Acnation St03 PRODUCT N 225 Patent Application Publication Aug
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US 201202O7656A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2012/0207656A1 Duyvesteyn (43) Pub. Date: Aug. 16, 2012 (54) SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR RECOVERY OF Publication Classification SCANDUMIVALUES FROM (51) Int. Cl SCANDUM-CONTAINING ORES COIF 1700 (2006.01) B07B I3/00 (2006.01) (75) Inventor: NineC. Duyvesteyn, Reno, (52) U.S. Cl. ......................... 423/21.1; 423/263; 209/509 (57) ABSTRACT (73) Assignee: EMC Metals Corporation A method for extracting Scandium values from Scandium containing ores is provided. The method comprises (a) pro (21) Appl. No.: 13/025,393 viding (203) an ore which contains Scandium; (b) treating (205) the ore with an acid; (c) baking the ore; and (d) leaching (22) Filed: Feb. 11, 2011 (207) scandium from the baked ore. 2O N 2O3 233 MINING IN MINE CRSHING 23 DISPOSAL N LIME 205 2O7 209 ORE N- SOLD-QUID PREREATMENT EACHING SEPARATION 229 REAGEN RECYCLE SOON MAKEP PURIFICATION 227 WASTEWATER WASHING PRECIPITATION 223 (ACNATIONacNation St03 PRODUCT N 225 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 1 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 2 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 2 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 1.2 1.1 1.O Fe3+ O.9 0.8 O.7 Eh Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 3 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 1.2 1.1 1.0 O.9 0.8 0.7 Eh FIG. 3 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 4 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 1.6 1.4 1.2 O O.8 O.6 Eh FIG. 4 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 5 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 1.2 1. Fe3+ O Fe2O3 O.9 O.8 O.7 Eh FIGS Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 6 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 1.2 1. O Fe3+ O.9 O.8 7 O.7 Eh pH -1 O 1 2 3 F.G. 6 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 7 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 18 6 4. 1.2 O 0.8 X 0.6 Eh FIG. 7 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 8 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 233 MNING IN MINE CRUSHING DISPOSAL 205 SOLID-QUID PRETREATMENT SEPARATION 229 REAGEN RECYCLE SOION MAKEP PURIFICATION 27 WIE 29 25 N OXACACID 217 WASTEWATER WASHING PRECIPITATION (ACINATION Sc,0PRODUCT N 225 FIG. 8 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 9 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 SU.C.3 5 7 9 11 13 3 5. 7 9 13 FIG 9 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 10 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 Scandium Precipitation vs pH FIG 10 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 11 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 12 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 -6 Sc(OH)3 Sc(OH)4 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 13 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 YScOOH(s) -------7 Patent Application Publication Aug. 16, 2012 Sheet 14 of 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 ly-1339; 5.56x-58 s R2 = 0.84 0.00 0.05 0.0 0.5 0.20 0.25 SCANDUM - % FIG. 14 US 2012/0207656 A1 Aug. 16, 2012 SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR RECOVERY OF of a comprehensive body of research. However, commercial SCANDUMIVALUES FROM applications of Scandium continue to be limited by the SCANDUM-CONTAINING ORES absence of reliable, secure, stable, long-term production of the metal. As a result, Scandium remains only sparsely avail FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE able. Accordingly, even in applications where the use of scan dium would be advantageous, industry has been forced to turn 0001. The present disclosure relates generally to systems to more readily available alternatives. For example, the use of and methods for producing Scandium, and more particularly Scandium-aluminum alloys in aerospace applications is to systems and methods for recovering Scandium values from advantageous because of the lower specific gravity of scan ore feedstocks. dium-aluminum alloys versus the more widely used titanium aluminum alloys (Sc—Al has a specific gravity of 2.8 com BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE pared to 4.5 for TióAl 4V). In a commercial airline fleet, this 0002 Scandium is a silvery-white transition metal which difference in specific gravity translates into Substantial fuel was first discovered in the minerals euXenite and gadolinite. savings in the course of a year. Moreover, Scandium-alumi While scandium has received considerable academic interest, num alloys are comparable in strength to titanium-aluminum commercial uses of the metal have been hampered by its low alloys, and are actually less expensive to produce on a cost of availability, which arises in part from difficulties in its extrac raw materials basis. However, despite these advantages, the tion and