Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.

Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.

A method for separating metal components from a treatment material containing a silicate and metal elements includes: a reaction step of reacting the treatment material and a molten alkali hydroxide in which bubbles due to water vapor derived from water are generated by heating a hydroxide of an alkali metal or an alkaline-earth metal and the water in a state where the hydroxide and the water coexist, to obtain a reaction product; and a first precipitation step of dissolving the reaction product of the treatment material and the molten alkali hydroxide after the reaction step in water, thereby generating a precipitate containing the metal elements.

A method for separating metal components from a treatment material containing a silicate and metal elements includes: a reaction step of reacting the treatment material and a molten alkali hydroxide in which bubbles due to water vapor derived from water are generated by heating a hydroxide of an alkali metal or an alkaline-earth metal and the water in a state where the hydroxide and the water coexist, to obtain a reaction product; and a first precipitation step of dissolving the reaction product of the treatment material and the molten alkali hydroxide after the reaction step in water, thereby generating a precipitate containing the metal elements.

Disclosed is a microwave chemical method for totally extracting fluorine and rare earth from bastnaesite concentrate, including: alkaline conversion defluorination of bastnaesite through microwave irradiation, microwave-assisted leaching of fluorine, solid-liquid separation of leaching solution and microwave-assisted leaching of rare earth. The rare earth hydrochloric acid solution for leaching contains no fluorine ion, so that the fluorine interference of subsequent processes such as impurity removal can be completely avoided; the fluorine and the rare earth are leached with microwaves, which does not need the stirring, so that the automatic control is easy to implement; the fluorine and rare earth leaching speed is high, the leaching time is short and the complete leaching of fluorine and little residual alkali in the slag can be realized by two-time leaching; and no fluorine-containing waste water is discharged, and the total extraction of the rare earth can be realized by one-time leaching.

Disclosed is a microwave chemical method for totally extracting fluorine and rare earth from bastnaesite concentrate, including: alkaline conversion defluorination of bastnaesite through microwave irradiation, microwave-assisted leaching of fluorine, solid-liquid separation of leaching solution and microwave-assisted leaching of rare earth. The rare earth hydrochloric acid solution for leaching contains no fluorine ion, so that the fluorine interference of subsequent processes such as impurity removal can be completely avoided; the fluorine and the rare earth are leached with microwaves, which does not need the stirring, so that the automatic control is easy to implement; the fluorine and rare earth leaching speed is high, the leaching time is short and the complete leaching of fluorine and little residual alkali in the slag can be realized by two-time leaching; and no fluorine-containing waste water is discharged, and the total extraction of the rare earth can be realized by one-time leaching.

The disclosure relates to processes for extracting lithium from an uncalcined lithium-bearing silicate and recovering a lithium salt therefrom. A slurry of the uncalcined lithium-bearing silicate and a caustic solution is heated in an autoclave to provide a Li-rich sodalite phase. The Li-rich sodalite phase is leached with a dilute acid to produce a lithium-rich pregnant liquor. Various subsequent processes to treat the lithium-rich pregnant liquor to recover a lithium salt, such as lithium phosphate, lithium carbonate, lithium sulphate or lithium hydroxide, are described.

The disclosure relates to processes for extracting lithium from an uncalcined lithium-bearing silicate and recovering a lithium salt therefrom. A slurry of the uncalcined lithium-bearing silicate and a caustic solution is heated in an autoclave to provide a Li-rich sodalite phase. The Li-rich sodalite phase is leached with a dilute acid to produce a lithium-rich pregnant liquor. Various subsequent processes to treat the lithium-rich pregnant liquor to recover a lithium salt, such as lithium phosphate, lithium carbonate, lithium sulphate or lithium hydroxide, are described.

Methods of enhancing recovery of value sulfide and/or precious metal-bearing minerals from an ore containing such minerals as well as Mg-silicate, slime forming minerals, and/or clay by adding a froth phase modifier agent to the ore, and subjecting the ore to a froth flotation process performed under acidic conditions, are provided herein.

Methods of enhancing recovery of value sulfide and/or precious metal-bearing minerals from an ore containing such minerals as well as Mg-silicate, slime forming minerals, and/or clay by adding a froth phase modifier agent to the ore, and subjecting the ore to a froth flotation process performed under acidic conditions, are provided herein.