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(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0166788 A1 Pearse Et Al

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(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0166788 A1 Pearse Et Al US 2014O166788A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0166788 A1 Pearse et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 19, 2014 (54) METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MAGNETIC (52) U.S. Cl. SEPARATION OF RARE EARTHIS CPC. B03C I/02 (2013.01); B02C 23/08 (2013.01); B02C23/20 (2013.01) (76) Inventors: Gary Pearse, Ottawa (CA); Jonathan USPC .......... 241/20: 209/212: 209/214; 241/24.14; Borduas, Montreal (CA); Thomas 241/21 Gervais, Montreal (CA); David Menard, Laval (CA); Djamel Seddaoui, Repentigny (CA); Bora Ung, Quebec (CA) (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 13/822,363 A system and a method for separating rare earth element (22) PCT Filed: Aug. 15, 2012 compounds from a slurry of mixed rare earth element com pounds, comprising flowing the slurry of mixed rare earth (86). PCT No.: PCT/CA12/50.552 element compounds through at least a first channel rigged S371 (c)(1), with at least a first magnet along a length thereof and con (2), (4) Date: May 17, 2013 nected to at least a first output channel at the position of the Publication Classification magnet, and retrieving individual rare earth element com pounds and/or groups of rare earth element compounds, sepa (51) Int. Cl. rated from the slurry as they are selectively attracted by the BO3C I/02 (2006.01) magnet and directed in the corresponding output channel B2C 23/20 (2006.01) according to their respective ratio of magnetic Susceptibility B2C 23/08 (2006.01) (AX) to specific density (Ap). Ferromagnetic particles are dia?pararnegnetic particles Submitted to a magnetic torque remain relatively unaffected by the torque As a result they roll left \\ Carried right by the slow rotating drum Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 1 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 MoycopBastnaste Concentrate (60% REO) conc, HC leading reside: Ce 10. HDEHP fafnate. Other RE (MC solvent recycle (OHDEHP SHC stripping incanagan—En(I) chokesolution H.S0,-precitation Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 2 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 cS a. s is . re 3: - r bi S. S.S.C. Se SS S.S. 3 : Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 3 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 -8. i i s s 'S so s s "a S3 s ems s w s SE st S cric as sSt. ...Rae is"...-ke is is 8 .. se : e is : sna Sas s Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 4 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 toten-%66666_ ?086210,8|ESEMBÆÐIDEI Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 5 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 ex xxxS. 5, o S. S. S. xxxxx Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 6 of 10 US 2014/0166788A1 Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 7 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 Stewoo ribbons Ce2CO3 (20 m x 350 m) Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 8 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 9 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 Feeds Still water Field ^ Gradient -------- diamags Paramags Ferromags (AIS) (MAGS) (MIDS) Patent Application Publication Jun. 19, 2014 Sheet 10 of 10 US 2014/O166788A1 Mixed, purified REEDOxides of carbonates or fluorides or . other insoluble RE-Compounds Dysprosium, Holmium, Erin, erbijin Oxides or Carbonates, or etc. Dysprosium, Holmium Oxides of carbonates, or etc. -Erbiu, erbium oxides or carbonates, or etc. Gadolinium, huium oxides, Of Carbonates, or etc. Neodymium, Europium, Praseodymium oxides, of carbonates, or etc. - Neodytrius, Europium Oxides of etc. Praseodymium oxides, of carbonates, or etc. Cerium, Samarium oxides or carbonates, or etc. - Cerium oxide of carbonate, or etc. Samarium oxide of carbonate or etc. Yttrium, lutetiu? Oxides or carborates, Of etc. 6. - anthan Ytterbium oxides or carbonates, of X etc. (diamagnetic N repelled by strong Nmangneticfield) US 2014/0166788 A1 Jun. 19, 2014 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MAGNETIC RE. This results in a gradual decrease in chemical basicity SEPARATION OF RARE EARTHIS with atomic weight. Cerium, praseodymium and terbium can have the oxidation state 4+ and Samarium, europium, thulium FIELD OF THE INVENTION and ytterbium can have the oxidation state 2+. The 4+ State is more basic than the corresponding 3+ state and the 2+ State is 0001. The present invention relates to separating and less basic than the 3+ state. The difference in basicity is the refining rare earth element compounds. More specifically, the basis for most of the chemical methods for separating RE. The present invention is concerned with a method and a system for differences between the basicity of adjacent elements are separating individual rare earth compounds. Small—hence the complexity of the separation methods. 