Aqueous slurry which includes solid foreign matter and paper dust is pressed by means of a screw press, provided with a mesh having openings not less than 1.5 mm and not greater than 3 mm, to separate the aqueous slurry into the solid foreign matter and the paper dust, and liquid component passing through the mesh. Then, the liquid component is sieved by means of a sieve having openings not greater than 1 mm to separate from the liquid component the solid foreign matter and the paper dust.

A method for extracting copper values from a low grade copper ore feedstock is provided. The method includes (a) providing an ore feedstock of a copper oxide ore; (b) subjecting the ore to at least one process selected from the group consisting of primary crushing processes and secondary crushing processes; (c) subjecting the ore feedstock to high pressure grinding roll crushing, thereby obtaining a crushed ore; (d) subjecting the crushed ore to acid curing, thereby obtaining a cured ore; (e) subjecting the cured ore to vat or heap leaching, thus yielding a leachate; (f) passing the leachate through a first ion exchange resin which is selective to base metals plus copper, thereby removing a portion of the copper values from the leachate and yielding a first loaded resin and a first treated leachate; (g) stripping base metals plus copper values from the first loaded resin with a first stripping solution, thereby yielding a base metals plus copper-loaded stripping solution; (h) selectively extracting copper values from the copper-loaded stripping solution via solvent extraction, thereby obtaining an extract and a raffinate; and (i) crystallizing a copper salt from the extract, thereby obtaining a crystallized copper salt.

Processes for regenerating alkali process streams are disclosed herein, including streams containing sodium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and combinations thereof. Systems for regenerating alkali process streams are disclosed herein, including streams containing sodium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and combinations thereof.

A system and method for producing minerals from divalent ion-containing brine stream includes rejecting sulfate from a divalent-ion rich reject stream in a first nanofiltration seawater reverse osmosis (NF-SWRO) unit, producing solid calcium sulfate dihydrate and a magnesium-rich brine stream in a first concentration unit, concentrating the magnesium-rich brine stream to a saturation point of sodium chloride in a second concentration unit, producing solid sodium chloride and a supernatant product stream in a first crystallizing unit, produce a concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream from the supernatant product stream in a third concentration unit, and at least one of producing hydrated magnesium chloride from the concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream in a second crystallizing unit and producing anhydrous magnesium chloride by prilling the concentrated magnesium-rich bitterns stream under a hydrogen chloride atmosphere in a dry air process unit.

A process may involve digesting raw phosphate with concentrated sulfuric acid and converting the raw phosphate to calcium sulfate in the form of dihydrate and/or hemihydrate, and phosphoric acid, separating off calcium sulfate as solid from a liquid phase of a suspension that is obtained, treating the calcium sulfate that is separated off or from a stockpile with an acid to give a suspension with purified calcium sulfate and P.sub.2O.sub.5-containing acid solution, separating off the purified calcium sulfate as solid from a liquid phase of a suspension obtained, using the P.sub.2O.sub.5-containing liquid phase as a portion of the sulfuric acid required for digesting the raw phosphate or as feedstock for treating phosphogypsum from the stockpile to give a suspension of purified calcium sulfate and P.sub.2O.sub.5-containing acid solution, which is thereafter processed.

A process for producing sulfuric acid and cement clinker may use calcium sulfate that is formed as a solid by-product and separated off in phosphoric acid production in a reaction of raw phosphate with sulfuric acid to form phosphoric acid. The process comprises treating calcium sulfate separated from the phosphoric acid with an acid to obtain a suspension comprising purified calcium sulfate, separating the purified calcium sulfate in solid form from the liquid phase of the suspension, mixing the purified calcium sulfate with admixtures and reducing agents to obtain a raw meal mixture for cement clinker production, burning the raw meal mixture to obtain the cement clinker, with formation of sulfur dioxide as offgas, and subjecting the sulfur dioxide formed to offgas purification and feeding the sulfur dioxide as raw material to sulfuric acid production to produce the sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid produced may be used as starting material in phosphoric acid production.

A method for releasing impurities from a calcium-based mineral is described. The method comprises reacting a calcium-based mineral containing impurities with an aqueous solution of one or more ionic salts at a temperature of approximately 85° C. or above, wherein at least one of the calcium-based mineral and the one or more ionic salts comprises sulphate and at least one of the calcium-based mineral and the one or more ionic salts comprises ammonium, and wherein the concentration of the solution is approximately 25% or higher mass fraction, such that double salt crystals are formed and impurities are released. The method further comprises separating the double salt crystals from the impurities. Various products of the process are also described.

A method for the precipitation of rare earth sulphate, the method including subjecting a crude rare earth sulphate solution to precipitation in the presence of a water soluble, volatile, organic compound to produce a rare earth sulphate precipitate and an acidic supernatant. The organic compound is preferably selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, iso-propanol, tert-butanol, acetone or mixtures thereof, and is preferably methanol. Preferably, the organic compound is used in the precipitation at a weight ratio of between 0.25:1 to 1.5:1, and preferably 0.5:to 1.25:1, with the crude sulphate solution.

A method for production of ammonium phosphate from phosphate rock slurry. The method includes: introducing flue gas containing SO.sub.2 into a phosphate rock slurry, to yield an absorption solution; evaporating waste ammonia water containing 10-20 wt. % ammonia to yield ammonia gas; introducing the ammonia gas into the absorption solution at a temperature of 110-135° C. until a neutralization degree of the absorption solution reaches 1.5-1.6, thus yielding an ammonium phosphate solution and calcium sulfate; separating the calcium sulfate from the ammonium phosphate solution; and introducing the ammonium phosphate solution to a granulator for granulation to yield ammonium phosphate granules; drying and sieving the ammonium phosphate granules, thereby yielding ammonium phosphate.

A system and method for producing minerals from divalent ion-containing brine stream includes rejecting sulfate from a divalent-ion rich reject stream in a first nanofiltration seawater reverse osmosis (NF-SWRO) unit, producing solid calcium sulfate dihydrate and a magnesium-rich brine stream in a first concentration unit, concentrating the magnesium-rich brine stream to a saturation point of sodium chloride in a second concentration unit, producing solid sodium chloride and a supernatant product stream in a first crystallizing unit, produce a concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream from the supernatant product stream in a third concentration unit, and at least one of producing hydrated magnesium chloride from the concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream in a second crystallizing unit and producing anhydrous magnesium chloride by prilling the concentrated magnesium-rich bitterns stream under a hydrogen chloride atmosphere in a dry air process unit.