A METHOD FOR PREPARING A LEACH FEED MATERIAL

• US 20200131600A1
• Filed: 04/04/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tivan Limited
• Original Assignee: TNG Limited
• Inventors: CONNELLY, Damian Edward Gerard, YAN, Denis Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 11,535,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 3/06 in inorganic acid solutions , e.g. with acids generated in situ; in inorganic salt solutions other than ammonium salt solutions
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 3/10 Hydrochloric acid , other halogenated acids or salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 34/1204 preliminary treatment of ores or scrap to eliminate non- titanium constituents, e.g. iron, without attacking the titanium constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 34/22 Obtaining vanadium
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 5/10 by solid carbonaceous reducing agents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/20 Recycling

Abstract

A method (10) for preparing a leach feed material, the method (10) comprising the steps of:

• • passing an ore or concentrate containing vanadium and iron to a reduction step (12) to form a reduced ore or concentrate; and
  • passing the reduced ore or concentrate to a ferric leach step (14) to produce a ferric leachate containing iron and a ferric leach residue containing vanadium,
    wherein the ferric leach residue is suitable for use as the leach feed material for extracting and recovering vanadium.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a leach feed material, the method comprising the steps of:

passing an ore or concentrate containing vanadium and iron to a reduction step to form a reduced ore or concentrate; and

passing the reduced ore or concentrate to a ferric leach step to produce a ferric leachate containing iron and a ferric leach residue containing vanadium,

whereafter the ferric leach residue is used as a leach feed material for extracting and recovering vanadium.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ore or concentrate contains titanium in addition to vanadium and iron.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reduction step is conducted using:

a. a carbon reductant;

or

b. coke.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the concentration of coke, expressed as a ratio to the stoichiometric amount of carbon required for iron reduction, is between:

a. about 0.8 to 6.5;

or

b. about 0.8 to 1.2.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the stoichiometric ratio of carbon is 0.153 (mass of carbon:

mass of concentrate).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reduction step is conducted at a temperature range of between:

a. about 900°

C. to 1200°

C.;

or

b. about 1000°

C. to 1100°

C.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the residence time of the reduction step ranges between

a. about 1 to 3 hours;

or

b. about 2 hours.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reduction step is conducted using reformed natural gas.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the percentage of metallised iron in the reduced ore or concentrate is between about 50 to 100%.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ferric leach step is conducted with ferric chloride.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the concentration of ferric chloride ranges between:

a. about 20 to 40% w/w;

b. about 25 to 35% w/w;

or

c. about 35% w/w.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ferric leach step is conducted at a temperature ranging between:

a. about 25°

C. to 100°

C. under atmospheric pressure;

or

b. about 60°

C. to 80°

C. under atmospheric pressure.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the residence time of the ferric leach step ranges between:

a. about 1 to 5 hours;

or

b. about 1 to 3 hours.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein solids content during the ferric leach step ranges between:

a. about 5 to 20% w/w;

or

b. about 8 to 14% w/w.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

passing the ferric leach residue to a hydrochloric acid leach step to produce an acid leachate containing vanadium and an acid leach residue.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the acid leach residue contains titanium.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the concentration of HCl acid ranges between:

a. about 15% to 32% (w/w);

or

b. about 15% to 20%.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the acid leach step is conducted under atmospheric pressure at a temperature ranging between:

a. about 25°

C. to 100°

C.;

or

b. about 60°

C. to 80°

C.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the acid leach step conducted under pressure is conducted at a temperature ranging between:

a. about 120°

C. to 160°

C.;

or

b. about 140°

C. and 160°

C.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the residence time of the acid leach step conducted under atmospheric pressure ranges between:

a. about 0.5 to 10 hours;

or

b. about 6 and 8 hours.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the acid leach step conducted under pressure has a residence time ranging between:

a. about 0.5 to 4 hours;

or

b. about 0.5 to 2 hours.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein the solids content during the acid leach step ranges between:

a. about 10 to 30% w/w;

or

b. about 15 to 20% w/w.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the free acid concentration at the end of the acid leach step ranges between about 10 to 40 g/L.

17. (canceled)

25-39. -39. (canceled)