Investigation and Kinetic Analysis of Rare Earth Elements Leaching: Case Study of the Weathering Crust of the Kundybay Deposit (Northern Kazakhstan)

Tokpayev R. Khavaza T. Ibraimov Z. Zhaksybay B. Ciorita A. Kishibayev K. Zlobina E. Nauryzbayev M.
May 2025 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Minerals
2025 #15 Issue 5

The study investigates the process of intensifying rare earth elements (REEs) group uncovering from the Kundybay deposit (Northern Kazakhstan). Currently, there is no interest in extracting REEs because the ore lying beneath is significantly richer in both rare elements and REEs. However, this type of raw material is a potential source of REEs. The total content of all REEs in the weathering crust is 372.7 ppm; of these, 82.6% are Sc, Y, La, Ce, and Nd, which are present in the form of complex salts and native minerals. In order to find the optimal REE group leaching mode, the influence of the L/S ratio, temperature, acid concentration in the leaching solution, leaching kinetics, and the influence of adding HF and Na₂S₂O₅ on process efficiency were studied. The optimal conditions for REE leaching are as follows: L/S-20, T = 70 °C, t = 180 min. The maximum REE extraction yields, %: Sc-70.84; Y-90.2; La-99.8; Ce-99.24; Nd-97.98. The leaching process kinetic study results show that the process is managed by two steps. The activation energy differences for Sc, Y, La, Ce, and Nd, kJ/mol: 26.19, 23.83, 29.18, 11.15, and 15.13 allow to conclude that REEs in the Kundybay deposit weathering crust are in different forms.

Kundybay deposit , REE leaching , weathering crust ore

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Center of Physico-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Cellular Nanoscience Laboratory, Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tübingen, 32 Auf der Morgenstelle, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
Integrated Electron Microscopy Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development for Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, Cluj-Napoca, 400293, Romania

Center of Physico-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis
Cellular Nanoscience Laboratory
Integrated Electron Microscopy Laboratory

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