Mineral processing method of rare earth

According to the difference in the physical and chemical properties of rare earth minerals and associated gangue and other minerals, the following methods are commonly used for ore beneficiation:

1. The radiation ore dressing method mainly uses the difference in the content of terbium in rare earth minerals and gangue minerals in the ore, and uses a γ-ray radiation concentrator to separate rare earth minerals from gangue minerals. Radiation ore dressing method is mostly used for pre-selection of rare earth ore. At present, this method is not widely used in the industry.

Second, gravity separation method uses rare earth minerals and gangue mineral density different sorting. Commonly used re-selection equipment cone concentrator, spiral concentrator, shaker and so on. Re-election is mainly used to separate rare earth minerals from gangue minerals such as low-density quartz and calcite so as to achieve the purpose of pre-enrichment or obtaining of rare-earth concentrates. Re-election is widely used in the production of seashore placers; it is sometimes used as a pre-enrichment method in the beneficiation of rare earth veins.

Third, the magnetic separation method Some rare earth minerals have weak magnetic properties. They can be used with different susceptibilities of associated gangue and other minerals. Magnetic separators with different magnetic field strengths are used to separate rare earth minerals from other minerals. In the beneficiation of seashore sand mines, weak magnetic separation is often used to separate ilmenite from monazite; strong magnetic separation can also be used to separate monazite from zircon and quartz. In the beneficiation of rare earth vein minerals, in order to simplify the flotation process and save flotation chemicals, strong magnetic separation is sometimes used to enrich rare earth minerals. With the continuous development of strong magnetic technology, strong magnetic separation will be more and more widely used in the beneficiation process of rare earth ore.

4. The flotation method utilizes the differences in surface physical and chemical properties of rare earth minerals and associated minerals, and uses floatation to separate them from associated gangue and other minerals to obtain concentrates. It is currently the main ore dressing method widely used in the production of rare earth vein minerals. . Mountain Pass rare earth mines in the United States use floatation to produce rare earth concentrates. In the production of seashore placers, rare earth concentrates are often obtained from heavy sands by flotation after heavy sands are obtained by re-election.

5. Electro-selective methods Rare-earth minerals are non-good conductors, and their electrical conductivity and accompanying minerals can be used differently. Electro-selective methods are used to separate them from well-conductive minerals. Electric electrification is often used in the selection of seashore sand heavy sand.

6. Chemical beneficiation method For rare earth deposits adsorbed on kaolin or clay in the form of ions. The rare earth ions can be fully used to dissolve in the characteristics of sodium chloride or ammonium sulfate solution, and the chemical beneficiation method that leaches first and then precipitates can be used for recovery. The fluorocarbon rare earth minerals, which are easily soluble in acid or undergo phase transition at high temperature, can be pre-enriched by flotation and then purified by chemical beneficiation (acid leaching or high-temperature roasting).