Phase separation in solvent extraction of cobalt from acidic sulfate solution using synergistic mixture containing dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid and 2-ethylhexyl 4-pyridinecarboxylate ester

Phase separation rate is a critical character in determining the usefulness of a solvent extraction system in hydrometallurgy. A survey of the synergistic mixture containing dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid (HDNNS) and 2-ethylhexly 4-pyridinecarboxylate ester (4PC) for the extraction of cobalt from acidic single metal sulfate solution was carried out to suggest how the physicochemical properties and the morphology of the reverse micelles in the loaded organic phase affect the phase separation. The results show that effective parameters affecting the phase separation are the viscosity and the excess water uptake of the loaded organic phase. It is obvious that the specific settling rate (SSR) decreases with the apparent increase of these two parameters. The measurement of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) proves that the morphology of the reversed micelles in the loaded organic phase changes evidently with the change of the specific settling rate (SSR).

Synthesis of novel silica-supported chelating resin containing tert-butyl 2-picolyamino-N-acetate and its properties for selective adsorption of copper from simulated nickel electrolyte

A novel silica-supported tert-butyl 2-picolyamino-N-acetate chelating resin (Si-AMPY-1) was successfully synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, SEM and 13 C CP/MAS NMR. The adsorption behaviors of the Si-AMPY-1 resin for Cu(Ⅱ) and Ni(Ⅱ) were studied with batch and column methods. The batch experiments indicated that the Si-AMPY-1 resin adsorbed Ni(Ⅱ) mainly via physisorption, while adsorbed Cu(II) via chemisorption. The column dynamic breakthrough curves revealed thatthe Si-AMPY-1 resin can efficiently separate Cu(Ⅱ) from the simulated nickel electrolyte before the breakthrough point. Moreover, the concentration of Cu(Ⅱ) in the column effluent was decreased to be less than 3 mg/L within the first 43 BV (bed volumes), and the mass ratio of Cu/Ni was 21:1 in the saturated resin, which completely satisfied the industrial requirements of the nickel electrorefining process. Therefore, it was concluded that the Si-AMPY-1 resin can be a promising candidate for the deep removal of Cu(Ⅱ) from the nickel electrolyte.

Selective recovery of Cu(Ⅱ) through polymer inclusion membranes mediated with 2-aminomethylpyridine derivatives

The Cu(Ⅱ) separation behaviors with polymer inclusion membranes(PIMs) are explored by modifying 2-aminomethylpyridine derivatives with hydrophobic alkyl chains, including 2-[N-(tert-butyloxycarbonylmethyl)-2-picolyamino]acetate(AMB), N,N-dioctyl-2-aminomethylpyridine(AMD), tert-butyl 2-(N-octyl-2-picolyamino) acetate(AMC), and N,N-didecyl-2-aminomethylpyridine(AME). The transport flux and selectivity of Cu(Ⅱ) are determined by optimizing composition and structure of carriers and plasticizers. The results show that the hydrophobic modification of 2-aminomethylpyridine derivatives can boost the selective transport of copper ions in PIMs and membrane stability. In the optimum composition of 30 wt.% PVC, 30 wt.% AME, and 40 wt.% NPOE, the initial flux of Cu(Ⅱ) is 5.8×10^(−6) mol·m^(−2)·s^(−1). The FT-IR and XPS spectra identify that the alkyl amine functional groups of AME involve in the transport of copper chloride species. The SAXS analysis demonstrates that the generated micro-channels in PIMs induced by the hydrophobic modification of 2-aminomethylpyridine derivatives can contribute to the enhanced Cu(Ⅱ) flux.