Potash Breakdown of Poly-Mineralized Niobium-Tantalum-Lanthanides Ore Material

Abstract

The potentiality of the alkali breakdown of the poly mineralized ore material south Gabal El-A’urf area, central Eastern Desert, Egypt is investigated. It includes the multiple oxide mineral tanteuxenite, monazite, bastnasite, anatase, as well as zircon. This ore material assaying lanthanides (RE2O3 1.9%), niobium (Nb2O5 1.25%) as well as titanium and zirconium (TiO2 and ZrO2 1.23% and 1.12%) respectively besides tantalum (Ta2O5 0.13%), were used for the present work. This sample has thus been subjected to two alkali breakdown techniques using potash; namely agitation leaching and fusion. The latter technique was found to be preferred as it gives higher leaching efficiency. The optimum leaching conditions are weight ratio of the ore/potassium hydroxide 1/2 at 400°C for 1 h. The realized leaching efficiencies attained 95.0% and 93.7% for Nb and Ta respectively as well as 96% for lanthanides and 75% for Ti while that for Zr did not exceed 10%.