Complex Rare Earth Minerals Sulfate Decomposition Techniques Investigation

Abstract:

This article presents a study of Tomtor rare earth ore decomposition. This material contains a lot of valuable components such as REE and niobium (mas., %: 12,8 ΣREO (rare earth oxides), 0.039 Sc, 18.4 P₂O₅, 9.9 Fe, 9.0 Al, 0.24 ThO₂, 8.2 Nb₂O₅). The study aims to find efficient ways of processing this deposit. Technologies using the sulfuric acid as the main reagent to leach are described in this article. Investigation has three trends. The first trend is agitation leaching at low sulfuric acid concentrations, temperatures up to 95 °C and atmospheric pressure. The second trend is pressure leaching at low sulfuric acid concentrations, high temperatures (up to 180 °C) and high pressure. The third trend is high temperature sulfatization with concentrated sulfuric acid at elevated temperature (up to 180 °C) and atmospheric pressure followed by aqueous leaching. The dependence of target components (rare earth elements, scandium, phosphorus) and the impurity (iron, aluminum, thorium) extractions into solution from major factors was studied.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 946)
• Pages: 580-584
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.946.580
• Online since: February 2019
• Authors: Konstantin D. Naumov*, K.A. Karimov, A.M. Klyushnikov
• Keywords: Atmospheric Leaching, Niobium, Pressure Leaching, Rare Earth Minerals, Scandium, Sulfuric Acid, Tomtor

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