A method for enriching niobium and titanium in a mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium, includes: reacting raw materials comprising 1 part by weight of a mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium, 0.1-0.8 part by weight of a nickel-containing substance and 0.2-1 part by weight of carbon at 800-1500 C. to obtain a nickel-iron alloy and a niobium-titanium rich slag, where an amount of the mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium is counted in terms of iron element, and an amount of the nickel-containing substance is counted in terms of nickel element. The nickel-containing substance is one or more selected from the group consisting of oxides of nickel and nickel minerals.

A method for enriching niobium and titanium in a mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium, includes: reacting raw materials comprising 1 part by weight of a mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium, 0.1-0.8 part by weight of a nickel-containing substance and 0.2-1 part by weight of carbon at 800-1500 C. to obtain a nickel-iron alloy and a niobium-titanium rich slag, where an amount of the mineral containing iron, niobium, and titanium is counted in terms of iron element, and an amount of the nickel-containing substance is counted in terms of nickel element. The nickel-containing substance is one or more selected from the group consisting of oxides of nickel and nickel minerals.

This invention relates to a method for controlling exothermic reactions between metal chlorides of Zn, V, Cr, Co, Sn, Ag, Ta, Ni, Fe, Nb Cu, Pt, W, Pd, and Mo, and Al and the use of the method for preparation of metallic alloys and compounds based on base metals Zn, V, Cr, Co, Sn, Ag, Ta, Ni, Fe, Nb Cu, Pt, W, Pd, and Mo. The method provides for a mixture of precursor chemicals including at least one solid base metal chloride to be mixed and reacted exothermically with a control powder based on Zn, V, Cr, Co, Sn, Ag, Ta, Ni, Fe, Nb Cu, Pt, W, Pd, and Mo and then reacting the resulting intermediates with an Al scavenger. Reduction is carried out in a controlled manner to regulate reaction rates and prevent excessive rise in the temperature of the reactants and the reaction products.

The invention relates to a method for preparing high-melting-point metal powder through multi-stage deep reduction, and belongs to the technical field of preparation of powder. The method includes the following steps of mixing dried high-melting-point metal oxide powder with magnesium powder and performing a self-propagating reaction, placing an intermediate product into a closed reaction kettle, leaching the intermediate product with hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution so as to obtain a low-valence oxide Me.sub.xO precursor of the low-valence high-melting-point metal; uniformly mixing the precursor with calcium powder, pressing the mixture, placing the pressed mixture into a vacuum reduction furnace, heating the vacuum reduction furnace to 700-1200 C., performing deep reduction for 1-6 h, leaching a deep reduction product with hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution and performing treatment, so as to obtain the high-melting-point metal powder.

A method for hydrometallurgical extraction of rare earth elements and niobium from a an ore or a flotation concentrate containing rare earth elements, niobium, iron and alkali earth metals, the method comprising removal of the alkali earth metals using an acidic solution of a pH in a range between about 1 and about 6, leaching the rare earth elements; precipitation of the rare earth elements from a resulting pregnant leach solution using sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate; physically separating metal hydroxides from a resulting leach residue containing metal hydroxides, iron oxide, silicate, and pyrochlore; removing the iron oxide by physical beneficiation and then by atmospheric acid leaching; and recovering niobium from a clean solid residue by pressurized acid leaching.

A method for hydrometallurgical extraction of rare earth elements and niobium from a an ore or a flotation concentrate containing rare earth elements, niobium, iron and alkali earth metals, the method comprising removal of the alkali earth metals using an acidic solution of a pH in a range between about 1 and about 6, leaching the rare earth elements; precipitation of the rare earth elements from a resulting pregnant leach solution using sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate; physically separating metal hydroxides from a resulting leach residue containing metal hydroxides, iron oxide, silicate, and pyrochlore; removing the iron oxide by physical beneficiation and then by atmospheric acid leaching; and recovering niobium from a clean solid residue by pressurized acid leaching.

Methods for niobium concentration from a carbonatite host rock are presented. A basic process for niobium mineral concentration involves performing niobium mineral flotation, on a sufficiently liberated ore slurry, using at one least aromatic hydroxamate collector; and at least one lead salt as a performance modifier. A more optimized process further includes dispersion. A further optimized process includes: magnetic separation, dispersion, sulphide removal, fine suspended particle removal, and niobium cleaner flotation stages. The use of one of number of tested lead salts during flotation improves the yield, and lowers the cost as a significantly lower amount of the collector is required. The process is useful for recovering a variety of species of niobium minerals such as fersmite, pyrochlore, columbite, fergusonite, niobium-containing rutile, and niobium-containing ilmenite.

Methods for niobium concentration from a carbonatite host rock are presented. A basic process for niobium mineral concentration involves performing niobium mineral flotation, on a sufficiently liberated ore slurry, using at one least aromatic hydroxamate collector; and at least one lead salt as a performance modifier. A more optimized process further includes dispersion. A further optimized process includes: magnetic separation, dispersion, sulphide removal, fine suspended particle removal, and niobium cleaner flotation stages. The use of one of number of tested lead salts during flotation improves the yield, and lowers the cost as a significantly lower amount of the collector is required. The process is useful for recovering a variety of species of niobium minerals such as fersmite, pyrochlore, columbite, fergusonite, niobium-containing rutile, and niobium-containing ilmenite.

The present invention relates to the recovery of rare earths, scandium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, titanium, and the like from ores or concentrates containing fluorine. More specifically, the ores or concentrates are pretreated by carbochlorination to convert the rare earths and other metals into their chlorides and then subjected to dilute hydrochloric acid leaching to recover the valuable rare earths and other metals from the leachate. Niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and titanium can be recovered as their chlorides or oxychlorides from the gaseous products of carbochlorination, or converted into their oxides while simultaneously regenerating chlorine.

The present invention relates to the recovery of rare earths, scandium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, titanium, and the like from ores or concentrates containing fluorine. More specifically, the ores or concentrates are pretreated by carbochlorination to convert the rare earths and other metals into their chlorides and then subjected to dilute hydrochloric acid leaching to recover the valuable rare earths and other metals from the leachate. Niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, and titanium can be recovered as their chlorides or oxychlorides from the gaseous products of carbochlorination, or converted into their oxides while simultaneously regenerating chlorine.