Commercial Production Of High Purity Neodymium Oxide From Mixed Rare Earths Chloride By Solvent Extraction Using PC-88a As Extractant

摘要

Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) is using solvent extraction techniques for commercial scale separation and production of various rare earth concentrates as well as high purity rare earth materials for more than twenty-five years. In this paper application of solvent extraction technique using mono-2-ethyl hexyl ester of 2-ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid (PC-88A) as extractant for the commercial production of high purity neodymium oxide from mixed rare earths chloride solution obtained during monazite processing is presented. The salient features of the solvent extraction process and flow sheets adopted are discussed in detail.