Background
Rare earth elements are known as industrial vitamins, have irreplaceable excellent magnetic, optical and electrical properties, and play a great role in improving product performance, increasing product varieties and improving production efficiency. Because of large action and small dosage of rare earth, the rare earth has become an important element for improving the product structure, improving the technological content and promoting the technical progress of the industry, and is widely applied to the fields of metallurgy, military, petrochemical industry, glass ceramics, agriculture, new materials and the like.
The rare earth carbonate is an intermediate raw material for preparing various rare earth products, has wide application and plays an extremely important role. The rare earth carbonate can be prepared by adding a precipitator into single or mixed rare earth chloride feed liquid, rare earth sulfate feed liquid or rare earth nitrate feed liquid obtained by extraction and separation. To prevent the precipitant from caking, it is common to add to the precipitant an amount of surfactant, for example: alkyl sulfonyl chlorides, ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonates, and the like. When the rare earth carbonate product is prepared, the surfactant added into the precipitator is adsorbed to the surface of the rare earth carbonate crystal grains, so that the oil content in the rare earth carbonate crystal grains is increased, the washing removal of impurities carried by the rare earth carbonate is hindered, and the surfactant can also increase the content of other impurities, so that the purity of the prepared rare earth carbonate is not high.
Chinese patent application No. 201010241210.1 discloses a method of filtering a precipitant to remove oil by placing the precipitant in a filter tank containing an adsorbent. The adsorbent is one of active carbon, plant ash or rice husk ash. Chinese patent application No. 201711027536.2 discloses a method of removing oil from a precipitant by passing it through a fiber ball. Chinese patent application No. 201010521690.7 discloses a method for preparing oil-free rare earth carbonate by flowing ammonium bicarbonate solution through a head tank into a chemical fiber filter column to remove oil contained in ammonium bicarbonate. Chinese patent application No. 201811342456.0 discloses an impurity and oil removing device for ammonium bicarbonate solution, in which a fiber ball filter is also used to remove oil from the ammonium bicarbonate solution. The above methods can only remove oil which is not easy to dissolve in water, but ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate which is easy to dissolve in water can not be completely removed by the above methods, so that the content of ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate impurities in the precipitating agent can not be effectively reduced.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for removing ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate from a carbonate precipitant for rare earth, which is convenient to operate and can effectively remove ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate impurities. The invention further aims to provide a method for removing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate from a carbonate precipitator for rare earth, wherein an adsorption material can be recycled, and industrial production is facilitated.
The invention provides a method for removing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate from a carbonate precipitator for rare earth, which comprises the following steps: forming an aqueous solution containing a carbonate precipitant for the rare earth, the aqueous solution containing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate; enabling the aqueous solution to pass through a resin column filled with a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer at a flow rate of 30-80L/h, so as to remove ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution;
wherein, the carbonate precipitant for rare earth is ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate; the alkyl group of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate contains 5-25 carbon atoms.
According to the method, the concentration of the carbonate precipitating agent for the rare earth in the aqueous solution is preferably 1-6 mol/L.
According to the method, preferably, the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution accounts for 0.005-0.05 wt% of the weight of the carbonate precipitating agent for the rare earth.
According to the method, preferably, the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution accounts for 0.005-0.03 wt% of the weight of the carbonate precipitating agent for the rare earth.
According to the method of the present invention, preferably, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a specific surface area of not less than 900m2(ii)/g, and the phenol absorption amount is 70mg/ml or more.
According to the method of the present invention, preferably, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a wet apparent density of 0.50 to 0.90g/ml and a wet true density of 1.00 to 1.50 g/ml.
According to the method of the present invention, it is preferable that the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer is a resin particle having a particle diameter ranging from 0.2mm to 2.00mm containing 85% to 100%.
According to the method of the present invention, the ratio of the diameter to the height of the resin column is preferably 1:5 to 17.
According to the preparation method of the invention, the flow rate of the aqueous solution is preferably 30-50L/h.
According to the preparation method of the invention, the flow rate of the aqueous solution is preferably 30-40L/h.
The method adopts the styrene-divinylbenzene cross-linked copolymer to remove the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the carbonate precipitator for the rare earth, can effectively reduce the content of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the carbonate precipitator for the rare earth, and has convenient operation and good removal effect. The resin is used as the adsorption material, so that the regeneration and the reutilization of the adsorption material are conveniently realized, and the industrial production is facilitated. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a specific surface area of not less than 900m2The phenol absorption amount is more than or equal to 70mg/ml, the adsorption capacity of the crosslinked styrene-divinylbenzene polymer can be ensured, and the removal effect of ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the carbonate precipitator for rare earth is enhanced.
Detailed Description
The present invention will be further described with reference to the following specific examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.
The carbonate precipitant for rare earth is used for preparing rare earth carbonate. The method for removing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate from the carbonate precipitant for rare earth comprises the following steps: forming an aqueous solution containing a carbonate precipitant for the rare earth, the aqueous solution containing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate; passing the aqueous solution through a resin column packed with a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer to remove ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate from the aqueous solution.
In the invention, the carbonate precipitant for rare earth is selected from one or more of ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the carbonate-based precipitant for rare earth is ammonium bicarbonate.
