The present invention provides a process for metallurgy and separating a rare earth concentrate using a combination method, the process including: treating the rare earth concentrate containing bastnaesite by using a method including roasting under an atmosphere, leaching with hydrochloric acids, and roasting with a sulfuric acid, wherein stepping acid leaching with low-concentration hydrochloric acids is controlled during the leaching with the hydrochloric acids so as to obtain a rare earth solution with a high concentration (150-250 g/L REO), such that a leaching rate of Ce reaches 60% or more, and the content of F.sup.− in a leaching liquor is reduced by aging; and rare earth is further recovered from a leach residue by roasting with the sulfuric acid and leaching with water, and the total yield of the rare earth reaches 95% or more.

The present invention provides a process for metallurgy and separating a rare earth concentrate using a combination method, the process including: treating the rare earth concentrate containing bastnaesite by using a method including roasting under an atmosphere, leaching with hydrochloric acids, and roasting with a sulfuric acid, wherein stepping acid leaching with low-concentration hydrochloric acids is controlled during the leaching with the hydrochloric acids so as to obtain a rare earth solution with a high concentration (150-250 g/L REO), such that a leaching rate of Ce reaches 60% or more, and the content of F.sup.− in a leaching liquor is reduced by aging; and rare earth is further recovered from a leach residue by roasting with the sulfuric acid and leaching with water, and the total yield of the rare earth reaches 95% or more.

Provided is a method for producing, from scandium oxalate crystals obtained through an oxalate conversion process, a readily-soluble scandium compound that dissolves easily in an aqueous solution such as an acid. This method for producing a scandium compound involves carrying out an oxalate conversion process using oxalic acid in a solution containing scandium, separating the product obtained through the oxalate conversion process into a liquid and scandium oxalate crystals, and obtaining a scandium compound by roasting the obtained scandium oxalate crystals at a temperature of 400° C. to 800° C., preferably 400° C. to 600° C.

A process is described for recovering a non-ferrous metal from a first solid residue comprising iron. In this process, the first solid residue is mixed with a second solid residue including sulphur, thereby obtaining a particulate mixture. The particulate mixture is subjected to a roasting step at a temperature of at least 650° C. to obtain a roasted mixture, and the roasted mixture is subjected to leaching in a liquid at a pH of at least 5.5 to obtain a solution enriched with the non-ferrous metal.

A process is described for recovering a non-ferrous metal from a first solid residue comprising iron. In this process, the first solid residue is mixed with a second solid residue including sulphur, thereby obtaining a particulate mixture. The particulate mixture is subjected to a roasting step at a temperature of at least 650° C. to obtain a roasted mixture, and the roasted mixture is subjected to leaching in a liquid at a pH of at least 5.5 to obtain a solution enriched with the non-ferrous metal.

The present disclosure relates to a method for extracting lithium from a lithium-containing material. For example, the method can comprise leaching a roasted lithium-containing material under conditions suitable to obtain an aqueous composition comprising a lithium compound such as lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate. The aqueous composition comprising lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate can optionally be used, for example, in a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process. The roasted lithium-containing material can be prepared, for example by a method which uses an aqueous composition comprising optionally lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate which can be obtained from a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process such as a two-compartment monopolar or bipolar electrolysis process.

The present disclosure relates to a method for extracting lithium from a lithium-containing material. For example, the method can comprise leaching a roasted lithium-containing material under conditions suitable to obtain an aqueous composition comprising a lithium compound such as lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate. The aqueous composition comprising lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate can optionally be used, for example, in a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process. The roasted lithium-containing material can be prepared, for example by a method which uses an aqueous composition comprising optionally lithium sulfate and/or lithium bisulfate which can be obtained from a method for preparing lithium hydroxide comprising an electromembrane process such as a two-compartment monopolar or bipolar electrolysis process.

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.

The invention relates to a process for recovering lithium from lithium-sulfur accumulators, wherein the accumulators are discharged, shredded, and pre-cleaned by sieves or screens to separate housing and electricity collector parts, the remaining material is dispersed in an aqueous medium, resulting in formation of a lithium sulfide containing solution from which insoluble components are removed by filtration, and the electrolyte is removed by phase separation, followed by a process for separation of the lithium from the lithium sulfide-containing solution.

A method for collecting a heavy rare earth element from a heavy rare earth element-containing molten salt electrolysis residue and recycling the heavy rare earth element, the method includes: a step of mixing coarse particles of the molten salt electrolysis residue with a fluorinating material followed by firing, to fluorinate the coarse particles of the molten salt electrolysis residue; a step of pulverizing the coarse particles of the fluorinated molten salt electrolysis residue to obtain a powder of the molten salt electrolysis residue; and a step of mixing the powder of the molten salt electrolysis residue with R, an R-M alloy, or an R-M-B alloy (wherein R is one or more types of rare earth elements selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Ce, Nd, Pr, Sm, Gd, Dy, Tb, and Ho, M is a transition metal such as Fe or Co, and B is boron), heating and melting the mixture, separating a molten alloy from slag, and selectively extracting the heavy rare earth element into the molten alloy. Provided are a method for recycling a heavy rare earth element that is capable of efficiently recycling a heavy rare earth element that is rare in an alloy form similar to a product, and a method for recycling a rare earth magnet by using an alloy obtained by the recycling method.