Heavy Liquids for the Separation of Minerals: Their Preparation, Properties, and Uses

François Cardarelli

Mar 2025 · Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc.

About this ebook

This monograph is primarily intended to describe the main physical and chemical properties of heavy organic liquids (e.g., bromoform, tetrabromoethane, diiodomethane), dense aqueous solutions of inorganic salts (e.g., halides, sulfates, nitrates, perchlorates, formates, molybdates, tungstates, tantalates, polyoxometalates, metatungstates, polytungstates, heteropolytungstates, perrhenates, etc.) and heavy suspensions used in mineralogy, metallurgy, and chemistry for the separation by gravity of minerals, metallic ores, graphite, coal macerals, fossils, diamonds and gemstones along with plastics, glass, ceramics and other synthetic materials. Moreover, dense solutions of cesium and rubidium salts used in biology for the separation of nucleic acids, and other biological molecules of interest by centrifugation using density gradients are also described.

For several heavy liquids, it provides a detailed description of the laboratory methods, and industrial processes utilized for their preparation along with the most efficient recovery and recycling techniques. Moreover, when available the occupational health and safety information for toxic and hazardous chemicals used as heavy liquids is provided to ensure safe practices in the work place.

Finally, their potential utilization in others fields such as X-ray and radiography contrast agents, radiation shielding agents, non-destructive testing, "water-in-salt" electrolytes used in energy storage applications, oil drilling fluids, ballasts and counterweights due to their high density are described.

The information has been presented in such a form that mineralogists, chemists, geologists, paleontologists, biologists, metallurgists, mineral processing engineers, scientists, professors, and technologists will have access to relevant scientific and technical information supported by key data gathered from several disseminated sources.

The following topics are covered:

•      Dense media separation of minerals and ores by the sink-float method, elutriation, centrifugation and density gradients;

•      Heavy halogenated organic solvents;

•      Dense aqueous solutions of inorganic salts;

•      Dense salts in non-aqueous solvents;

•     Deuterated solvents and solutions;

•      Dense molten salts and eutectics;

•      Suspensions of heavy solids;

•      Liquid metals and low melting point alloys;

•      Non-conventional heavy liquids;

•      Other uses;

•      Appendices;

•     Bibliography.

About the author

Dr. François Cardarelli, President and Owner of the Canadian company Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc., is an industrial chemist with a strong physical-chemistry background and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University Paul Sabatier (UPS) Toulouse III. He is the inventor and co-inventor of 16 patents, and the sole author of three reference handbooks published worldwide by Springer since 1996 and three professional monographs.

He has over 35 years of industrial experience in North America and Europe in developing electrochemical, chemical, and metallurgical processes for winning, refining or producing a variety of metals, alloys, and inorganic chemicals either from aqueous solutions or molten salts media.

A particular area of his professional expertise is the chemical, and electrochemical processing of mining residues, metallurgical wastes, and industrial effluents, the manufacture of industrial electrodes, the electrochemical production of vanadium electrolyte, the pyro- and hydrometallurgical production of vanadium, niobium, tantalum, and tungsten compounds and chemicals, and finally the manufacture of novel industrial materials. All these processes are covered by patents enforced in many jurisdictions.

Dr. François Cardarelli is a member in good standing of the following professional organizations and societies: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)[Lifetime member], American Chemical Society (ACS), Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), The Electrochemical Society (ECS), Mineralogical Society of America (MSA), Ordre des Chimistes du Québec (OCQ), The Oughtred Society (OS), and The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS).