Leaching behaviors of calcium and magnesium in ion-adsorption rare earth tailings with magnesium sulfate

The leaching behaviors of calcium and magnesium in the rare earth tailings leached with magnesium sulfate using deionized water,CaCl2 solution and lime water were investigated.Experimental data indicated that magnesium in the tailings was easy to be leached out since most of the magnesium was in the form of water-soluble phase.Most of calcium in the lime water was electrostatically adsorbed on the clay mineral of the tailings,and the water-soluble magnesium was also gradually converted into exchangeable phase because of back-adsorption of Mg2+on the clay mineral with increasing the pH values.When the liquid-to-solid ratio was 0.80,the contents of readily-available magnesium and calcium were 104.4−207.6 and 201.7−1426.3 mg/kg,respectively,which could meet the requirements for plants.These results suggest a promising route for the environmental remediation of ion-adsorption rare earth ore after in-situ leaching.

Effects of co-precipitation temperature on structure and properties of La and Y doped cerium zirconium mixed oxides

Due to the oxygen storage and release properties,cerium zirconium mixed oxides are recognized as the key material in automotive three-way catalysts.To reveal the effects of co-precipitation temperature on structure,physical and chemical properties of multi-doped cerium zirconium mixed oxides,a series of La and Y doped cerium zirconium mixed oxides(CZLYs)were synthesized via a co-precipitation method,and the physical and chemical properties of CZLYs were systemically characterized by XRD,N_(2) adsorption−desorption,TEM,XPS,oxygen storage capacity(OSC)and hydrogen temperature programmed reduction(H_(2)-TPR).The results show that co-precipitation temperature is an important parameter to influence the crystal size,oxygen storage capacity and thermal stability of CZLYs.When the co-precipitation temperature was 60℃,the best redox properties and thermal stability of CZLYs were obtained.After thermal treatment at 1100℃for 10 h,the specific surface area and oxygen storage capacity of the corresponding aged sample were 15.42 m^(2)/g and 497.7μmol/g,respectively.In addition,a mechanism was proposed to reveal the effects of co-precipitation temperature on the structure and properties of CZLYs.

Technology development for rare earth cleaner hydrometallurgy in China

China is the global leader in rare earth （RE） production using hydrometallurgical processes. Advantageous extraction techniques of rare earths from Baotou mixed rare earth minerals, bastnaesite, and ion-adsorption clays of rare earth deposits have been developed in China. The separation and purification technologies have also achieved rapid development. The industrial application processes for rare earth hydrometallurgy were summarized in the present paper. With the large demands and rapid development of rare earths, the issues of resources and environment are more prominent. This review gives an overview of the main processes that were developed in the past toward greener hydrometallurgy of rare earths in China. Based on the development of the rare earth industry, comprehensive utilization and cleaner production should still be focused on in the future, to support the sustainable development.