Extraction of Rare-Earth Elements from Silicate-Based Ore through Hydrometallurgical Route

Autor(es)

Botelho Junior, Amilton Barbosa ; Romano Espinosa, Denise Crocce ; Vaughan, James ; Soares Tenorio, Jorge Alberto

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: METALS; v. 12, n. 7, p. 21-pg., 2022-07-01.

Resumo

The European Union and several countries/regions classified the rare-earth elements (REEs), such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, and scandium, as critical due to the risk of supply interruption. For this reason, the growing demand for REEs has resulted in forgotten reserves receiving economic interest. So, the search for new sources and the development of chemical process is important, such as silicate-based ore. Since there is almost no literature on the extraction of REEs from this source, a new approach was developed in the present study. Direct leaching and acid baking were studied using sulfuric acid. The effect of the acid concentration, temperature, solid-liquid ratio, oxidizing/reducing medium, and acid dosage were studied. Results showed that the extraction of REEs achieved up to 80% at 90 degrees C in oxidizing medium, and scandium and iron achieved 13.5% and 65.0%, respectively. For the acid baking experiments, the results were better than direct leaching for REEs at over 85%. The scandium leaching rate was lower than direct leaching. On the other hand, the extraction of iron was lower in acid baking than direct leaching. The iron and scandium extraction rates were higher in lower temperatures (<200 degrees C) and acid dosages, achieving 50% and 6.3%, respectively. Future studies should explore thermal treatment before acid leaching. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 18/03483-6 - Estudo cinético e termodinâmico da recuperação de escândio da lama vermelha brasileira utilizando técnicas hidrometalúrgicas
• Beneficiário: Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 19/11866-5 - Desenvolvimento de processos inovadores para recuperação de metais críticos
• Beneficiário: Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 18/11417-3 - Obtenção de escândio a partir de resíduo de bauxita lama vermelha utilizando processo de lixiviação em meio ácido
• Beneficiário: Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 12/51871-9 - Estudo de novas tecnologias e rotas de processamento para o tratamento e reciclagem de resíduos sólidos
• Beneficiário: Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático