Separation of niobium and rare earths from Fe-Nb-RE associated ultra-low-grade tailings using super gravity

Abstract

Bayan Obo tailings is unique polymetallic resource associated with iron, niobium (Nb) and rare earths (REEs). However, conventional extraction processes are not economically viable for Nb and REEs due to their low-grade nature. To overcome this challenge, a new approach was employed in this study. The Fe-Nb-RE associated tailings were first reduced and iron-slag was separated at low temperatures under super gravity. This process transformed Nb and REEs into a Nb/REEs-rich phase in the primary enriched slag, which was then separated from the slag by super gravity to obtain a high-grade enriched sample. The end result was a sample with Nb2O5 and RE2O3 mass fractions of up to 24.98 wt% and 30.01 wt%, respectively. This process successfully concentrated Nb and REEs from associated elemental impurities and gangue minerals in the Fe-Nb-RE associated ultra-low-grade tailings, making extraction easier, optimizing subsequent leaching/dissolution, and reducing the number of steps and material flows required in the downstream hydrometallurgical extraction.