Process for treatment of pyrochlore concentrates

Patent · Tue Mar 30 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7187977

Charlot, G

A continuous process is described for extraction of niobium, rare earths and thorium from niobium ore concentrates which includes digesting the ore with a hot solution containing 13 to 16 moles of sulphuric acid per liter, diluting the solution to a concentration of 10 to 13 moles of sulphuric acid per liter, separating the insolubles from the solution which includes alkaline earth sulphates and the sulphates of thorium and rare earths that are present, reducing titanium in solution to the trivalent state and diluting the solution to a concentration of 5 to 7 moles of sulphuric acid per liter, separating the precipitated niobium oxide and sulphates of thorium and rare earths, and then concentrating the resulting solution to the level desired for recycle to the digestion stage. 10 Claims, No Drawings. (auth)

• Assignee: Societe Francaise d'Electrometallurgie
• Patent Number(s): US 3947542
• OSTI ID: 7187977
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360101 -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400105* -- Separation Procedures
ACTINIDES
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
INTERFERING ELEMENTS
METALS
NIOBIUM
NIOBIUM ORES
ORE PROCESSING
ORES
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
RARE EARTHS
RECOVERY
REFRACTORY METALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFURIC ACID
THORIUM
TITANIUM
TRANSITION ELEMENTS