Provided is a device for continuously decomposing a rare earth concentrate ore. The device includes a body, a bidirectional propeller and a driving assembly. The body has a material inlet, two liquid inlets and two exhaust gas outlets disposed at the top of the body, two material outlets disposed at the bottom of the body and a heat preservation chamber provided inside a side wall of the body. The bidirectional propeller is provided in the body and extends along a length direction of the body. The driving assembly is connected to the rotating shaft.

Provided is a device for continuously decomposing a rare earth concentrate ore. The device includes a body, a bidirectional propeller and a driving assembly. The body has a material inlet, two liquid inlets and two exhaust gas outlets disposed at the top of the body, two material outlets disposed at the bottom of the body and a heat preservation chamber provided inside a side wall of the body. The bidirectional propeller is provided in the body and extends along a length direction of the body. The driving assembly is connected to the rotating shaft.

A process may involve treating calcium sulfate separated from phosphoric acid with acid to obtain a suspension comprising purified calcium sulfate, separating the purified calcium sulfate in solid form from a liquid phase of the suspension, treating the purified calcium sulfate with water or with a salt- and/or chelate ligand-containing aqueous solution to leach rare earths out of the calcium sulfate, separating the further-purified calcium sulfate in solid form from the liquid phase of the suspension, mixing the purified calcium sulfate that is separated off with admixtures and reducing agents to obtain a raw meal mixture for cement clinker production, burning the raw meal mixture to obtain the cement clinker and thereby forming sulfur dioxide as offgas, and feeding the sulfur dioxide as raw material to sulfuric acid production to produce the sulfuric acid.

A process may involve treating calcium sulfate separated from phosphoric acid with acid to obtain a suspension comprising purified calcium sulfate, separating the purified calcium sulfate in solid form from a liquid phase of the suspension, treating the purified calcium sulfate with water or with a salt- and/or chelate ligand-containing aqueous solution to leach rare earths out of the calcium sulfate, separating the further-purified calcium sulfate in solid form from the liquid phase of the suspension, mixing the purified calcium sulfate that is separated off with admixtures and reducing agents to obtain a raw meal mixture for cement clinker production, burning the raw meal mixture to obtain the cement clinker and thereby forming sulfur dioxide as offgas, and feeding the sulfur dioxide as raw material to sulfuric acid production to produce the sulfuric acid.

A method for purifying lutetium includes providing a solid composition comprising ytterbium and lutetium and subliming or distilling ytterbium from the solid composition at a temperature of about 1196° C. to about 3000° C. to leave a lutetium composition comprising a higher weight percentage of lutetium than was present in the solid composition.

A method for purifying lutetium includes providing a solid composition comprising ytterbium and lutetium and subliming or distilling ytterbium from the solid composition at a temperature of about 1196° C. to about 3000° C. to leave a lutetium composition comprising a higher weight percentage of lutetium than was present in the solid composition.

Embodiments relate to methods for generating selected materials from a natural brine, where the natural brine is sea water, saline water, fresh water, synthetic solutions, or industrial liquid wastes. A natural brine comprising at least a portion of a selected material is heated. CO.sub.2 is added and mixes with the natural brine forming a mixture such that the CO.sub.2/P is a first predetermined value. The mixture is held so that impurities in the natural brine precipitate as solids leaving a second brine substantially comprising the selected material. The second brine is heated. CO.sub.2 gas is injected into the second brine, mixing so that the CO.sub.2/P is a second predetermined value. The mixture is held so that the selected material precipitates out and are removed.

Embodiments relate to methods for generating selected materials from a natural brine, where the natural brine is sea water, saline water, fresh water, synthetic solutions, or industrial liquid wastes. A natural brine comprising at least a portion of a selected material is heated. CO.sub.2 is added and mixes with the natural brine forming a mixture such that the CO.sub.2/P is a first predetermined value. The mixture is held so that impurities in the natural brine precipitate as solids leaving a second brine substantially comprising the selected material. The second brine is heated. CO.sub.2 gas is injected into the second brine, mixing so that the CO.sub.2/P is a second predetermined value. The mixture is held so that the selected material precipitates out and are removed.

Stationary phase for preparative High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for preparative separation of Rare Earth Elements (REEs), the stationary phase comprising porous particles suitable for HPLC having a non-polar surface being impregnated with ligands binding REEs, wherein the porous particles has a pore size of 300 Å or higher, is described.

A method for purifying lutetium includes providing a solid composition comprising ytterbium and lutetium and subliming or distilling ytterbium from the solid composition at a temperature of about 1196° C. to about 3000° C. to leave a lutetium composition comprising a higher weight percentage of lutetium than was present in the solid composition.