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Leaching behaviour of rare earth elements from low-grade weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore using magnesium sulfate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2018

Kaihua Chen ,
Jiannan Pei ,
Shaohua Yin ,
Shiwei Li ,
Jinhui Peng  and
Libo Zhang
Kaihua Chen
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
Jiannan Pei
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
Shaohua Yin*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
Shiwei Li
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
Jinhui Peng
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
Libo Zhang
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China Key Laboratory of Unconventional Metallurgy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China National Local Joint Laboratory of Engineering Application of Microwave Energy and Equipment Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, China
*
*E-mail: yinsh@kmust.edu.cn
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Abstract

The present study investigates the use of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) instead of (NH4)2SO4 as a lixiviant in the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from clays. Experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of leaching conditions such as leaching time, lixiviant concentration and liquid:solid ratio on the leaching efficiency. The optimum leaching conditions, leading to 75.48% of total REE leaching efficiency, required a stirring speed of 500 rpm, a leaching time of 30 min, a lixiviant concentration of 3 wt.% and a liquid:solid ratio of 3:1. After extension of the leaching process by a second stage, the leaching efficiency may reach up to 96.19%, which is slightly higher than that obtained by (NH4)2SO4. Leaching varies from element to element, with Ce presenting the lowest leaching efficiency, and the partition in leaching solution is in agreement with that in raw ore other than for Ce. Based on these findings, MgSO4 lixiviant is an excellent alternative leaching agent for a sustainable REE industry because it reduces or eliminates NH4+–N pollution.

Keywords

rare earth elementsleaching efficiencylixiviantMgSO4ammonia–nitrogen
Type
Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , September 2018 , pp. 505 - 514
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2018 

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: J. Huertas

References

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