Recovery of cerium
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.
Claims46
A process for solubilizing a cerium oxide, which comprises:
- contacting a solid mixture containing a fluoride and said cerium oxide with an aqueous leach solution containing a strong acid, potassium ions and a species comprising boron and fluorine to form (1) a leachate containing solubilized cerium oxide and (2) a precipitate containing said potassium ion and said species.
A process which comprises (1) contacting a mixture comprising a cerium oxide and a fluoride with a leach solution comprising hydrochloric acid and a boron compound capable of reacting with said fluoride to form a leachate containing solubilized cerium and a reaction product of said boron compound and said fluoride, and (2) adding potassium ions to the leachate to precipitate said reaction product.
A process for recovering cerium values from a mixture comprising a cerium oxide and a cerium fluoride, which comprises:
- contacting said mixture with a leach solution containing hydrochloric acid and a boron compound capable of reacting with said fluoride to form a leachate containing solubilized cerium and a reaction product of said fluoride and said boron compound,
- removing said reaction product from said leachate by adding potassium ions to the leachate to precipitate said reaction product, and
- recovering said solubilized cerium from said leachate.
A process which comprises:
- contacting a solid comprising a cerium fluoride with a solution of hydrochloric acid and a boron compound selected from the group consisting of boric acid and a salt of boric acid to form a leachate comprising cerium ions and a fluoroborate species;
- contacting said leachate with potassium ions to precipitate potassium tetrafluoroborate;
- and
- separating said precipitate from said leachate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.