A vanadium recovery process (10), the process comprising: (i) passing an ore or concentrate (12) containing vanadium, titanium and iron to a reduction step (18) forming a reduced ore or concentrate; (ii) passing the reduced ore or concentrate to a ferric leach step (22) to produce a ferric leachate (26) containing iron and a ferric leach residue (30) containing vanadium; (iii) passing the ferric leachate (26) to a ferric oxidation step (28) producing an iron product (68); (iv) passing the ferric leach residue (30) to an acid leach step (32) producing an acid leachate (44) containing vanadium and an acid leach residue (36) containing titanium; (v) Passing the acid leachate (44) to a vanadium recovery step (46, 48) from which a vanadium product is produced; and (vi) Passing the acid leach residue (36) to a titanium pigment production process (42) whereby a titanium dioxide pigment is produced.

Methods and systems for producing are disclosed. A method for producing iron, for example, comprises: providing an iron-containing ore to a dissolution subsystem comprising a first electrochemical cell; wherein the first anolyte has a different composition than the first catholyte; dissolving at least a portion of the iron-containing ore using an acid to form an acidic iron-salt solution having dissolved first Fe.sup.3+ ions; providing at least a portion of the acidic iron-salt solution to the first cathodic chamber; first electrochemically reducing said first Fe.sup.3+ ions in the first catholyte to form Fe.sup.2+ ions; transferring the formed Fe.sup.2+ ions from the dissolution subsystem to an iron-plating subsystem having a second electrochemical cell; second electrochemically reducing a first portion of the transferred formed Fe.sup.2+ ions to Fe metal at a second cathode of the second electrochemical cell; and removing the Fe metal.

A lithium extraction method is disclosed. The lithium extraction method includes: preparing lithium phosphate containing impurities; dissolving the lithium phosphate and the impurities in an acid; and preparing a lithium-containing solution by adding an additive to a solution prepared by dissolving the lithium phosphate and the impurities in the acid, wherein the additive is a substance capable of simultaneously precipitating phosphate anions and the impurities, and the lithium-containing solution prepared through addition of the additive is basic.

A lithium extraction method is disclosed. The lithium extraction method includes: preparing lithium phosphate containing impurities; dissolving the lithium phosphate and the impurities in an acid; and preparing a lithium-containing solution by adding an additive to a solution prepared by dissolving the lithium phosphate and the impurities in the acid, wherein the additive is a substance capable of simultaneously precipitating phosphate anions and the impurities, and the lithium-containing solution prepared through addition of the additive is basic.

The present disclosure provides a method for co-extraction of vanadium, titanium and chromium from vanadium slag. The method selectively reduces pyroxene and fayalite wrapped on spinel through low-temperature hydrogen reduction, iron removal by ferric chloride, and low-temperature leaching of the vanadium slag by oxalic acid, thereby destroying a structure of the spinel, dissociating a spinel phase and a silicate phase, and fully exposing the spinel phase. The method also directly leaches the vanadium slag at a low temperature by acidity and strong complexation of the oxalic acid, and destroys the structure of the spinel, such that vanadium, titanium, chromium and oxalate are complexed into a solution to co-extract vanadium, titanium and chromium. The present disclosure extracts vanadium, titanium and chromium from the vanadium slag, with a leaching rate each being greater than 99%.

A process for removal of aluminium and iron in the recycling of rechargeable batteries comprising providing a leachate from black mass, adding phosphoric acid (H.sub.3PO.sub.4) to said leachate and adjusting the pH to form iron phosphate (FePO.sub.4) and aluminium phosphate (AlPO.sub.4), precipitating and removing the formed FePO.sub.4 and AlPO.sub.4, and forming a filtrate for further recovery of cathode metals, mainly NMC-metals and lithium.

A process for removal of aluminium and iron in the recycling of rechargeable batteries comprising providing a leachate from black mass, adding phosphoric acid (H.sub.3PO.sub.4) to said leachate and adjusting the pH to form iron phosphate (FePO.sub.4) and aluminium phosphate (AlPO.sub.4), precipitating and removing the formed FePO.sub.4 and AlPO.sub.4, and forming a filtrate for further recovery of cathode metals, mainly NMC-metals and lithium.

The present disclosure relates to processes for treating a coal associated material, e.g., acid mine drainage, while simultaneously recovering a high-grade rare earth preconcentrate suitable for extraction of commercially valuable rare earth oxides. Disclosed herein are methods for preparing a hydraulic pre-concentrate enriched in rare earth elements and critical minerals. Also disclosed herein are methods for preparing a pregnant leach solution from the disclosed hydraulic pre-concentrates. The present disclosure also relates to systems and plants for carrying out the disclosed processes. Also disclosed are compositions produced by the process disclosed herein in which the compositions comprise rare earth elements. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present invention refers to an improved process for recovering zinc from primary and secondary raw materials, said process comprising a first leaching step wherein the ratio between the zinc weight contained in the raw material and the volume of the leaching solution is at least 20 kg zinc per m.sup.3 of acid aqueous solution; a neutralization step; and a solvent extraction stage in the presence of organic extractant, wherein the temperature is maintained from 47 to 52° C.

A process for leaching a mineral particulate material comprising the steps of feeding the mineral particulate material to a leaching step (10) in which at least one valuable metal in the mineral particulate material is leached into a leach solution to form a pregnant leach liquor and a solid residue containing undissolved mineral matter, the leaching step being conducted under conditions such that elemental sulphur is formed in the leaching step, wherein beads or particles that take up elemental sulphur are added to the leaching step such that elemental sulphur is taken up by or collects on the beads or particles, and separating the beads or particles from the pregnant leach liquor and the solid residue. The beads or particles may be treated to remove sulphur and the beads or particles are returned to the leaching step. Alternatively the mineral doesn't need to comprise a soluble component and can be a refractory sulphide of iron and/or arsenic containing precious metals that require oxidation before downstream conventional processes such as cyanidation.