THE SEPARATION OF THORIUM AND THE RARE EARTH GROUP FROM MODERATE MONAZITE CONCENTRATES. PART I

Technical Report · Sat Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1959

OSTI ID:4261735

Hilal, O; Saleh, F; Kiwan, A

Monazite was attacked by hot concentrated sulfuric acid. About 50% of the thorium and 95% of the lanthanides were separated from the monazite sulfute solution as double alkali sulfutes and were converted into hydrous oxides by caustic soda solution. The thorium and cerium were separated quantitatively together with less than 2% of other lanthanides which went into solution on adding nitric acid to a suspension of the hydrous oxides, after being dried at 110 deg C, to pH 4. The thorium and ceric mixture was then dissolved in nttric acid, and after the reduction of cerium, thorium was precipitated completely by ammonia precipitation to pH 4.5 contaminated with not more than 4% of rare earths. About 98% of the thorium present in the filtrate of the double alkali sulfate precipitation was recovered together with heavy rare earths by salting the solution with sodium chloride. (auth)

• Research Organization: National Research Centre and Egyptian Atomic Energy Commission, Cairo
• NSA Number: NSA-13-007323
• OSTI ID: 4261735
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/1487
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACIDITY
ALKALI METALS
AMMONIA
CERIUM OXIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
HEATING
MONAZITES
NITRIC ACID
OXIDES
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITY RATIO
RARE EARTHS
RECOVERY
REDUCTION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM CARBONATES
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SOLUTIONS
SULFATES
SULFURIC ACID
SUSPENSIONS
TECHNOLOGY
TEMPERATURE
THORIUM
THORIUM ORES
THORIUM OXIDES
TRACE AMOUNTS
WATER