Results of Pilot Research Work on the Content of Rare Earth Elements in Metallurgical Wastes from Nowa Huta

Abstract

The article presents the results of analyses of the content of rare earth elements in Nowa Huta's metallurgical wastes deposited in two sedimentation tanks. These studies were undertaken due to strategic importance of the rare earth elements in development of state-of-the-art technologies. The waste materials were analysed using the inductively coupled plasma ionization mass spectrometry technique – ICP MS. The tests showed that the collected materials contain rare earth elements. The cumulative content of these elements in the samples was found to be slightly above 140 ppm. The article also presents proposals for further, in-depth tests of Nowa Huta's metallurgical waste.