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Volume 117
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Efficient and clean extraction and separation of rubidium from low-grade rubidium ore via stepwise acid treatment and crystallization
Xiang Li a b 1, Konghai Xia a b 1, Hui Yang a b, Yubo Liu a b, Baozhong Ma a b *, Yongqiang Chen a b, Chengyan Wang a b
a State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
b School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
10.1016/j.partic.2026.07.005
Volume 117, October 2026, Pages 17-28
Received 4 May 2026, Revised 7 July 2026, Accepted 9 July 2026, Available online 17 July 2026, Version of Record 22 July 2026.
E-mail: bzhma_ustb@yeah.net
Highlights

• A novel process was proposed for efficient extraction from low-grade rubidium ore.

• The pickling process enhanced extraction efficiency and reduced waste generation.

• A simple low-temperature sulfidation process enables transformation of Rb-containing phase.

• The leaching residue was able to prepare high-purity silicon products.


Abstract

Rubidium is an important strategic metal. In this study, rubidium was efficiently extracted and separated from low-grade rubidium ore via stepwise acid leaching and crystallization. The main phase composition of low-grade rubidium ore was determined as muscovite, calcite, and quartz. This paper adopted hydrochloric acid pickling to remove calcium, and then extracted the valuable elements by sulfation-water leaching. The removal of calcium reached 99.3% under the optimum pickling conditions of 70 °C, 0.5 mol/L HCl, 1.5 h, and 2 mL/g Liquid-solid (L/S) ratio. The average particle size of low-grade rubidium after pickling was decreased from 5.74 μm to 4.84 μm. Compared with direct sulfation, the process combined with pickling and sulfation could increase the extraction of rubidium by around 10%. The production of CaSO4 waste residues was avoided. The systematic sulfation and water leaching experiments indicated that the extraction of rubidium reached 85.4% under the optimal conditions. However, 92.8% of aluminum and 87.1% of potassium were also extracted simultaneously. Subsequently, the preliminary separation of rubidium and potassium could be achieved by crystallization, which laid the foundation for the subsequent preparation of high-purity rubidium products. The content of SiO2 in leaching residue reached 94.4%.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Rubidium; Low-grade rubidium ore; Stepwise acid treatment; Crystallization; Extraction
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