Process for producing tantalum concentrates
AssigneeMitsubishi Chemical Industries Limited
InventorsAkio Tamaru, Minoru Kitsunai
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Abstract
In a process for producing tantalum concentrates from ores containing tantalum oxides, tantalic acid or its salts together with rutile type titanium dioxide in mixed crystals, the ores are treated in a sulfuric acid of a concentration not lower than 50% by weight with heating at a temperature from 200.degree. C. to the boiling point of said sulfuric acid, and then the above-treated products are treated with a reducing agent in an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid of a concentration lower than 50% by weight to dissolve the titanium component to thereby obtain tantalum concentrates as solid products.
Claims21
A process for producing tantalum concentrates from an ore containing tantalum oxides, tantalic acid or salts thereof in combination with rutile-type titanium dioxide in mixed crystals, said process comprising:
- (a) admixing said ore with a reagent consisting essentially of an aqueous solution of at least 50% by weight sulfuric acid;
- (b) heating the admixture to a temperature within the range of from about 200.degree. C. up to the boiling point of said reagent, with negligible dissolution of ore components;
- (c) admixing the treated ore from step (b) with a reducing agent and an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid containing less than 50% by weight sulfuric acid to dissolve the titanium component while leaving the tantalum components in an insoluble state, thereby upgrading the tantalum content in the remaining ore concentrate solids.
A process for producing tantalum concentrates from an ore containing tantalum oxides, tantalic acid or salts thereof in combination with rutile-type titanium dioxide in mixed cyrstals, said process comprising:
- (a) admixing said ore with a reagent consisting essentially of an aqueous solution of at least 50% by weight sulfuric acid;
- (b) heating the admixture to a temperature within the range of from about 200.degree. C. up to the boiling point of said reagent, with negligible dissolution or ore components;
- (c) separating solids from the sulfuric acid;
- (d) recycling the sulfuric acid from step (c) to step (a);
- (e) admixing the solids separated in step (c) with a reducing agent and an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid containing less than 50% by weight sulfuric acid to dissolve the titanium component while leaving the tantalum components in an insoluble state, thereby upgrading the tantalum content in the remaining ore concentrate solids;
- and
- (f) separating the upgraded tantalum concentrate solids from the sulfuric acid solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.