The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 13, 1978
Filed:
Jun. 01, 1977
Thomas L Charlton, Rossland, CA;
Robert F Redden, Fruitvale, CA;
Cominco Ltd., Vancouver, CA;
Abstract
A process is described for the recovery of gallium from scrap materials in which the gallium occurs as gallium compounds containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, arsenic and phosphorus. The process comprises the steps of leaching said gallium compounds with an oxidizing agent selected from nitric acid and a combination of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide to form a gallium-containing leach solution, forming a gallate solution from said gallium-containing solution, and recovering gallium from said gallate solution. The leach solution can be treated with a calcium compound chosen from the group consisting of lime and calcium hydroxide for precipitation of calcium arsenate and calcium phosphate. An alkaline material such as sodium hydroxide may then be added to said leach solution in an amount sufficient to raise the pH to a value of at least 11 to form gallate solution. Gallium metal preferably is recovered from said gallate solution by electrolysis. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION