A method of selectively removing impurities from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting an aqueous scandium-containing solution with an organic solvent stream containing an extractant, thereby forming a loaded organic solvent stream containing the impurity or impurities while leaving the scandium in the raffinate. The aqueous stream containing the scandium is washed, diluted and has inorganic salts added before being contacted with a second organic solvent stream to extract the scandium selectively, and followed by stripping the scandium from the scandium-containing loaded organic extractant stream by adding oxalic acid to the loaded organic extractant stream to form scandium oxalate.

A method for separating zirconium oxide/hafnium oxide by pyrometallurgy. The mixture of zirconium oxide/hafnium oxide, carbon and pure bromine react one hour at 650? C., then added to molten salt mixture for rectifying separation, and then maintained two hours at rectifying tower bottom below 357? C., to get the non-target substance; and then maintained five hours at 357? C. to collect the target substance zirconium tetrabromide; the residue in the reactor is retained, then rectification separation is performed in the same device, heated to 400? C. to retain more than five hours, to get hafnium tetrabromide, then the zirconium tetrabromide and hafnium tetrabromide are substituted by magnesium to get the pure zirconium and pure hafnium.

A method for separating zirconium oxide/hafnium oxide by pyrometallurgy. The mixture of zirconium oxide/hafnium oxide, carbon and pure bromine react one hour at 650? C., then added to molten salt mixture for rectifying separation, and then maintained two hours at rectifying tower bottom below 357? C., to get the non-target substance; and then maintained five hours at 357? C. to collect the target substance zirconium tetrabromide; the residue in the reactor is retained, then rectification separation is performed in the same device, heated to 400? C. to retain more than five hours, to get hafnium tetrabromide, then the zirconium tetrabromide and hafnium tetrabromide are substituted by magnesium to get the pure zirconium and pure hafnium.

The invention provides a method for the production of a metal, the method comprising the steps of mixing an oxide of the metal with a reducing agent comprising a Group II metal or a hydride thereof in the presence of water and/or an organic solvent, heating the mixture of oxide and reducing agent, leaching the resulting material with water; and washing the leached material with a dilute aqueous acid. Typically, the metal is a transition or rare earth metal, the oxide of the metal is an oxide of a transition or rare earth metal, and the reducing agent is selected from calcium or magnesium or the hydrides of calcium and magnesium. The metal is generally obtained at a purity of around 98.5-99.1%, and the method is much quicker than the methods of the prior art and has a much lower carbon footprint, thereby providing an option which is more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and accommodative for industries. Particularly good results are observed in the production of transition metals such as titanium, tantalum and niobium.

The invention provides a method for the production of a metal, the method comprising the steps of mixing an oxide of the metal with a reducing agent comprising a Group II metal or a hydride thereof in the presence of water and/or an organic solvent, heating the mixture of oxide and reducing agent, leaching the resulting material with water; and washing the leached material with a dilute aqueous acid. Typically, the metal is a transition or rare earth metal, the oxide of the metal is an oxide of a transition or rare earth metal, and the reducing agent is selected from calcium or magnesium or the hydrides of calcium and magnesium. The metal is generally obtained at a purity of around 98.5-99.1%, and the method is much quicker than the methods of the prior art and has a much lower carbon footprint, thereby providing an option which is more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and accommodative for industries. Particularly good results are observed in the production of transition metals such as titanium, tantalum and niobium.

A method of selectively removing impurities from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting an aqueous scandium-containing solution with an organic solvent stream containing an extractant, thereby forming a loaded organic solvent stream containing the impurity or impurities while leaving the scandium in the raffinate. The aqueous stream containing the scandium is washed, diluted and has inorganic salts added before being contacted with a second organic solvent stream to extract the scandium selectively, and followed by stripping the scandium from the scandium-containing loaded organic extractant stream by adding oxalic acid to the loaded organic extractant stream to form scandium oxalate.

A method of selectively removing impurities from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting an aqueous scandium-containing solution with an organic solvent stream containing an extractant, thereby forming a loaded organic solvent stream containing the impurity or impurities while leaving the scandium in the raffinate. The aqueous stream containing the scandium is washed, diluted and has inorganic salts added before being contacted with a second organic solvent stream to extract the scandium selectively, and followed by stripping the scandium from the scandium-containing loaded organic extractant stream by adding oxalic acid to the loaded organic extractant stream to form scandium oxalate.

A process for recovering metal from a process material comprising the metal and a component that is more volatile than the metal, which process comprises: transporting the process material in a retort provided in a furnace, the retort being operated under vacuum and at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the component from the process material thereby producing purified metal; depositing the component that has been sublimed on a cool surface; removing purified metal from the retort; and removing deposited component from the cool surface.

A process for recovering metal from a process material comprising the metal and a component that is more volatile than the metal, which process comprises: transporting the process material in a retort provided in a furnace, the retort being operated under vacuum and at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the component from the process material thereby producing purified metal; depositing the component that has been sublimed on a cool surface; removing purified metal from the retort; and removing deposited component from the cool surface.

Provided are: an extractant which is capable of quickly and highly efficiently extracting zirconium from an acidic solution that is obtained by acid leaching a material containing zirconium and scandium such as an SOFC electrode material; and a method for extracting zirconium, which uses this extractant. A zirconium extractant according to the present invention is composed of an amide derivative represented by general formula (I). In the formula, R1 and R2 respectively represent the same or different alkyl groups, each of which may be linear or branched; R3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and R4 represents a hydrogen atom or an arbitrary group other than an amino group, said arbitrary group being bonded, as an amino acid, to the carbon.