Titanium, zirconium and rare earth recovery from complex mineral - by reaction with conc. sulphuric acid to give paste contg. soluble titanium and rare earth salts

摘要

A complex titanium-, zirconium- and rare earth-contg mineral or concentrate is crushed and then treated with conc. sulphuric acid in an acid mineral wt ratio of 0.8-2.5 for more than 2 hrs at above 200 deg C in a stirred reactor to produce a paste contg soluble salts of titanium and rare earth. The process is esp useful for treating Breton sandstone ( typically Ordovician sedimentary rocks contg 5-15% TiO2, 2-5% ZrO2 and 0.2-0.5% RE2O3). The paste can be dissolved, in water or aq sulphuric acid soln, to give at least 90%Ti and rare earth recovery, the Zr remaining with the residue from which it can be recovered by conventional physical processes.