0010 Solvent extraction is now the standard method for BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION separating most RE. Briefly, a selected organic chemical 0002 Rare earth (RE) elements are typically dispersed (such as 10% HDEHP in kerosene; or tri-butyl-phosphate, or and not often found in concentrated and economically tri-n-butyl amine solvent in 3-methyl-2-butanone, etc. ) exploitable forms. The rare earth elements are virtually that has a slight relative solubility preference for a given RE always found together within any given RE-mineral. The when mixed with an immiscible highly acidic aqueous solu peculiarity of the atomic structure of the group, in which the tion of RE compounds, will dissolve a small amount of the outer electron shell of each element contains two electrons targeted RE compound. This weak solution is recycled and increases in atomic number in the group, occurs with through the process many times before an appreciable additions of electrons in unfilled sub-shells. It is the outer amount of the targeted RE has been separated. An extreme “valence' shell of an atom that gives it most of its chemical example is the case of achieving a purified terbium compound properties. It is this factor that accounts for both the occur with maximum extraction from the aqueous solution; the rence the elements in close association in nature and the organic solvent must be recycled often hundreds to thousands difficulty of separating them from each other. of times. Cerium and Europium in the 4+ and 2+ States respec 0003 Production of high purity individual rare-earth (RE) tively can be separated from the other RE on the basis of their compounds from their ores generally requires two stages of compounds different solubility’s in aqueous solution but this processing, including mineral processing and hydrometal still requires the use of a variety of acids, salts, reductants and lurgy. oxidants. Examples of these methods of separation are shown 0004. During mineral processing, the natural RE-bearing in FIGS. 1 to 4. minerals disseminated through the ore are first liberated by 0011. These costly, multi-step processes account for the crushing and grinding. This is followed by separation and high cost of production of separated RE compounds and concentration of the RE-rich minerals from the waste miner clearly also high environmental and health risk associated als, referred to as the gangue, employing methods that exploit with Supply, handling, operations with and disposal of these one or more differences in physical properties between the reagents. RE-rich minerals and the gangue, such as, for example, dif 0012. The profitability of rare earth mining firms hinges ferences in density, differences in magnetic attraction (also on their ability to process and separate the metals into pure referred to as magnetic Susceptibility), differences in electro rare earth oxides. static attraction and mineral Surface properties that permit 0013 There is still a need in the art for a method and a separation by froth flotation. The processing scheme is system for separating the individual rare earth element com designed by a mineral processing engineer. pounds from the mixed RE compounds resulting from hydro 0005 Hydrometallurgy is a processing method in which metallurgical processes. the mineral concentrate resulting from the mineral processing described hereinabove is broken down, using thermal and SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION chemical agents permitting leaching and separation of RE 0014 More specifically, in accordance with the present compounds from unwanted elements. This renders the rare invention, there is provided a system for separating rare earth earth elements amenable to concentration as a group into one element compounds from a slurry of mixed rare earth element of several chemical compound types. compounds, comprising at least a first channel rigged with 0006. The mixed RE compound species (RE hydroxides, magnets arranged progressively from weakest to strongest RE oxides or others) are then dissolved into solution using along a length thereof, and an output channel at the position of one or more reagents. The solution is purified and the RE are each magnet; wherein the slurry of mixed rare earth element separated from each other into high-purity separate RE com compounds is flowed in the first channel, each magnet selec pounds in a series of complex transformations exploiting the tively diverting compounds from the slurry on the first chan differences in chemical properties among the group, which nel to its corresponding output channel depending on a ratio include, for example, oxidation, reduction, pH adjustments, of magnetic Susceptibility (AX) to specific density (Ap) of reactions to produce other compounds, re-solution, Solvent each compound. extraction, on exchange, re-precipitation and crystallization. 0015 There is further provided a chemical-free method The processing circuits and reagent schemes are designed by for separating rare earth element compounds from a slurry of an industrial chemist. mixed rare earth element compounds, comprising flowing the 0007 FIGS. 1 to 4 are schematics of different separation slurry of mixed rare earth element compounds through at least methods as known in the art.
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