Recovery of cerium from fluoride-containing ores
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorPaula J. Bosserman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Recovery of cerium values from fluoride-containing ores such as bastnasite is enhanced. The ore is ground, roasted, and leached with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce an ore concentrate. The concentrate is treated with a solution of hydrochloric acid and boric acid to solubilize cerium values and convert fluoride to tetrafluoroborate ion. Tetrafluoroborate is removed from the solution, e.g., by precipitation, and the solution is further processed for recovery of cerium values. Removal of tetrafluoroborate avoids loss of cerium as insoluble cerium tetrafluorborate during said further processing.
Claims17
A process for recovering cerium values from bastnasite which comprises the steps of:
- contacting a solid material comprising a cerium component and a fluoride component obtained from bastnasite with a solution of a strong acid and a boron compound capable of reacting with said fluoride component, the solution being sufficient to form a leachate containing solubilized cerium and a reaction product of said boron compound and said fluoride component;
- and
- contacting said leachate with a source of potassium ion to form a precipitate containing fluoroborate.
A process for recovering cerium from bastnasite which comprises:
- roasting finely-divided bastnasite in the presence of oxygen;
- contacting roasted bastnasite with dilute hydrochloric acid solution sufficient to dissolve alkaline earth constituents, leaving a solid residue comprising cerium and fluoride components;
- leaching said solid residue with a more concentrated hydrochloric acid solution than said dilute hydrochloric acid solution, said concentrated acid solution containing a boron compound selected from the group consisting of boric acid and salts thereof, to form a leachate containing solubilized cerium and a fluoroborate species;
- and
- adding a source of potassium ion to the leachate to precipitate potassium tetrafluoroborate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.