METHOD FOR EXTRACTION AND SEPARATION OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

A method for extracting and separating rare earth elements comprising providing a rare earth-containing ore or tailings, grinding the rare earth-containing ore to form powdered ore; leaching powered ore with at least one mineral acid, forming a leach solution comprising at least one metal ion, rare earth elements and a solid material, separating solid material from the leach solution to form aqueous-metal concentrate, precipitating the aqueous-metal concentrate to selectively remove the metal ion from the leach solution and obtain a precipitate of rare earth elements; heating the precipitate of rare earth elements in air to form oxide of rare earth elements, mixing the oxide of rare earth elements with an ammonium salt and heating in a dry air/nitrogen, forming a mixture of anhydrous rare earth salts in an aqueous solution, and separating rare earth elements from the aqueous solution by means of an electrowinning process.

A method for extracting and separating rare earth elements comprising providing a rare earth-containing ore or tailings, grinding the rare earth-containing ore to form powdered ore; leaching powered ore with at least one mineral acid, forming a leach solution comprising at least one metal ion, rare earth elements and a solid material, separating solid material from the leach solution to form aqueous-metal concentrate, precipitating the aqueous-metal concentrate to selectively remove the metal ion from the leach solution and obtain a precipitate of rare earth elements; heating the precipitate of rare earth elements in air to form oxide of rare earth elements, mixing the oxide of rare earth elements with an ammonium salt and heating in a dry air/nitrogen, forming a mixture of anhydrous rare earth salts in an aqueous solution, and separating rare earth elements from the aqueous solution by means of an electrowinning process.