Removal of thorium from Eneabba North Ilmenite

Conference · Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:447189

Aral, H; Bruckard, W J; Freeman, D E ^[1]

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1. CSIRO Division of Minerals, Port Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); and others

Physical and chemical methods were investigated to lower thorium, levels in Eneabba ilmenite from the natural levels of 180-500 ppm to give Becher Process synthetic ruffle with less than 100 ppm thorium. Chemical treatments, but not physical separations were successful. A pilot plant trial of a sodium hydroxide leach (2.5M NaOH at 75{degrees}C and 40 wt% solids for 1h) followed by a sulphuric acid leach (3M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} at 90{degrees}C and 60 wt% solids for 2h) confirmed that thorium could be removed to below 100 ppm. However, the activity of the ilmenite was not lowered to the same extent. 5 refs., 1 fig., 12 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 447189
• Report Number(s): CONF-961018-; TRN: 97:000327-0015
• Resource Relation: Conference: Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) fall extraction and process metallurgy meeting, Scottsdale, AZ (United States), 27-30 Oct 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Second international symposium on extraction and processing for the treatment and minimization of wastes - 1996; Ramachandran, V.; Nesbitt, C.C. [eds.]; PB: 870 p.
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

40 CHEMISTRY
THORIUM
LEACHING
FRACTIONATION
HEAT TREATMENTS
ILMENITE
SULFURIC ACID