium (0.0016 ppm). Then come gallium (0.0005 ppm), nickel (also 0.0005 ppm), thorium (also 0.0005 ppm), cerium (0.0004 ppm), vanadium (0.0003 ppm), lanthanum (also 0.0003 ppm), yttrium (also 0.0003 ppm), mercury (once more 0.0003 ppm), silver (also 0.0003 ppm), bismuth (0.0002 ppm), cobalt (0.0001 ppm) and, finally, gold (0.000008 ppm). Altogether, there are some 50 quadrillion tons (that is, 50 000 000 000 000 000 t) of minerals and metals dissolved in all the world’s seas and oceans.
Which is quite surprising for me (thought those white crystal was only NaCl)
Assuming I already have TONS of general salts (mixed) from simple seawater evaporation, is there any way to separate each mineral? Let's say by pouring the salts in magnet (for material that is having magnetic properties), etc
(lithium salt pond, which seen exactly same as Nacl pond)
Apologize for shallow understanding of the topic. Any suggestion is highly appreciated since I can't find the answer elsewhere
P.S: This question have been posted earlier in Physics