Concentrating rare earth elements in brown coal humic acids by mechanochemical treatment

Coals are now viewed as a promising source of rare earth elements increasingly often. Rare earth elements (REE) are known to occur both in the organic and mineral components of brown coals. This study aims at investigating the applicability of mechanochemical activation for concentrating rare earth elements (including Sc, Y, La and lanthanides) in different brown coal fractions. Mechanochemical activation of brown coal in the absence of reagents, as well as additives of sodium percarbonate, monosodium phosphate, and sodium chloride, was carried out. Mechanochemical activation does not cause degradation of humic acid–REE complexes contained in pristine coal. The REE concentration process in the samples of mechanochemically activated coal can be attributed both to formation of new oxygen-containing groups in humic acids (HA) and to binding of REEs to oxygen-containing groups already contained in coal due to vigorous solid-phase mechanical mixing. A method for mechanochemical activation of coal, which allows one to transfer up to 93 ± 7% REEs into the organic alkali-soluble fraction – the HA fraction (while HA in the pristine coal contain only 38 ± 3% REE) – has been developed. The estimated total concentration of REEs in pristine coal ash is 8000 ppm. The estimated REE content in the ash of the product (HA fraction) is as high as 17 300 ppm. Concentrations of Ce, Nd and Y in the ash of the product are 6000 ppm, 4200 ppm and 2500 ppm, respectively.