A method includes contacting a coal feedstock with an acidic solution to form residual coal and a leachate. The method further includes separating the residual coal from the leachate where the leachate contains rare earth elements and where the residual coal has preserved organic content and reduced inorganic content. Another method includes contacting a coal feedstock with a basic solution to form residual coal and a leachate. The method further includes separating the residual coal from the leachate where the leachate contains rare earth elements and where the residual coal has reduced inorganic content, but preserved organic content.

According to an embodiment, a nuclear fuel material recovery method of recovering a nuclear fuel material containing thorium metal by reprocessing an oxide of a nuclear fuel material containing thorium oxide in a spent fuel is provided. The method has: a first electrolytic reduction step of electrolytically reducing thorium oxide in a first molten salt of alkaline-earth metal halide; a first reduction product washing step of washing a reduction product; and a main electrolytic separation step of separating the reduction product. The first molten salt further contains alkali metal halide, and contains at least one out of a group consisting of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium fluoride and magnesium fluoride. The method may further has a second electrolytic reduction step of electrolytically reducing uranium oxide, plutonium oxide, and minor actinoid oxide in a second molten salt of alkali metal halide.

An apparatus is for the automated production of a daughter radionuclide from a parent radionuclide using a generator comprising a solid medium onto which the parent nuclide is fixed and whereby the daughter nuclide is formed by radioactive decay of the parent nuclide. The apparatus includes a fluid circuit including a chromatography column having a head port and a tail port, at least one connection port for connecting the generator to the fluid circuit, at least one inlet port for connecting fluid sources to the fluid circuit and at least one valve controlled by an electronic control unit for selectively connecting the chromatography column, the connection port and the at least one inlet port in various configurations. The various configurations include a first elution configuration for circulating an A1 solution exiting the generator and containing the daughter radionuclide, through the chromatography column from the head port to the tail port for loading the chromatography column with the daughter radionuclide; a first washing configuration for circulating an A2 washing solution from a solution inlet through the chromatography column from the head port to the tail port; and a second washing configuration for circulating an A2 washing solution from a solution inlet through the chromatography column from the tail port to the head port.

A method for recovering thorium and rare earth elements from rare earth waste residues comprises: (1) mixing rare earth waste residues with an inorganic acid and heating to obtain a stock solution containing thorium and rare earth elements; (2) extracting thorium and rare earth elements from the stock solution with an organic phase containing an extractant; (3) washing the organic phase obtained after extraction in step (2) with a washing solution to move rare earth elements into the aqueous phase and remain thorium in the organic phase; (4) back-extracting the organic phase containing thorium obtained in step (3) with a back-extraction solution to move thorium in the organic phase into the aqueous phase; said extractants are alkyl phosphonic acid monoalkyl ester and dialkylphosphinic acid.

The invention relates to a separation and recovery method for radioactive waste slag and specifically relates to a separation and recovery method for monazite slag. The separation and recovery method comprises the following steps: acid leaching, pressure filtration, water washing, extraction of valuable components and treatment of filtration slag. The separation and recovery method provided by the invention performs low-acid and low-temperature leaching on monazite slag, so that a liquid phase and a solid phase are easy to separate; after an ore dressing process is adopted for performing ore dressing and alkali decomposition on secondary slag, closed-loop circulation and recovery of uranium, thorium and rare earth is realized; and simultaneously, extraction raffinate waste acid is recycled, so that the emission of waste water is reduced, the consumption of sulfuric acid and fresh water and the treatment cost of the waste water are reduced, the production cost is reduced, the recovery rate of the valuable elements, namely the uranium, the thorium and the rare earth is more than 97%, and the whole process has no emission of the radioactive waste water and waste slag.

A method for recovering heavy metals and rare earth elements from fly ash, coal ash, and unrefined mineral ores containing rare earth metals using an ionic liquid and an organic acid to solubilize the metals. The solubilized components are removed from the ionic liquid by electrochemical deposition. The heavy metals and rare earth elements are deposited onto an electrode, and then purified via electrochemical processing.

The present disclosure is directed to processes and methods for recovering rare earth elements and scandium from acidic solutions. Transition metals, lanthanum, cerium, actinides, thorium, or a combinations thereof may be selectively removed from a lanthanide and transition metal comprising solution via the use of an extractant and an alkali compound, such as magnesium chloride to recover valuable rare earth elements. In an embodiment, a lanthanide-comprising solution is contacted with an extractant to form a raffinate and a loaded organic comprising most of the lanthanides and one or more transition metals. At least a portion of the transition metals is removed from the loaded organic based on the alkali compound, forming a transition metal-rich solution and a transition metal scrubbed organic, and at least a portion of the lanthanides are removed from the transition metal scrubbed organic based on the alkali compound to form a lanthanide liquor.

A method for separating thorium and cerium from a solid concentrate comprising compounds of thorium, cerium and further rare earth metals, comprising: a) contacting the solid concentrate with an acid to achieve an acid composition with a pH of less than 0.5; b) reacting the acid composition obtained in step a) with ozone or heating the acid composition at a temperature ranging from 110 C. to 130 C. for a time period ranging from 1 to 3 hours, thereby oxidizing the cerium ions in the acid composition to an oxidation state of +IV; c) increasing, to at most 2, the pH of the composition obtained in step b), resulting in the precipitation of thorium and cerium compounds; and d) separating the precipitated thorium and cerium compounds from the composition obtained in step c) to obtain an aqueous acidic rare earth solution depleted in thorium and cerium.

The present invention relates to a process for recovering metals from metal-bearing material, said process comprising the step of contacting the metal-bearing material with condensed phosphoric acid at a temperature of greater than 215 C. and less than 300 C. for a period of time sufficient to at least partially dissolve the metal-bearing material; to provide a leaching solution containing metal ions. The invention is applicable to a range of metals including the rare earth elements, as well as thorium and uranium. The invention is applicable to a range of metal-bearing materials, particularly phosphate minerals such as monazite and xenotime.

A method for extracting a metal species from a solution is described, where the metal species comprises a rare earth element, Th, or U. The method involves the use of poly(caffeic acid) as a sorbent material. The poly(caffeic acid) may be crosslinked with a diamine crosslinker such as ethylenediamine.