Author(s)

Mona N. El Hazek^1,2*, Nawal H. Mohamed^1,3, Azza A. Gabr^1,4

¹Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jizan, Saudi Arabia.
²Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt.
³Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt.

The potentiality of the alkali breakdown of the poly mineralized ore material south Gabal El-A’urf area, central Eastern Desert, Egypt is investigated. It includes the multiple oxide mineral tanteuxenite, monazite, bastnasite, anatase, as well as zircon. This ore material assaying lanthanides (RE₂O₃ 1.9%), niobium (Nb₂O₅ 1.25%) as well as titanium and zirconium (TiO₂ and ZrO₂ 1.23% and 1.12%) respectively besides tantalum (Ta₂O₅ 0.13%), were used for the present work. This sample has thus been subjected to two alkali breakdown techniques using potash; namely agitation leaching and fusion. The latter technique was found to be preferred as it gives higher leaching efficiency. The optimum leaching conditions are weight ratio of the ore/potassium hydroxide 1/2 at 400°C for 1 h. The realized leaching efficiencies attained 95.0% and 93.7% for Nb and Ta respectively as well as 96% for lanthanides and 75% for Ti while that for Zr did not exceed 10%.

Lkali Fusion, Agitation Leaching, Niobium-Tantalum-Lanthanides Ores, Polymineralized Ore Material

Hazek, M. , Mohamed, N. and Gabr, A. (2019) Potash Breakdown of Poly-Mineralized Niobium-Tantalum-Lanthanides Ore Material. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 10, 103-111. doi: 10.4236/ajac.2019.103009.