Increasing the depth of apatite processing by extracting rare-earth elements

Abstract

Currently, most high-technology productions are impossible without rare-earth elements (REE). The heavy rare-earth elements are of great interest as they have the highest market value and are in demand in the vast majority of knowledge-intensive industries. The main recourse of REE in Russia is apatite ore which is used in the production of fertilizers. As a result of its leaching, about 15-20% of REE goes to wet-process phosphoric acid. To enhance the depth of apatite processing, it is necessary to develop a technology which will allow obtaining rare-earth elements as by-products. The method of extraction and concentration of REE discussed in this paper was conducted by using the extractant based on di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA). The mechanism of extraction was studied, as well as the impact of the extractant concentration, phase ratio and the number of stages on the extraction process.