MINERAL RAW MATERIALS BASE | |
ArticleName | Krasnoufimskyi’s monazite as raw material for rare earth elements and fertilizer production |
ArticleAuthor | Valkov A. V., Sergievskiy V. V., Stepanov S. I., Chekmarev A. M. |
ArticleAuthorData | National Research Nuclear University MEPhI A. V. Valkov, Professor V. V. Sergievskiy, Professor of a Chair of General Chemistry, e-mail: ale1534@yandex.ru
D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia S. I. Stepanov, Professor A. M. Chekmarev, Professor, Head of a Chair “Technology of a Rare, Scattered Elements and Nanotechnologies” |
Abstract | The results of alkaline leaching of Krasnoufimsryi’s monazite by concentrated KOH solutions are presented. Monazite is crushed about 0.05–0.1 mm size, is mixed with 350–400 g/l KOH solution under relation monazite : KOH = 1:1.2(1.5) and is heated and agitated under 110–115 oС during 2–4 hours. The pulp is diluted in 2 times with water and hydroxides of Th, U, Ln are precipitated and filtrated. The filtrate is evaporated by 3–4 times, is cooled down 20–25 oС and K3PO4 crystals are separated. The residue is washed by nitric acid under pH 3.5–4.5 and than solution of Ln(NO3)3 is filtrated. From contained solution after deactivation the carbonate of REE is precipitated by K2CO3. The residual nitrate solution of KNO3 is used for fertilizers production. From residual cake uranium is leached by K2CO3 solution as complex K4[UO2(CO3)3]. From solution uranium is recovered as ammonium polyuranate. From cake contained Th, crude monazite and waste rock are leached by 50% excess of nitric aced up to all Th and residual lanthanide hydroxides are passed into the solution. This solution is separated from cake by filtration and This precipitated from it by K2CO3. The Thorium carbonate than is converted into ThO2. The residue is crushed; waste rock is separated and recycled in to alkaline leaching. The concentrate of REE is dissolved in nitric acid and than Ln are separated using solvent extraction with 100% TBP. At the first stage Cerium is recovered as Ce(+4) from solution using electrochemical process. The residual REE are separated by solvent extraction using cascades, contained 70—80 stages. Three products: Lanthanum and Cerium concentrates for polishing paste, Samarium, Gadolinium and Yttrium concentrate which used for recovery Samarium for Sm magnets and Gadolinium for fuel elements and Neodymium — Praseodymium concentrate for Nd—Fe—B magnets are obtained. |
keywords | Мonazite, alkaline leaching, N—P—K fertilizer, solvent extraction, thorium, uranium, rare earth elements, separation |
References | 1. Hisaichi Arakawa. The separation and purification of rare-earth elements from monazite. Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan. 1948. Vol. 21. pp. 43–48. 2. Pilkington E. S., Wylie W. Rare earth and thorium compounds from monazite. J. Soc. Chem. Ind. (London). 1947. Vol. 66. pp. 387–394. 3. Takeshi Kojima. Metallurgical research on cerium metal. I. Extraction of rare earth from monazite by sulfuric acid process. J. Electrochem. Soc. Japan. 1950. Vol. 18. pp. 319–322. 4. Toshio Ishino, Jiro Shiokawa. Preparation of rare earth elements. I. Decomposition of monazite sand. J. Chem. Soc. Japan, Ind. Chem. Sect. 1950. Vol. 53. pp. 144–146. 5. Bearse A. E., Calkins G. D., Clegg J. W., Filbert R. B. Thorium and rare earth from monazite. Chem. Eng. Progr. 1954. Vol. 50. pp. 235–239. 6. Patent 323989 RF, MPK C 01 F 17/00. Sposob pererabotki monatsita (The way of the monazite processing). Valkov A. V., Stepanov S. I., Sergievskiy V. V., Chekmarev A. M. Published 17.05.2005. 7. Patent 2151206 RF, MPK C 01 F 17/00. Sposob pererabotki monatsitovogo kontsentrata (The way of the monazite concentrate processing). Lebedev V. N., Lokshin E. P. Published 28.06.1999. 8. Patent 2331681 RF, MPK C 01 V 59/00. Sposob razlozheniya monatsita (The way of the monazite decomposition). Nizov V. A. et al. Published 30.04.2004. |
Language of full-text | russian |
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