Various rare earth particles magnetic separation using magnetic fluid and paramagnetic liquid

Abstract

Rare earth elements are usually separated by solvent extraction after several separation stages. However, the separation of particles would be possible if fine rare earth and oxide particles from a mixture of rare earth materials would exhibit a relatively high degree of liberation. Here, the novel method for separating a mixture of two kinds of artificial rare earth particles was developed using a high-gradient magnetic separator. Rare earth metals and oxides have different magnetic susceptibility, and some have high magnetic susceptibility as paramagnetic materials. In conventional magnetic separation, all paramagnetic particles are captured as magnetics. However, a mixture of rare earth particles can also be separated by increasing liquid magnetization with water-based magnetic fluid and paramagnetic liquid having higher magnetization than water. As a result, the adjacent atomic number of rare earth particles can be separated. The magnetic separation efficiencies of neighboring rare earth were compared with the conventional solvent extraction results, and it was found that magnetic separation has a relatively high efficiency for separating some rare earth elements.