PROCESS FOR PRODUCING METALLIC GALLIUM

摘要

Metallic gallium is produced with a high efficiency from a circulating alkali metal aluminate solution in the Bayer process containing gallium, which comprises subjecting the alkali metal aluminate solution to electrolysis which solution is obtained (1) by cooling an alkali metal aluminate solution after aluminum hydroxide separation step in the Bayer process in the presence or absence of at least one, as a seed, of alkali salts of an element selected from vanadium and phosphorus, or complexes containing the alkali salt to precipitate crystals of impurities containing vanadium, phosphorus, etc. in the solution which precipitates are then removed, and then subjecting the resulting alkali metal aluminate solution to oxidation treatment, or (2) by subjecting an alkali metal aluminate solution after aluminum hydroxide separation step in the Bayer process to oxidation treatment, and then cooling the resulting liquor in the presence or absence of at least one, as a seed, of alkali salts of an element selected from vanadium and phosphorus, or complexes containing the alkali salt to precipitate crystals of impurities containing vanadium, phosphorus, etc. in the liquor which precipitates are then removed.