Du Pont of Canada Limited

Hans Peter Kasserra

Stephen Peter Beaton

Denis Bertram Kelly

Isaac Obadia

A process is provided for the manufacture of a tungstate salt, especially ammonium tungstate. The process comprises treating finely divided metallic tungsten and/or intermetallic iron/tungsten species with an aqueous solution in the presence of an oxidizing agent, such as oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. The solution contains cations which are ammonium and/or alkali-metal ions and anions which are hydroxide, carbonate and/or bicarbonate ions. The finely divided material generally contains no more than impurity quantities of alkaline earth metals. The process is useful in deriving tungsten values from wolframite ores, which are reduced prior to the aqueous treatment.

Process for the manufacture of ammonium and alkali metal tungstates

A process is provided for extracting tungsten values from tungsten compositions. The process comprises treating a tri (alkaline earth metal) tungstate, especially tricalcium tungstate, at a temperature of preferably no greater than 50.degree. C. with a aqueous solution of hydrochloric and/or nitric acid, preferably having a concentration of no greater than 5 molar. The acid is supplied in excess of te stoichiometric amount required to convert the tungstate to tungstic acid and sufficient to maintain the thusly formed tungstic acid insoluble in the solution. The tungstic acid can then be separated from the solution and converted to soluble ammonium tungstate, which in turn can be converted into tungsten trioxide and finally into metallic tungsten. The tri (alkaline earth metal) tungstate starting material can be prepared from iron tungstate, manganese tungstate, and/or an alkaline earth metal tungstate or from ores or concentrates of these tungstates, by a high temperature treatment with calcium oxide. The tungsten values can be obtained with good yields and low levels of impurities.

Treatment of tri(alkaline earth metal) tungstates with acids

A process is provided for treating tri (alkaline earth metals) tungstates with an aqueous solution containing cations selected from ammonium, sodium and potassium ions and mixtures thereof, and anions selected from hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate, and phosphate ions and mixtures thereof, to form a tungstate salt which is soluble in the solution and an alkaline earth metal compound which is insoluble in the solution. The tri (alkaline earth metal) tungstate can be prepared from iron tungstate, manganese tungstate, and/or an alkaline earth metal tungstate or from ores or concentrates of these tungstates, by a high temperature treatment with an alkaline earth metal donor compound, such as calcium oxide. A preferred soluble tungstate is ammonium tungstate, which can be further processed to yield tungsten trioxide and/or tungsten.

Leaching of tungsten values from tri (alkaline earth metal) tungstate

A process is provided for preparing ammonium tungstate. In the process, a reduced calcium tungstate is treated in the presence of an oxidizing agent with an aqueous solution having at least ammonium cations and carbonate and/or bicarbonate anions, at a temperature of 10.degree. C to the boiling point of the solution. The reduced calcium tungstate reacts with the ammonium cations to form the ammonium tungstate which is soluble in the solution and with the anions to form a calcium compound which is insoluble in the solution. Oxygen and/or hydrogen peroxide are preferred oxidizing agents. The process is especially useful in separating tungsten values from scheelite ores or concentrates.

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Brockville, Canada

Hans Peter Kasserra