Processes and methods for recovering rare earth elements and scandium from acidic solutions

A method, comprising:

• step (a) contacting an organic solution comprising one or more lanthanides and one or more of base metals and thorium with an alkali comprising solution to selectively remove at least most of the base metals and thorium to form a base metal-rich alkali comprising solution and a base metal-scrubbed organic solution comprising the lanthanides;
• step (b) contacting the base metal-rich alkali comprising solution with a precipitation agent to form a base metal-stripped alkali comprising solution and solids comprising the base metals and thorium;
• and
• step (c) recycling, to step (a), the base metal-stripped alkali comprising solution.

A method, comprising:

• step (a) contacting an organic solution comprising one or more rare earth elements and one or more of base metals and thorium with a first alkali-comprising solution to selectively remove at least most of the base metals and thorium to form a base metal-rich alkali solution and a base metal-scrubbed organic solution comprising the rare earth elements;
• step (b) contacting the base metal-rich alkali solution with a precipitation agent to remove at least most of the base metals and thorium to form a base metal-stripped alkali solution and solids comprising the base metals and thorium;
• step (c) recycling, to step (a), the base metal-stripped alkali solution;
• and
• step (d) contacting the base metal-scrubbed organic solution with a rare earth stripping solution comprising a second alkali-comprising solution to remove at least most of the rare earth elements from the base metal-scrubbed organic solution.