Patent ID: 7282187
Filing Date: 2007-10-16
Classification: C22B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A process for selectively extracting scandium values from an ore residue comprising scandium, fluorine, tantalum, and/or niobium, the process comprising the steps of: a1) reacting the ore residue with a solution of a first mineral acid for a period of time, and under temperature and pressure conditions sufficient, to solubilize at least a portion of tantalum and niobium from the source material and create a solution comprising tantalum and niobium metal values and a solids residue comprising fluorine and scandium metal values and at least partially depleted in tantalum and niobium metal values: a2) separating and drying the solids residue generated in step a1); a3) reacting the solids residue from step a2) with a second mineral acid comprising sulfuric acid for a period of time, and under temperature and pressure conditions sufficient, to liberate hydrogen fluoride gas and to generate a sulfated material comprising scandium metal values and at least partially depleted in fluorine metal values; and a4) leaching the sulfated material to solubilize scandium metal values contained in the sulfated material and generate said aqueous solution comprising scandium metal values and a solid phase at least partially depleted in scandium metal values; and b) selectively extracting a scandium value from said aqueous solution.