Abstract: A process for extracting scandium from titanium ore includes the steps of: feeding the titanium ore to a fluidized bed chlorinator at about 1000.degree. C. to produce a vaporous (generally titanium and possible iron chlorides) phase and a scandium-containing residue; and recovering the scandium from the residue.In one practice, the scandium is recovered by leaching the residue with aqueous acid (e.g. HCl) to produce a scandium-containing aqueous solution, followed by contacting the aqueous solution with a polyalkyl phosphate-containing organic phase, the polyalkyl phosphate (e.g. tributyl phosphate) extracting scandium into the organic phase, followed by scandium precipitation by an ammonium addition to produce a scandium hydroxide precipitate and the scandium hydroxide is calcined, whereby scandium is recovered as an oxide. The residue generally also contains yttrium and lanthanides, and the yttrium and lanthanides can also be recovered from the residue as a part of the scandium recovery process.

Abstract: This is a process for extracting scandium from zircon ore. It utilizes feeding zircon sand to a fluidized bed chlorinator at about 1000.degree. C. to produce a vaporous (principally zirconium and silicon chlorides) phase and a solid residue and recovering scandium from the solid residue. Surprisingly, despite the relatively low sublimation temperature of scandium chloride the very low level of scandium present in zircon ore is concentrated in the residue (rather than going with the vapor phase, where it would not be concentrated), making recovery of scandium from the zircon ore economically feasible. Generally, the process can be part of the production of zirconium metal, whereby scandium is a byproduct of zirconium production. Preferably, the recovery is performed by leaching the residue with aqueous acid (e.g. HCl) to produce a scandium-containing aqueous solution, followed by contacting the aqueous solution with a polyalkyl phosphate-containing organic phase, the polyalkyl phosphate (e.g.

Abstract: This is an improvement to a process for making zirconium metal from uranium-containing zircon ore. The process being improved is of the type which utilizes a fluidized bed carbochlorination process of the zircon ore in which uranium chloride is volatilized at the ore chlorinator temperature and follows as an impurity in the zirconium-hafnium tetrachloride stream, and in which removal of iron impurities is performed by liquid-liquid iron extraction with methyl isobutyl ketone, and the zirconium-hafnium stream is further processed by a separations step to reduce the hafnium content to low levels by liquid-liquid hafnium extraction. The improvement comprises adding 1-9 weight percent quaternary ammonium halide (e.g. tricaprylmethylammonium chloride) to the methyl isobutyl ketone in the liquid-liquid iron extraction.