A method for the precipitation of rare earth sulphate, the method including subjecting a crude rare earth sulphate solution to precipitation in the presence of a water soluble, volatile, organic compound to produce a rare earth sulphate precipitate and an acidic supernatant. The organic compound is preferably selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, iso-propanol, tert-butanol, acetone or mixtures thereof, and is preferably methanol. Preferably, the organic compound is used in the precipitation at a weight ratio of between 0.25:1 to 1.5:1, and preferably 0.5:to 1.25:1, with the crude sulphate solution.

In a process for producing uranium and/or at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium and yttrium out of an ore, the ore is mixed with sulphuric acid with a concentration of at least 95 wt.-% to a mixture, wherein the mixture is granulated to pellets. The pellets are fed into at least one fluidized bed fluidized by a fluidizing gas for a thermal treatment at temperatures between 200 and 1000 C. The at least one fluidized bed is developed such that it at least partly surrounds a gas supply tube for a gas or a gas mixture fed into the reactor and the gas or gas mixture is used as a heat transfer medium.

In a process for producing uranium and/or at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium and yttrium out of an ore, the ore is mixed with sulphuric acid with a concentration of at least 95 wt.-% to a mixture, wherein the mixture is granulated to pellets. The pellets are fed into at least one fluidized bed fluidized by a fluidizing gas for a thermal treatment at temperatures between 200 and 1000 C. The at least one fluidized bed is developed such that it at least partly surrounds a gas supply tube for a gas or a gas mixture fed into the reactor and the gas or gas mixture is used as a heat transfer medium.

A method for recycling copper indium gallium selenium materials comprises the steps of sulphating roasting, acid dissolution, extraction and electrolysis of metal copper, production of a gallium hydroxide deposition, replacement of indium, and the like. In the method, deselenization is carried by using sulphating roasting, and residues after roasting are oxidizing slags capable of being directly subjected to acid dissolution, thereby reducing acid gas pollution; in addition, copper is extracted by using a copper extractant, the separation effect is good and costs are low, the extracted copper can be directly electrolyzed, so as to obtain high-purity metal copper; and in another aspect, in the method, alkali separation of gallium is carried out, separation between indium and gallium can be implemented by merely adjusting the pH of a solution, thereby resolving the problem of co-extraction in the extraction of indium and gallium and the separation between indium and gallium, the separation effect is good, the purities of obtained indium and gallium products are high.

A method for recycling copper indium gallium selenium materials comprises the steps of sulphating roasting, acid dissolution, extraction and electrolysis of metal copper, production of a gallium hydroxide deposition, replacement of indium, and the like. In the method, deselenization is carried by using sulphating roasting, and residues after roasting are oxidizing slags capable of being directly subjected to acid dissolution, thereby reducing acid gas pollution; in addition, copper is extracted by using a copper extractant, the separation effect is good and costs are low, the extracted copper can be directly electrolyzed, so as to obtain high-purity metal copper; and in another aspect, in the method, alkali separation of gallium is carried out, separation between indium and gallium can be implemented by merely adjusting the pH of a solution, thereby resolving the problem of co-extraction in the extraction of indium and gallium and the separation between indium and gallium, the separation effect is good, the purities of obtained indium and gallium products are high.

Oxygen is injected into the windbox of a fluidized bed ore roaster to form a fluidizing and oxidizing gas stream of elevated oxygen content which is fed into only the feed zone into which the ore to be fluidized is fed.

Oxygen is injected into the windbox of a fluidized bed ore roaster to form a fluidizing and oxidizing gas stream of elevated oxygen content which is fed into only the feed zone into which the ore to be fluidized is fed.

A method of extracting lithium from a lithium-bearing material including: (i) mixing the lithium-bearing material, gypsum, a sulfur-containing material, and a calcium-containing material and forming a feed mixture having a moisture content of at least 20 wt %; (ii) drying the feed mixture to form a dried mixture having a moisture content of less than 20 wt %; (iii) roasting the dried mixture and forming a roasted mixture including a water-soluble lithium compound; and (iv) leaching lithium from the water-soluble lithium compound and forming a lithium-containing leachate by mixing the aqueous solution and the water-soluble lithium compound.

A method of extracting lithium from a lithium-bearing material including: (i) mixing the lithium-bearing material, gypsum, a sulfur-containing material, and a calcium-containing material and forming a feed mixture having a moisture content of at least 20 wt %; (ii) drying the feed mixture to form a dried mixture having a moisture content of less than 20 wt %; (iii) roasting the dried mixture and forming a roasted mixture including a water-soluble lithium compound; and (iv) leaching lithium from the water-soluble lithium compound and forming a lithium-containing leachate by mixing the aqueous solution and the water-soluble lithium compound.

The present disclosure relates to a method for extracting lithium from a lithium-containing material. For example, the method can comprise leaching a roasted lithium-containing material under conditions suitable to obtain an aqueous composition comprising a lithium compound such as lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate. The aqueous composition comprising lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate can optionally be used, for example, in a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process. The roasted lithium-containing material can be prepared, for example by a method which uses an aqueous composition comprising optionally lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate which can be obtained from a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process such as a two-compartment monopolar or bipolar electrolysis process.