RECOVERY OF SPENT CATALYST

摘要

A process is disclosed for converting a spent catalyst from conventional fluorination processes into a commercially useful tantalum or niobium salt such as K2TaF7 or K2NbF7. The process broadly relates to dissolving the spent catalyst in water or an aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution, separating and disposing the undissolved residue, extracting the aqueous solution with a suitable solvent such as methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), and obtaining useful tantalum products from the MIBK solution such as a tantalum salt.