In the present invention, the alkyl group of ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate contains 5 to 25 carbon atoms. In certain embodiments, the alkyl group of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate contains 10 to 15 carbon atoms; preferably 10 to 12 carbon atoms. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate may be ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.
In the invention, the concentration of the carbonate precipitant for rare earth in the aqueous solution is 1-6 mol/L. In some embodiments, the concentration of the carbonate precipitant for the rare earth in the aqueous solution is 2-5 mol/L; preferably 2.5 to 3.5 mol/L. Thus, the effect of removing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the carbonate precipitant for rare earth can be ensured.
In the invention, ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution accounts for 0.005-0.05 wt% of the weight of the carbonate precipitant for the rare earth. In certain embodiments, the ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution is 0.005 to 0.03 weight percent of the carbonate based precipitant for the rare earth; preferably 0.005 to 0.01 wt%. This can improve the effect of removing ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate.
In the present invention, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer can be obtained by a conventional method. For example, styrene and divinylbenzene are subjected to suspension polymerization to obtain a crosslinked styrene-divinylbenzene polymer. The crosslinked styrene-divinylbenzene polymer of the present invention is not limited to one obtained by suspension polymerization, but may be obtained by a conventional method such as solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and the like.
In the present invention, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a specific surface area of not less than 900m2(ii)/g, and the phenol absorption amount is 70mg/ml or more. In certain embodiments, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a specific surface area of not less than 1000m2A/g, preferably not less than 1200m2(ii) in terms of/g. In certain embodiments, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a phenolic absorption of 80mg/ml or greater; preferably greater than or equal to 90 mg/ml. Thus, the adsorption capacity of the polymer can be ensured, and a better removal effect can be achieved.
In the present invention, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a wet apparent density of 0.50 to 0.90g/ml and a wet true density of 1.00 to 1.50 g/ml. In certain embodiments, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a wet apparent density of 0.60 to 0.80g/ml, preferably 0.65 to 0.75 g/ml. In certain embodiments, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer has a wet bulk density of 1.00 to 1.30g/ml, preferably 1.05 to 1.15 g/ml. Thus, the adsorption capacity of the polymer can be ensured, and a better removal effect can be achieved.
In the present invention, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer is a resin particle containing 85 to 100% of particles having a diameter in the range of 0.2 to 2.00 mm. In certain embodiments, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer is a resin particle having a particle diameter ranging from 0.4 to 1.25mm containing 90 to 100%. Preferably, the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer is a resin particle having a particle diameter of 0.4 to 1.25mm in a range of 95 to 100%. The granular resin has more uniform pore size, is beneficial to desorbing the adsorbed organic matters in the granular resin so as to complete the regeneration and the reutilization of the resin, and can ensure the effect of removing the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the carbonate precipitator for the rare earth.
In the invention, the ratio of the diameter to the height of the resin column is 1: 5-17. In some embodiments, the resin column has a diameter to height ratio of 1:6 to 15; preferably, the ratio of the diameter to the height of the resin column is 1:7 to 12. According to one embodiment of the invention, the ratio of the diameter to the height of the resin column is 1: 10. Thus, the adsorption rate can be ensured, and the resin can be fully utilized to reach the maximum adsorption capacity.
In the invention, rare earth is treated by a resin column filled with a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer by using a carbonate precipitant aqueous solution according to the flow rate of 30-80L/h. In some embodiments, the flow rate of the carbonate precipitant aqueous solution for rare earth is 30 to 50L/h. According to one embodiment of the invention, the flow rate of the carbonate precipitant aqueous solution for rare earth is 30-40L/h. Therefore, the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution can be fully adsorbed and diffused, and the removal efficiency of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate in the aqueous solution can be ensured.
See the following table for the properties of the styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymers used in the examples below.
TABLE 1
The ammonium alkylbenzene sulfonate content in the aqueous solutions of carbonate-based precipitants for rare earth in the following examples was measured by the following method:
two-phase titration method: the content of ammonium dodecylbenzenesulfonate was determined by two-phase titration using a mixture of thymol blue-methylene blue as an indicator and methylene chloride as a solvent.
Example 1
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate accounts for 0.01 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 2.5mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 50L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Example 2
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate is 0.005 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 50L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Example 3
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate accounts for 0.03 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3.5mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 50L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Example 4
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate is 0.02 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3.5mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 30L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Example 5
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate accounts for 0.03 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3.5mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 70L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Comparative example 1
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate accounts for 0.03 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 90L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
Comparative example 2
Solid ammonium bicarbonate (ammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate accounts for 0.07 wt% of the weight of the ammonium bicarbonate) is dissolved in water, impurities which are not dissolved in the water are removed by filtration, and an ammonium bicarbonate solution with the ammonium bicarbonate concentration of 3mol/L is obtained. The ammonium bicarbonate solution was passed through a styrene-divinylbenzene crosslinked copolymer-filled resin column at room temperature. The flow rate was 50L/h, and the diameter of the resin column was 0.3 m and the height was 3 m. The properties of the ammonium bicarbonate solution after removal of the ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonate are shown in table 2.
TABLE 2
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and any variations, modifications, and substitutions which may occur to those skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.