Recovery of Scandium by Leaching Process from Brazilian Red Mud

Author(s)

Botelho Junior, Amilton Barbosa ; Costa, Raquel Hungaro ; Romano Espinosa, Denise Crocce ; Soares Tenorio, Jorge Alberto ; Azimi, G ; Kim, H ; Alam, S ; Ouchi, T ; Neelameggham, NR ; Baba, AA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: RARE METAL TECHNOLOGY 2019; v. N/A, p. 7-pg., 2019-01-01.

Abstract

Alumina is the rawmaterial for aluminum production, where it is obtained from bauxite by the Bayer Process. Sodium hydroxide is used in a pressure digestion with to obtain an aluminate solution and then remove impurities by the precipitation. For each 1 ton of alumina produced, 1-1.25 tons of red mud is generated in the Bayer Process. Red mud is mainly composed of iron, silicon and titanium oxides, but rare earth elements (REEs) can also be found in the residue. The most important REE is scandium, because it is 90% of the price of all REEs present in red mud. The aim of this work was to study a leaching process of Brazilian red mud to obtain scandium. Sulfuric acid 20wt% was used as leaching agent, L/S ratio 1/10 (please add unit), temperature of 25 degrees C and 6 h of reaction time. Samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/11417-3 - Obtaining Scandium from bauxite residue red mud by leaching process in acidic medium
• Grantee: Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/03483-6 - Kinect and thermodynamic studies for scandium recovery from Brazilian red mud using hydrometallurgical techniques
• Grantee: Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate