Useful method for separating light rare earth elements and heavy rare earth elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018245181-A1
Application number	US-201615754700-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 25, 2016
Priority date	Aug 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a method useful for separating a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element, which, for example, when a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element are separated from a workpiece containing a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element by a solvent extraction method, makes it possible to reduce the amount of extractant or organic solvent used or downsize the apparatus, or makes it possible to reduce the work burden on the process, such as the analysis of the content ratio between the light rare earth element and the heavy rare earth element contained in the workpiece. The method of the present invention as a means for resolution is characterized by including at least:
(1) a step of obtaining, from a workpiece containing a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element, a composite oxide or mixture of oxides of the two; (2) a step of dissolving the obtained composite oxide or mixture of oxides of a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element in hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid; (3) a step of adding a precipitant to the obtained solution to give a precipitate; (4) a step of calcining the obtained precipitate; (5) a step of adding the obtained calcine in an amount of 1.1 times to 3.0 times the upper solubility limit to hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid having a concentration of 0.7 mol/L or more to give a solution and a residue; and (6) a step of separating the obtained solution and residue, thereby giving the solution as a light rare earth element-rich inclusion and the residue as a heavy rare earth element-rich inclusion (here, the term “rich” means that the content ratio of the concerned rare earth element to the other rare earth element is higher than the content ratio in the workpiece).

First claim

1 . A method for obtaining a light rare earth element-rich inclusion and a heavy rare earth element-rich inclusion from a workpiece containing a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element in order to separate the two, characterized by including at least:
(1) a step of obtaining, from a workpiece containing a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element, a composite oxide or mixture of oxides of the two; (2) a step of dissolving the obtained composite oxide or mixture of oxides of a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element in hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid; (3) a step of adding a precipitant to the obtained solution to give a precipitate; (4) a step of calcining the obtained precipitate; (5) a step of adding the obtained calcine in an amount of 1.1 times to 3.0 times the upper solubility limit to hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid having a concentration of 0.7 mol/L or more to give a solution and a residue; and (6) a step of separating the obtained solution and residue, thereby giving the solution as a light rare earth element-rich inclusion and the residue as a heavy rare earth element-rich inclusion (here, the term “rich” means that the content ratio of the concerned rare earth element to the other rare earth element is higher than the content ratio in the workpiece).

2 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one member selected from oxalic acid, acetic acid, and a metal salt of carbonic acid is used as the precipitant.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the workpiece is an R—Fe—B based permanent magnet.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the content ratio between the light rare earth element and the heavy rare earth element contained in the workpiece (the weight of the heavy rare earth element/the weight of the light rare earth element) is 0.05 to 0.50.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the content ratio between a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element contained in the solution that serves as a light rare earth element-rich inclusion (the concentration of the heavy rare earth element/the concentration of the light rare earth element) is 0.02 to 0.05, and the content ratio is 0.01 or more smaller than the content ratio between the light rare earth element and the heavy rare earth element contained in the workpiece (the weight of the heavy rare earth element/the weight of the light rare earth element).

6 . A method for obtaining a light rare earth element-rich inclusion and a heavy rare earth element-rich inclusion from a composite oxide or mixture of oxides of a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element in order to separate the two, characterized by including at least:
(1) a step of dissolving a composite oxide or mixture of oxides of a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element in hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid; (2) a step of adding a precipitant to the obtained solution to give a precipitate; (3) a step of calcining the obtained precipitate; (4) a step of adding the obtained calcine in an amount of 1.1 times to 3.0 times the upper solubility limit to hydrochloric acid and/or nitric acid having a concentration of 0.7 mol/L or more to give a solution and a residue; and (5) a step of separating the obtained solution and residue, thereby giving the solution as a light rare earth element-rich inclusion and the residue as a heavy rare earth element-rich inclusion (here, the term “rich” means that the content ratio of the concerned rare earth element to the other rare earth element is higher than the content ratio in the composite oxide or mixture of oxides of a light rare earth element and a heavy rare earth element).

Assignees

• Hitachi Metals Ltd

Inventors

• Hoshi Hiroyuki

Classifications

• C22B7/007

  by acid leaching · CPC title

• C22B59/00 Primary

  Obtaining rare earth metals · CPC title

• C22B3/44

  by chemical processes (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42) · CPC title

• C22B3/10

  Hydrochloric acid {, other halogenated acids or salts thereof} · CPC title

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title