Process For Preparing Calcium Fluoride From Fluosilicic Acid

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for preparing synthetic calcium fluoride (CaF2) (min 90% CaF2 by weight) from fluosilicic acid, comprising the following steps: (a) reacting fluosilicic acid (H2SiF6) with ammonium hydroxide or ammonia in a first reactor so as to obtain a first slurry; filtering said first slurry so as to obtain a filtrate containing a solution of ammonium fluoride; (b) precipitating the solution of ammonium fluoride obtained as a filtrate in step (a) with calcium carbonate as a dry form or as a suspension at a concentration ranging from 10 to 80% by weight in a second reactor so as to produce a second slurry containing calcium fluoride and ammonium carbonate; filtering said second slurry so as to obtain a filter cake containing calcium fluoride and a filtrate containing a solution of ammonium carbonate; washing and drying said filter cake so as to obtain calcium fluoride and a filter cake washing containing a solution of ammonium carbonate; wherein a portion of the second slurry ranging from 10 to 70% is recycled to the second reactor (3) so as to enhance calcium fluoride crystallization; (c) evolving the major part of ammonia from the second reactor (3) in step (b) because of the partial decomposition of ammonium carbonate under reactor conditions and then scrubbing and returning said ammonia to the first reactor, and gathering and treating by distillation and condensation both ammonium carbonate solutions obtained as the filtrate and the filter cake washing in step (b) to recover liquid ammonia which is recycled to the first reactor (1).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.