Electroflotation Recovery of Poorly Soluble Lanthanum Compounds from Highly Concentrated Salt Systems

Electroflotation of poorly soluble lanthanum compounds from model solutions simulating with high accuracy highly concentrated industrial salt systems was studied. The influence of various kinds of microadditives (flocculants and surfactants; cationic, anionic, and nonionic) on the efficiency of the recovery of lanthanum compounds from highly concentrated salt solutions was examined. For each supporting electrolyte (chloride, carbonate, sulfate, oxalate, nitrate), additives intensifying the process and enhancing its efficiency were found. The mean size and zeta-potentials of the dispersed phase particles were measured to account for the degrees of recovery reached in lanthanum electroflotation. A design of an installation for lanthanum recovery, allowing solution processing on the commercial scale, was suggested.