Direct determination of landthanides, yttrium and scandium in bauxites and red mud from alumina production

✍ Scribed by M. Ochsenkühn-Petropulu; Th. Lyberopulu; G. Parissakis

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 726 KB
• Volume: 296
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2670
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2670(94)80250-5

✦ Synopsis

An analytical procedure for the rapid, accurate and reproducible determination of lanthanides, yttrium and scandium in iron-altinium rich matrices as bauxites and red mud from alumina production was developed. After a suitable dissolution, the samples were directly analysed for these elements by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), without using any separation or preconcentration step. Some of the investigated elements were also directly determined in the solid samples by x-ray fluorescence analysis (XRP). The optimum conditions and analytical wavelengths were selected by both methods for each investigated element, after detailed studying of the spectral interferences from the major elements from the matrix and the interlanthanide-interferences. In the unique reference bauxitic material BX-N, for which only some proposed values exist, the concentration of nearly all lanthanides, yttrium and scandium Sc could be determined. The precision and accuracy of the described ICP-AES and XRP methods for these elements were tested on the geological standard materials SY-2, SY-3 (Canadian syenites) and the proposed values of BX-N. In this study the enrichment factor of the above mentioned elements in red mud were also determined in comparison to the feed bauxites and the constancy of the concentration level in productions samples, followed up over three years. The obtained results for the lanthanides were evaluated on the basis of chondrite normalized distribution patterns.