The present invention relates to metallurgical processes, and more particularly to a process for producing titaniferous feedstock and fines, a process for agglomerating titaniferous fines, and a process for producing titaniferous metals and titaniferous alloys. Recovery of rare-earth, vanadium and scandium from titanium iron bearing resources is also disclosed. Selective leaching for Scandium recovery from all magnetite type resources such as ilmenite, ferro titanic resources, nickel laterites, magnetite iron resources etc.

The present invention relates to metallurgical processes, and more particularly to a process for producing titaniferous feedstock and fines, a process for agglomerating titaniferous fines, and a process for producing titaniferous metals and titaniferous alloys. Recovery of rare-earth, vanadium and scandium from titanium iron bearing resources is also disclosed. Selective leaching for Scandium recovery from all magnetite type resources such as ilmenite, ferro titanic resources, nickel laterites, magnetite iron resources etc.

A method for extracting noble metals from mining tailings and other solids is provided. The method uses a Lewis acid, Brønsted acid, complexing agent and oxygen to provide excellent extraction without the need for chorine gas or cyanide.

A method of extraction of pure iron (III) oxide from bulk iron ore is provided that includes crushing and grinding, using a crushing machine, raw hematite ore, where a milled ore is formed, water-washing the milled ore by rinsing under continuous stirring conditions, dilute acid-washing the milled ore with diluted hydrochloric acid under continuous stirring conditions, immersing the dilute acid-washed milled ore in concentrated acid under the continuous stirring conditions, and applying heat, treating the heated and immersed milled ore with an alkali to form a precipitate, washing with water the precipitate to purify the precipitate, and drying the purified precipitate, and igniting the purified dry precipitate to extract a pure iron (III) oxide from a bulk iron ore.

A method of extraction of pure iron (III) oxide from bulk iron ore is provided that includes crushing and grinding, using a crushing machine, raw hematite ore, where a milled ore is formed, water-washing the milled ore by rinsing under continuous stirring conditions, dilute acid-washing the milled ore with diluted hydrochloric acid under continuous stirring conditions, immersing the dilute acid-washed milled ore in concentrated acid under the continuous stirring conditions, and applying heat, treating the heated and immersed milled ore with an alkali to form a precipitate, washing with water the precipitate to purify the precipitate, and drying the purified precipitate, and igniting the purified dry precipitate to extract a pure iron (III) oxide from a bulk iron ore.

The invention relates to composite material comprising polymer microfibers and lithium-adsorbent particles characterized in that said polymer microfibers have a diameter comprised between 10 μm and 500 μm, and said composite material has an open porosity comprised between 70% and 99% and a density comprised between 0.05 g/cm.sup.3 and 0.5 g/cm.sup.3. It also relates to a cartridge comprising such a material and to a process for extracting lithium from a brine using such a material.

The invention relates to composite material comprising polymer microfibers and lithium-adsorbent particles characterized in that said polymer microfibers have a diameter comprised between 10 μm and 500 μm, and said composite material has an open porosity comprised between 70% and 99% and a density comprised between 0.05 g/cm.sup.3 and 0.5 g/cm.sup.3. It also relates to a cartridge comprising such a material and to a process for extracting lithium from a brine using such a material.

This invention has an object to provide a method for producing a beryllium solution by dissolving beryllium oxide, the method being novel and having high energy efficiency. A production method (M10) for producing a beryllium solution includes a main heating step (S13) of dielectrically heating an acidic solution containing beryllium oxide to generate a beryllium solution.

A method for processing ores containing gold or refining intermediates containing gold, the refining intermediate being obtained by subjecting the ores to a refining process, wherein the method includes: a leaching step of leaching gold from the ores or the refining intermediates using a sulfate solution containing iodide ions and iron (III) ions as a leaching solution; an adsorption step of adsorbing iodine and gold in the leached solution obtained in the leaching step on activated carbon; and an iodine separation step of separating iodine from the activated carbon while leaving gold on the activated carbon that has undergone the adsorption step.

A method for extracting a rare earth metal from a mixture of one or more rare earth metals, said method comprising contacting an acidic solution of the rare earth metal with a composition which comprises an ionic liquid to form an aqueous phase and a non-aqueous phase into which the rare earth metal has been selectively extracted; recovering the rare earth metal from the non-aqueous phase; and processing the recovered rare earth metal into a rare earth metal oxide.