SEPARATION OF RARE EARTH METAL

PURPOSE:To separate and recover rare earth metals in good yields by adsorbing the rare earth metals on ion exchange fibers having powerful cationic exchange membranes and weak cationic exchange membranes and fractionating and eluting the rare earth metals with a chelating agent at a specific rate of elution. CONSTITUTION:Rare earth metals are adsorbed by using ion exchange fibers having respectively >= about 1.0meq/g ion exchange capacities of powerful cationic exchange groups and weak cationic exchange groups and contg. the powerful cationic exchange groups and the weak cationic exchange groups at 5:1- 1:1 molar ratio. The concon. of the soln. of the rare earth metals is kept at about 10-30g/l and the pH at about 0.5-3.0. Then the rare earth metals are fractionated and eluted at >=5.0, more preferably >=8.0 rate of elutaion by using an ag. soln, of chelating agent. It is preferable to use an ag. soln. of about 0.5-3% concn. and about 7-9pH for the chelating agent. Thus the rare earth metals are separated quickly in good yields with simple operations.