Scandium

[Lino1406]

Did anyone notice this 1st transition metal, paramagnetic, 0.2% addition of which strenghtens/hardens Al-Mg alloy by 50-150%. Seems interesting to define a process for extracting it from ore.

 

[g_axelsson]

Have you considered the rarity of this metal? It is extracted in a few mines as a byproduct of other rare earth metals or uranium ores. The total world market is about 10-20 tons per year.

I actually have three samples of thortveitite, a scandium mineral, in my mineral collection. The largest sample comes from a mine in Southern Norway that was operating 50-60 years ago. It was the only mine in the world where the main product was scandium. Today all scandium is extracted as byproducts.

But from an academic standpoint it would be fun to learn some more about scandium chemistry.

Göran

 

[Lino1406]

Annual consumption and price are comparable to rarest pm's. I think precisely as a by product of pm's (in high volcanic activity areas) it is most interesting, giving a high added value

 

[Lou]

We occasionally see scandium oxide here with the request to make it into scandium fluoride.

The extraction chemistry of scandium is fairly involved!

 

[g_axelsson]

I dug a bit deeper into scandium mining and found a couple of interesting articles.

In no direct order...

Scandium: Ore deposits, the pivotal role of magmatic enrichment and future exploration
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103906
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347452090_Scandium_Ore_deposits_the_pivotal_role_of_magmatic_enrichment_and_future_exploration

Scandium Data Sheet - Mineral Commodity ... - USGS.gov
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2020/mcs2020-scandium.pdf

Concentration and Separation of Scandium from Ni Laterite Ore Processing Streams
https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/metals/metals-07-00557/article_deploy/metals-07-00557.pdf

SCALE: An Emerging Project for European Scandium Supply (recycling)
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bengi-Yagmurlu-2/publication/326266029_SCALE_An_Emerging_Project_for_European_Scandium_Supply/links/5b4335b3458515f71cb59988/SCALE-An-Emerging-Project-for-European-Scandium-Supply.pdf?origin=publication_detail

Xu, S.; Li, S. Review of the extractive metallurgy of scandium in China. Hydrometallurgy 1996
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-386X(95)00086-V

Method for extracting and recycling scandium in waste acid in titanium white production
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN103060581A/en

Göran

 

[Yggdrasil]

There is a quite rich deposit in northern Norway.
Alta or Kautokeino area, I read an article about it some 30 years ago.
The deposit makes the most of a "mountain" and would support the worlds currrent need
(30 years ago) for hundreds of years.
The yearly world production at that time was estimated to the size of a suitcase, not very precise
but it was in a newspaper and they tend to popularize things.
But what the article also mentioned was the difficulties extracting and purifying it.
I guess there is better knowledge today.
And if the price goes sufficiently up, maybe it will be mined.
Unless the operation will become too dirty and polluting, that is.

 

[pgms]

Is there a method to extract Sc or Sc2O3 from AlSc alloys?

 

[Yggdrasil]

Is there a method to extract Sc or Sc2O3 from AlSc alloys?

Welcome to your first post by the way.
There are always methods, if they are economical or even feasible in a small or hobby setup that is a different story all together.

 

[Lino1406]

Is there a method to extract Sc or Sc2O3 from AlSc alloys?

Scandium is useful in 0.2%-0.3% concentration in aluminum. They are similar chemically. To control the ratio, special solvents extraction is used on the sulfate solution, then precipitation of sodium scandium flouride, which is added to aluminum oxide electrolysis

 

[pgms]

Thanks.
There are much higher concentrations (5-30% atomic Sc in AlSc alloys) used in the thin film industry for piezoelectric applications. The issue is recovering the Sc post alloy in excess material from manufacturing and "spent" sputtering targets, or having an alternate outlet for that material.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Don’t they have protocols for recycling their waste?
And reclaiming their expensive raw materials?

 

[Lino1406]

Thanks.
There are much higher concentrations (5-30% atomic Sc in AlSc alloys) used in the thin film industry for piezoelectric applications. The issue is recovering the Sc post alloy in excess material from manufacturing and "spent" sputtering targets, or having an alternate outlet for that material.

Recovery of scandium
Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid or
D2EHPA, 10% solution in kerosene is used for selective extraction of scandium sulphate solution, then precipitating with NaF as Na3ScCl6

 

[fishaholic5]

There are large deposits of it here too.
The major issue with rarer metals is the limited market for most of them. They can often be very hard to sell, especially in smaller amounts.

Cheers Wal

 

[duke]

Scandium is useful in 0.2%-0.3% concentration in aluminum. They are similar chemically. To control the ratio, special solvents extraction is used on the sulfate solution, then precipitation of sodium scandium flouride, which is added to aluminum oxide electrolysis

Ppp

 

[Yggdrasil]

Ppp

So this is your first contribution to the forum?
You have been here since 2008 and obviously don't mind the rules much.

We do not use abbreviations and slang since it don't translate well.

I'm just taking a guess here, you have not studied much either.
So here is some work for you.

1. Read C.M. Hokes book on refining jewelers scrap, it gives an easy introduction to the most important chemistry regarding refining.
It is free here on the forum: Screen Readable Copy of Hoke's Book
2. Then read the safety section of the forum: Safety
3. And then read about "Dealing with waste" in the forum: Dealing with Waste

Suggested reading: The Library

 

[pgms]

Don’t they have protocols for recycling their waste?
And reclaiming their expensive raw materials?

Yes, that is usually the case. However, recovering Sc, actually just obtaining a stable in spec. supply of high purity distilled Sc metal is challenging (Russia or China); let alone developing the chemistry to recover it. Manufacturers aren't necessarily refining experts, and this is a relatively new alloy to the industry. Recycling in spec. material can be done by using it as remelt material. But, out of spec material (high oxygen, off-comp), etc. requires refining. In the < 20% Sc alloys there is also a segregation issue during cooling. See phase diagram. So you may have material where the sweet spot %-wise of Sc was used, and the remainder cannot be used due to the gradient of Sc through the material.

 

[pgms]

Recovery of scandium
Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid or
D2EHPA, 10% solution in kerosene is used for selective extraction of scandium sulphate solution, then precipitating with NaF as Na3ScCl6

The Sc is in the alloy as Al3Sc embedded in Al matrix in the majority of the alloys. Considering that is the above still viable? Apologies, I'm not a chemist by training.

 

[Lino1406]

The Sc is in the alloy as Al3Sc embedded in Al matrix in the majority of the alloys. Considering that is the above still viable? Apologies, I'm not a chemist by training.

Google for Recovery of scandium from synthetic red mud leach solution by solvent extraction with D2EHPA, Apr 19, 2013. It claims high selectivity for scandium over other metals including aluminum in dilute sulfuric solution

 

[pgms]

Thank you!

 

[Xing]

Is there a method to extract Sc or Sc2O3 from AlSc alloys?

In China, they recovery the alloy or waste materials by HCL leaching and solvent extraction and they precipitate by Sc2O3, then it is transfered to ScF3 and reduction by Ca to metallic Sc. now the AlSc targets is very popular in the electronic industry.