Process for producing basic beryllium material of high purity

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A BASIC BERYLLIUM MATERIAL OF HIGH PURITY FROM AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION HAVING BERYLLIUM CONTENT AND COMPRISING: (A) CONTACTING THE BERYLLIUMCONTAINING SOLUTION WITH AN ORGANIC EXTRACTANT SOLUTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE WATER-IMMISCIBLE ORGANIC SOLUTION AND A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYL ACID PHOSPHATES, SALTS OF ALKYL ACID PHOSPHATES, AND MIXTURES OF SAID PHOSPHATES AND SALTS TO EXTRACT THE BERYLLIUM CONTENT AND METAL IMPURITIES, (B) SUBJECTING THE EXTRACTANT SOLUTION, WITH THE BERYLLIUM CONTENT AND METAL IMPURITIES THEREIN, TO A STRIPPING SOLUTION OF AMMONIUM CARBONATE OF SUFFICIENT CONCENTRATION TO STRIP THE BERYLLIUM CONTENT AND METAL IMPURITIES FROM THE ORGANIC EXTRACTANT SOLUTION AND FORM AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF THE BERYLLIUM CONTENT AND METAL IMPURITIES, (C) HEATING THE AQUEOUS SLURRY TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PRECIPITATE THE METAL IMPURITIES AND RETAIN THE BERYLLIUM CONTENT IN THE SOLUTION, AND (D) HEATING THE RESULTANT BERYLLIUM-CONTAINING SOLUTION TO A HIGHER TEMPERATURE WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A SLURRY OF THE BASIC BERYLLIUM MATERIAL OF HIGH PURITY WITH A CONCURRENT EVOLUTION OF AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE GASES THEREFROM.