Leaching of lanthanides from Belitung silica sand using nitric acid

A process of leaching of lanthanides from Belitung silica sand using nitric acid is reported. The research was carried out on several main stages consisting of the pre-treatment, solid-liquid extraction (leaching) with a nitric acid, and lanthanide precipitation using sodium sulphate and sodium phosphate. Concentration of nitric acid as solvent was varied at 2, 3 and 5 M, temperature extraction also varied from 25 to 60°C at different extraction times in 30 and 60 minutes. The lanthanide contents were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). It was found that cerium (1.904 ppm) is preferentially extracted over lanthanum (0.535 ppm), neodymium (0.141 ppm) and yttrium (0.027 ppm), with the greatest leaching occurring when the nitric acid (5 M) at temperature of 60°C and extraction time at the 30 minutes. The results suggest that a nitric acid as leaching agent has a role for the extraction of lanthanides from Belitung silica sand.