Preparation of Pure Nb2O5 from Gabal El-Faliq Pegmatite, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

The present work is concerned with selective dissolution of niobium from Gabal El Faliq concentrate sample by using fluoride-free process. The chemical analysis of concentrate sample revealed the presence of high amount of ZrO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , Re 2 O 3 , and HfO 2 assaying 33.6, 1.99, 4.8, and 1.2%w/w respectively. Several economic minerals including zircon, samarskite, fergusonite, and xenotime were recorded in the studied sample. About 98% of Nb content was selectively dissolved at the optimum conditions of 1:2 concentrate sample: KOH weight ratio, 2.5 h fusion time, and fusion temperature of 550 °C. Organic solvent extraction process using Aliquat 336S in xylene was effectively used for preparing pure Nb 2 O 5 (98.95%).