Process, method and plant for recovering scandium

A method for recovering scandium from a feed stream using an ion exchange resin, the method including:

• a) sorbing scandium or ions containing scandium from the feed stream onto the ion exchange resin under acidic conditions to form a loaded resin, wherein step a) is carried out at a pH in the range of 0.0 to 5.0 and the resin is an amphoteric resin;
• b) deprotonating the loaded resin by contacting the loaded resin with a neutralising solution, wherein the neutralising solution after deprotonating the loaded resin is lean in scandium, wherein step b) includes treating the loaded resin with the neutralising solution so that the neutralising solution including an alkaline so that the neutralising solution in contact with the loaded resin has a pH from 6 to 10 at the end of step b);
• and
• c) desorbing scandium or ions containing scandium from the ion exchange resin under neutral or alkaline conditions to form a product stream rich in scandium or ions containing scandium using a stripping solution in which the stripping solution includes any one or a combination of:
• a carbonate salt, a bicarbonate salt, a sulphate salt, a sulphuric salt, a nitrate salt, a nitric acid, a fluoride salt, a hydrofluoric acid, or a sodium carbonate.