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ECONOMICS OF REM PRODUCTION AND APPLICATION
ArticleName Technical and economic characteristics of the rare earth production
ArticleAuthor Valkov A. V.
ArticleAuthorData

National Research Nuclear University MEPhI

A. V. Valkov, Professor of a Chair of Chemistry, e-mail: ale1534@yandex.ru

Abstract

Features of the rare earth production at the present are considered. The situation is characterized by absolute domination of China at the market of rare earth metals and derivative products. Difficulties connected with necessity to extract from the ore all rare earth elements in the situation of the preferable consumption of separate ones and relative lack of demand for the others are noted. In author's opinion it is necessary to consider the concentrates of rare earth elements as an integrated raw materials with consequential need for domestic consumption of the all extracted elements. The key sources of the rare earth elements in Russia can be loparite, apatite and complex ores of a Tomtor deposit. It is proposed a technology of the rare earth concentrates reprocessing, including division into groups with the following concentrates obtaining: lanthanum, cerium, samarium-europium-gadolinium-terbium, terbiumdysprosium-holmium-erbium, yttrium-thulium-ytterbiumlutecium and 99,99% didimium. Cerium is separated by oxidation up to Ce4+, and for separation of holmium, erbium, yttrium, thulium, ytterbium, lutecium it is recommend to use a Cyanex-272 extragent. It is proposed to produce pure oxides using obtained concentrates by extraction with total internal spraying. Variation of number of the steps required for formating an accumulation zone in a mode of a total internal spraying and changes in the content of impurities in a selected element by steps of the cascade are given.

keywords Rare-earth elements, ore, concentrate, extraction technology, separation factor, total internal spraying, free oxide, integrated raw material, consumption
References

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