A rare earth metal extracting bacterial consortium can include an acid secreting bacterium, a heavy metal resistant bacterium, an iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium, and a rare earth metal sequestering bacterium. In another example, a composition can include a growth medium and a bacterial consortium growing in the growth medium. The growth medium can include water, magnesium sulfate, manganese chloride, cobalt chloride, calcium chloride, ammonium sulfate, soluble starch, and amino acids. The bacterial consortium can include an acid secreting bacterium, a heavy metal resistant bacterium, an iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium, and a rare earth metal sequestering bacterium.

A method of processing a purified rare earth sulphate solution, the method including the steps of: contacting the purified rare earth sulphate solution with sodium hydroxide to precipitate rare earths as rare earth hydroxide, including the addition of an oxidant to oxidise cerium contained in the rare earth hydroxide precipitate; and selectively leaching the rare earth hydroxide precipitate with hydrochloric acid to form a rare earth chloride solution and a residue.

A method of processing a purified rare earth sulphate solution, the method including the steps of: contacting the purified rare earth sulphate solution with sodium hydroxide to precipitate rare earths as rare earth hydroxide, including the addition of an oxidant to oxidise cerium contained in the rare earth hydroxide precipitate; and selectively leaching the rare earth hydroxide precipitate with hydrochloric acid to form a rare earth chloride solution and a residue.

Provided are a selective recovery method of vanadium and cesium from a waste sulfuric acid vanadium catalyst by a hydrometallurgical method including water leaching, solid-liquid separation, vanadium solvent extraction, vanadium selective stripping, and cesium alum production, and a high-quality vanadium aqueous solution and cesium alum produced thereby.

Provided are a selective recovery method of vanadium and cesium from a waste sulfuric acid vanadium catalyst by a hydrometallurgical method including water leaching, solid-liquid separation, vanadium solvent extraction, vanadium selective stripping, and cesium alum production, and a high-quality vanadium aqueous solution and cesium alum produced thereby.

Provided are a selective recovery method of vanadium and cesium from a waste sulfuric acid vanadium catalyst by a hydrometallurgical method including water leaching, solid-liquid separation, vanadium solvent extraction, vanadium selective stripping, and cesium alum production, and a high-quality vanadium aqueous solution and cesium alum produced thereby.

Provided are a selective recovery method of vanadium and cesium from a waste sulfuric acid vanadium catalyst by a hydrometallurgical method including water leaching, solid-liquid separation, vanadium solvent extraction, vanadium selective stripping, and cesium alum production, and a high-quality vanadium aqueous solution and cesium alum produced thereby.

A method of recovering a rare earth metal can include incubating a bacterial consortium in the presence of a rare earth metal source comprising a rare earth metal and iron. The bacterial consortium can include an acid secreting bacterium, a heavy metal resistant bacterium, an iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium, and a rare earth metal sequestering bacterium. The method can further include: producing an acid using the acid secreting bacterium; leaching iron and the rare earth metal from the rare earth metal source using the acid; protecting the bacterial consortium from metal using the heavy metal resistant bacterium; sequestering iron using the iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium; and sequestering the rare earth metal using the rare earth metal sequestering bacterium

A method of recovering a rare earth metal can include incubating a bacterial consortium in the presence of a rare earth metal source comprising a rare earth metal and iron. The bacterial consortium can include an acid secreting bacterium, a heavy metal resistant bacterium, an iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium, and a rare earth metal sequestering bacterium. The method can further include: producing an acid using the acid secreting bacterium; leaching iron and the rare earth metal from the rare earth metal source using the acid; protecting the bacterial consortium from metal using the heavy metal resistant bacterium; sequestering iron using the iron-sequestering molecule secreting bacterium; and sequestering the rare earth metal using the rare earth metal sequestering bacterium

The invention relates to a method for producing a scandium-containing concentrate from the wastes of alumina production and extracting high-purity scandium oxide from the same. Provided is a method for producing a scandium-containing concentrate from a red mud, wherein the Sc.sub.2O.sub.3 content therein is least of 15 wt. %, the TiO.sub.2 content not more than 3 wt. %, the ZrO.sub.2 content not more than 15 wt. %, and wherein scandium in the concentrate is in form of a mixture of Sc(OH).sub.3 hydroxide with ScOHCO.sub.3.4H.sub.2O. Also provided is a method for producing high-purity scandium oxide, with a purity of approximately 99 wt. %.