Liquid treatment apparatus comprises at least two chambers being first and second chambers through which a fluid can flow. The two chambers are separated by at least one choke nozzle which has an entrance in the first chamber and an exit in the second chamber. The choke nozzle comprises a converging section at its entrance, a throat section, a backward-facing step immediately after the throat section, and an exit section at its exit wherein the exit section diverges from the step. Similarly constructed mixing nozzles may be included in the apparatus. The apparatus is especially useful in processes requiring a gas to be entrained in a fluid so that the gas is in the form of very small bubbles that do not tend to coalesce and flash off such as in the dissolution of gold and other precious metals from ore and in the removal of arsenic from an ore.

Liquid treatment apparatus comprises at least two chambers being first and second chambers through which a fluid can flow. The two chambers are separated by at least one choke nozzle which has an entrance in the first chamber and an exit in the second chamber. The choke nozzle comprises a converging section at its entrance, a throat section, a backward-facing step immediately after the throat section, and an exit section at its exit wherein the exit section diverges from the step. Similarly constructed mixing nozzles may be included in the apparatus. The apparatus is especially useful in processes requiring a gas to be entrained in a fluid so that the gas is in the form of very small bubbles that do not tend to coalesce and flash off such as in the dissolution of gold and other precious metals from ore and in the removal of arsenic from an ore.

Methods of recovering rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium from coal are described. The coal is dissolved in a first solvent to dissolve organic material in the coal and create a slurry containing coal ash enriched with rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium. The enriched coal ash is separated from the first solvent. Residual organic material is removed from the coal ash. The rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium can then be recovered from the coal ash. The coal ash is mixed with an acid stream that dissolves the rare earth elements, thereby creating (i) a leachate containing the rare earth elements and (ii) leached ash. The leachate is heated to obtain acid vapor and an acid-soluble rare earth concentrate. The acid-soluble rare earth concentrate can be fed to a hydrometallurgical process to separate and purify the rare earth elements.

Methods of recovering rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium from coal are described. The coal is dissolved in a first solvent to dissolve organic material in the coal and create a slurry containing coal ash enriched with rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium. The enriched coal ash is separated from the first solvent. Residual organic material is removed from the coal ash. The rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium can then be recovered from the coal ash. The coal ash is mixed with an acid stream that dissolves the rare earth elements, thereby creating (i) a leachate containing the rare earth elements and (ii) leached ash. The leachate is heated to obtain acid vapor and an acid-soluble rare earth concentrate. The acid-soluble rare earth concentrate can be fed to a hydrometallurgical process to separate and purify the rare earth elements.

A method and arrangement for recovering lithium hydroxide from a mineral containing lithium, by pulping the raw material containing lithium in the presence of water and an alkali metal carbonate, leaching the obtained slurry twice, first at an elevated temperature, and secondly in an aqueous solution containing an alkali earth metal hydroxide, separating the thus obtained slurry into solids and a solution containing lithium hydroxide, the latter being purified, whereby lithium hydroxide monohydrate can be recovered from the purified solution by crystallising, and finally separating the solution obtained during the crystallization from the process and recycling it to one or more of the previous process steps.

This invention relates to a method for processing nickel laterite ore, including the steps of obtaining a mined laterite ore from a mining operation 42; and feeding the ore through a bulk sorter 44 comprising a sensor arrangement and a diverting mechanism that separates the ore into a beneficiated stream of nickel laterite ore 28 wherein the grade of nickel is higher than the grade of the ore fed into the bulk sorter for further processing 52 by leaching or smelting; one or more low grade fractions of ore 50 with a lower nickel grade than the beneficiated stream; and a waste fraction 46. This configuration efficiently separates lower grade patches in the run of mine ore, to either a low-grade stockpile or waste, and efficiently blends the selected high-grade ore to meet the specifications of the subsequent processing.

This invention relates to a method for processing nickel laterite ore, including the steps of obtaining a mined laterite ore from a mining operation 42; and feeding the ore through a bulk sorter 44 comprising a sensor arrangement and a diverting mechanism that separates the ore into a beneficiated stream of nickel laterite ore 28 wherein the grade of nickel is higher than the grade of the ore fed into the bulk sorter for further processing 52 by leaching or smelting; one or more low grade fractions of ore 50 with a lower nickel grade than the beneficiated stream; and a waste fraction 46. This configuration efficiently separates lower grade patches in the run of mine ore, to either a low-grade stockpile or waste, and efficiently blends the selected high-grade ore to meet the specifications of the subsequent processing.

The present disclosure relates to a metal recovery process comprising a solvent extraction process. In an exemplary embodiment, the solution extraction system comprises a plant with a first and second circuit. A high-grade pregnant leach solution (“HGPLS”) is provided to the first and second circuit, and a low-grade pregnant leach solution (“LGPLS”) is provided to the second circuit. The first circuit produces a rich electrolyte, which can be forwarded to a primary metal recovery, and a low-grade raffinate, which can be forwarded to a secondary metal recovery process. The second circuit produces a rich electrolyte, which can also be forwarded to the primary metal recovery process. The first and second circuits are in fluid communication with each other.

The present disclosure relates to a metal recovery process comprising a solvent extraction process. In an exemplary embodiment, the solution extraction system comprises a plant with a first and second circuit. A high-grade pregnant leach solution (“HGPLS”) is provided to the first and second circuit, and a low-grade pregnant leach solution (“LGPLS”) is provided to the second circuit. The first circuit produces a rich electrolyte, which can be forwarded to a primary metal recovery, and a low-grade raffinate, which can be forwarded to a secondary metal recovery process. The second circuit produces a rich electrolyte, which can also be forwarded to the primary metal recovery process. The first and second circuits are in fluid communication with each other.

This invention deals with a system using aqueous means for solubilizing chemical components contained in sulphur type ore concentrate which may contain iron, cobalt, niquel, copper, platinum group metals and other metals considered valuable and of commercial interest. Apart from that, a method using aqueous means for solubilizing such components is described.