Alkaline melting enhancement transformation process for low grade beryllium ore: Beryllium migration and efficient leaching

With global demand for high performance materials continues to rise, the significance of beryllium as a critical material will become increasingly pronounced, making the stability of its resource supply a pressing concern. How to efficiently develop low-grade beryllium ore has become a key challenge for beryllium resource management. This study proposes an alkaline melting enhancement process to facilitate the efficient leaching of beryllium from low-grade beryllium ore. Experimental results demonstrate that the direct sulfuric acid curing leaching of beryl yields suboptimal results, with a maximum leaching efficiency of 33.5 %. At 1500 °C, Al 2 Be 3 Si 6 O 18 decomposes into Be 2 SiO 4 , Al 2 BeO 4 , and SiO 2 , resulting in a leaching efficiency increase to 61.67 %. Inadequate CaO addition during the alkaline melting process results in the formation of SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 -CaO, SiO 2 , and partial BeO, while the remaining Be is included in the glass phase. The optimal conditions for the alkaline melting of beryl are 1300 °C for 2 h with a 35 % CaO addition. Under these conditions, the leaching efficiency of Be can reach 97.02 %. This method enables the efficient extraction of Be from low-grade beryllium ore, providing both theoretical support and technical guidance for the sustainable development and efficient utilization of beryllium resources.