Patent ID: 8263028
Filing Date: 2012-09-11
Classification: B01J,C01F,C22B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of producing a resulting solution including at least one rare earth element, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first sample of a rare earth containing material having the at least one rare earth element therein; reacting the first sample of the rare earth containing material with an extracting agent to extract at least a portion of the at least one rare earth element from the first sample of the rare earth containing material; separating the reacted first sample, from which has been extracted at least some of the at least one rare earth element previously associated therewith, from the extracting agent; repeating the reacting step for multiple iterations, designated as (n) iterations where (n) is a whole number, with an extracting agent that includes at least some of the rare earth element, but with a sample of a rare earth containing material that differs from the first sample of the rare earth containing material, for at least some of said multiple iterations of said reacting step, to further enrich the amount of the at least one rare earth element in the resulting solution; repeating the separating step for (n) iterations; and obtaining the resulting solution, which includes the at least one rare earth element extracted from the rare earth containing material during the multiple iterations of said reacting step.