Beryllium Production
Beryllium Production
Beryllium isolation from minerals (mostly from the beryl) is a several stages process. The most important issue is to separate beryllium from accompanying aluminium, with similar properties. One of the ways is alloying beryl with sodium fluorosilicate Na2SiF6.
As a result cryolite Na3AlF6, a very poorly water solvable compound is synthesized as well as sodium fluoroberyllate Na2[BeF4]. After that water leaching is applied. For more thorough beryllium-aluminium separation the isolated solution is treated by ammonium carbonate.
Another method of beryllium purification is based on that the beryllium oxyacetate differs from aluminum oxyacetate in molecular structure and sublime rate.
Another way is also known during which beryl is reacted with concentrated sulfur acid at 300°C and then the sinter is leached by water. Beryllium and aluminium sulfates get into the solution. After adding potassium sulfate K2SO4 aluminium may be separated as alum KAl(SO4)2x12H2O. The further purification is the same as in the previous method.