EXTRACTION AND SEPARATION OF YTTRIUM AND RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS FOUND IN EUXENITE
Studies relative to the separation of yttrium and the individual rare- earth elements (lanthanons) from mixtures in which they occur was undertaken at the Federal Bureau of Mines Albany Metallurgy Research Center and resuited in the development of a solvent extraction method by which yttrium can be separated from the rare-earth metals. A separation factor of l0.93 was obtained between yttrium and cerium from a single-stage extraction, and a factor of 1.78 was obtained between yttrium and erbium from a multistage system. The valuable metals were extracted from euxenite by caustic soda fusion or by chlorination, and several separation methods were investigated. Partial separation of the yttrium and rare- earth element fraction was made by chemical methods and by solvent extraction. Thermal decomposition of aqueous rare-earth nitrates or selective ignition of yttrium and rare-earth oxalates yielded a fraction enriched in cerium. A iraction enriched in the light rare-earth elements resulted from a double sulfate precipitation, whereas a potassium ferrocyanide precipitation yielded a fraction enriched in yttrium. Precipitation with dimethyl phosphate yielded a fraction enriched in yttrium and heavy rare-earth elements. Enriched fractions were obtained with several solvent extraction systems. A system consisting of rare- earth nitrates, nitric acid, and tri-nbutylamine-3 methyl-2-butanone favored the separation of yttrium from the heavy as well as from the light rare-earth elements. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Bureau of Mines. Albany Metallurgy Research Center
- NSA Number:
- NSA-16-008802
- OSTI ID:
- 4800596
- Report Number(s):
- BM-RI-5910
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BUTYL RADICALS
CERIUM
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINATION
CYANIDES
DECOMPOSITION
ERBIUM
EUXENITE
FUSED SALTS
HEATING
IRON COMPOUNDS
KETONES
METHYL RADICALS
MINERALS
NIOBIUM OXIDES
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
ORES
OXALATES
PHOSPHATES
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION
RARE EARTHS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SULFATES
TANTALUM OXIDES
THORIUM OXIDES
URANIUM MINERALS
WATER
YTTRIUM