isolation. Metallic Scandium was first produced in use of scandium-aluminum alloys in this application has been 1937 by the electrolysis of a eutectic mixture of potassium, thwarted by the low availability of scandium. lithium, and scandium chlorides at 700-800° C. The first 0006. Despite the low availability of scandium, the metal pound of 99% pure scandium metal was produced in 1960. does not have a particularly low abundance in the earth's World production of scandium has been estimated to be on the crust. Indeed, scandium is a 50" most common element on order of 2-5 tons per year in the form of scandium oxide. earth, and is comparable in abundance to cobalt. However, 0003. The use of scandium in aluminum alloys first Scandium is distributed sparsely, and occurs only in trace received widespread attention in 1971, following the issuance amounts in many scandium-bearing ores. Thortveitite and of a U.S. patent on the technology. The addition of scandium kolbeckite are the primary mineral sources of Scandium, and to aluminum limits the excessive grain growth that occurs in thortveitite, euXenite, and gadolinite are the only known con the heat-affected Zone of welded aluminum components, centrated mineral sources of this element. Thortveitite can which has two principle benefits. First of all, the precipitated contain up to 45% of scandium (in the form of scandium (III) Al-Sc intermetallic compound forms Smaller crystals than are oxide), though the mineral is somewhat rare. formed in other aluminum alloys. Secondly, the volume of 0007. A significant amount of scandium is also extracted precipitate-free Zones that normally exist at the grain bound from the waste streams or mill tailings of uranium and tung aries of age-hardening aluminum alloys is reduced. Both of Sten plants. Pure Scandium is commercially produced by these effects increase the usefulness of the alloy. Following reducing converting Scandium oxide to Scandium fluoride, the discovery of the foregoing benefits, aluminum-scandium and then reducing the Scandium fluoride with metallic cal alloys found limited application in aerospace industry com cium. ponents, most notably in Russian military aircraft Such as the 0008. It will be appreciated from the foregoing that a need MiG-21 and MiG-29. Typically, these alloys contained exists in the art for a system and method for more efficiently between 0.1% and 0.5% of scandium. extracting Scandium from Scandium-bearing ores. It will fur 0004 Scandia or scandium oxide has also been shown to ther be appreciated that a need exists in the art for systems and stabilize Zirconium oxide or Zirconia, a discovery which has methods of producing Scandium alloys, Such as aluminum important applications in Solid oxide fuel cells. In particular, Scandium alloys, in a more cost effective manner. These and solid oxide fuel cells commonly utilize yttria-stabilized Zir other needs may be addressed with the systems and method conia as an electrolyte. However, yttria-stabilized Zirconia ologies disclosed herein. undergoes a catastrophic transformation under hydrothermal conditions at about 300° C. Consequently, as these electro SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE lytes undergo aging under typical fuel cell conditions, pre 0009. In one aspect, a method for extracting scandium cipitates (with a tetragonal crystal geometry) tend to form values from Scandium-containing ores is provided. The which reduce the conductivity of the electrolyte. Moreover, method comprises (a) providing an ore which contains scan cycling of the fuel cell between room temperature and oper dium; (b) treating the ore with an acid; (c) baking the ore; (d) ating temperature in the presence of water (a common product leaching scandium from the baked ore, (e) and recycling the of fuel cell operation) leads to a high likelihood of degrada gaseous effluents to reconstitute the acid used in leaching. tion and failure due to the presence of these precipitates. The 0010. In another aspect, a method is provided for extract addition of 2 mol % yttria to scandia-stabilized zirconia ing Scandium values from Scandium-containing ores. The results in the formation of a cubic phase and avoids Such method comprises (a) providing an ore which contains scan phase changes, thus improving the long term stability of the dium; (b) treating the ore with an acid; (c) baking the ore, thus electrolyte. Moreover, scandia-stabilized zirconia offers generating gaseous effluents; (d) recycling the gaseous efflu much higher conductivity than yttria-stabilized Zirconia at ents to reconstitute the acid; and (e) using the reconstituted 1000° C. and provides a larger enhancement at lower tem acid in a second iteration of the method. peratures due to the lower activation energy it affords (0.65 0011. In a further aspect, a method for separating ore eV versus 0.95 eV). containing a higher level of Scandium content from ore con 0005 Numerous other uses of scandium have also been taining a lower level of Scandium content is provided.