METHOD FOR EXTRACTING RARE EARTH ELEMENTS FROM PHOSPHOGYPSUM

摘要

The present invention relates to methods for recovering rare earth elements, in particular, from phosphogypsum. The claimed method comprises acidic extraction of rare earth elements from phosphogypsum using sulfuric acid-nitric acid mixture solution at 3.2-1.2 ratio with concentration of 1-3 % by weight and at liquids-solids ratio of 4-5 within 8-12 minutes with simultaneous hydroacoustic action on the extraction suspension agent being mixed succeeded by separation of insoluble gypsum from extraction suspension agent and by recovery of rare earth elements from extraction solution using cation-exchange sorption by passing the latter through cation-exchange filter. The claimed method allows both to increase the recovery rate of rare earth elements and to reduce by half the time of the process accomplished at lower concentrations and with smaller volumes of acidic reagents.