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).

Flocculated unclassified tailings settling efficiency improvement by particle collision optimization in the feedwell

Efficient thickening of tailings is a prerequisite for the metal mine tailings backfill and surface disposal operation.The effective collision of ultrafine tailings particles in suspension with flocculant molecules is essential for flocs aggregates formation and settling.Unreasonable feeding speed and flocculant adding method will lead to the failure of effective dispersion of flocculant and high particle content in thickener overflow.In this work,the effect of turbulence intensity and flocculant adding method on floc size,strength,and movement characteristics are analysed.Aiming to solve the turbidity increased,a pilot-scale continuous thickening test was carried out.Taking a single particle and multiple flocs of full tailings as the research object,the particle iterative settlement model of flocs was established.The influence of turbulence intensity on collision effect is studied by tracking and simulating particle trajectory.The results show that in the process of single particle settlement,chaos appears in the iterative process owing to particle adhesion which caused by micro action.When the turbulence intensity is 25.99%,the maximum particle size of tailings floc is 6.21 mm and the maximum sedimentation rate is 5.284 cm·s^(−1).The tailings floc presents a multi-scale structure of particle-force chain system when hindered settling,and the interweaving of strong and weak force chains constitutes the topological structure of particles.The results are applied to a thicker in plant,the flocculant addition mode and feed rate are optimized,and the flocs settling speed and overflow clarity are improved.