Centrifugal extraction of rare earths from wet-process phosphoric acid

Phosphorite ore is a potential resource of rare earths （RE） as well as phosphate; therefore, the recovery of RE from wet-process phosphoric acid （WPA） is promising. This study investigated the influence of rotational speed, extractant concentration, flow ratio and phase contact time on the centrifugal extraction of RE from WPA and the separation of RE from impurities. The results indicate that higher rotational speed, higher extractant concentration and larger flow ratio are beneficial to the extraction of RE and impurities from phosphoric acid. It is found that the phase contact time for efficiently extracting RE and that for iron are of great difference, which provides an effective method for separating RE from iron using the non-equilibrium extraction process in centrifugal contactors. Compared with equilibrium extraction, the separation factor βRE/Fe is enhanced from 0.07 to 17.6.

CFD investigation of the agitation in the desupersaturation during the wet-process phosphoric acid(WPPA)process

Desupersaturation is a complex cooling operation that involves hydrodynamic,thermal and mechanical phenomena.This process requires continuous agitation to avoid fouling problems and sludge deposition.The current work aims to investigate the well mixedness in the desupersaturation tank for optimal performance.For this purpose,a multi-fluid CFD study was conducted based on the Euler–Euler modeling approach,considering a multiphase flow involving a liquid phase(phosphoric acid)and a poly-dispersed solid phase,i.e.a sludge with three different sizes where each size is considered as a separate phase.First,the hydrodynamic behavior of the flow within the agitated desupersaturator is analyzed through the investigation of the velocity fields as well as the power and pumping numbers,to determine both the agitator capacity to pump the flow and its power consumption during the operation.Then,in order to assess the mixture homogeneity,we evaluated the solid suspension in the desupersaturation reactor following conventional methods and two new proposed methodologies:the first approach is to evaluate the suspension quality in the mixing system by compartment and the second consists on the assessment of the uniform convergence of the solid concentration.Furthermore,we calculated the time required to achieve a full suspension at different solid concentrations.On other hand,we conducted a detailed analysis of the solid distribution dependency on the impeller rotational speed at different solid volume fraction,which allows a good understanding of the parameters controlling the homogenization in the desupersaturator.

Intensified reactive extraction of 4-hydroxypyridine with di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid in 1-octanol by using tributyl phosphate

The efficient separation of amphoteric organic compounds from dilute solutions is of great importance in the industrial field. In the present work, the reactive extractions of 4-hydroxypyridine(4-HP) with tributyl phosphate(TBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid(D2EHPA) and TBP + D2EHPA dissolved in 1-octanol were investigated, respectively. The influences of the initial concentrations of TBP, D2EHPA and TBP + D2EHPA on distribution ratio(D) were discussed, as well as the reactive extraction mechanism were proposed. The obvious intensification effect was observed when the mixture of TBP and D2EHPA was used as extractant. The best extraction conditions were found to be of the molar ratio of D2EHPA and TBP at 2:1 and the equilibrium aqueous pH at 3.50-4.50. D values increased with the increase of the total concentration of TBP and D2EHPA in 1-octanol. Especially, the analysis on the extraction mechanisms clearly indicate(i) TBP in 1-octanol shows negligible reactive extraction toward 4-HP,(ii) D2EHPA in 1-octanol exhibits moderate extraction effect by forming 4-HP:D2EHPA(1:1) and 4-HP:2D2EHPA(1:2) type complexes, while(iii) D2EHPA in TBP/1-octanol demonstrates the maximum distribution ratio with the 4-HP:D2EHPA(1:1) type complex domination. The discussion provides new insights on the mechanism and opens a new way for the intensified extraction of amphoteric organic compounds by using the mixture of multiple extractants in the diluent.

Properties of Self-recoverable Mechanoluminescence Phosphor Ca_(5)Ga_(6)O_(14)∶Eu^(3+) and Its Information Encryption Application

A novel self-recoverable mechanoluminescent phosphor Ca_(5)Ga_(6)O_(14)∶Eu^(3+) was developed by the high-tem-perature solid-state reaction method,and its luminescence properties were investigated.Ca_(5)Ga_(6)O_(14)∶Eu^(3+)can produce red mechanoluminescence,and importantly,it shows good repeatability.The mechanoluminescence of Ca_(5)Ga_(6)O_(14)∶Eu^(3+) results from the piezoelectric field generated inside the material under stress,rather than the charge carriers stored in the traps,which can be confirmed by the multiple cycles of mechanoluminescence tests and heat treatment tests.The mechanoluminescence color can be turned from red to green by co-doping varied concentrations of Tb^(3+),which may be meaningful for encrypted letter writing.The encryption scheme for secure communication was devised by harnessing mechanoluminescence patterns in diverse shapes and ASCII codes,which shows good encryption performance.The results suggest that the mechanoluminescence phosphor Ca_(5)Ga_(6)O_(14)∶Eu^(3+),Tb^(3+)may be applied to the optical information encryption.

Structural and Luminescent Properties of Mg_(0.25-x)Al_(2.57)O_(3.79)N_(0.21):xMn^(2+)Green-Emitting Transparent Ceramic Phosphor

A series of spinel-type Mg_(0.25-x)Al_(2.57)O_(3.79)N_(0.21):xMn^(2+)(MgAlON:xMn^(2+))phosphors were synthesized by the solid-state reaction route.The transparent ceramic phosphors were fabricated by pressureless sintering followed by hot-isostatic pressing(HIP).The crystal structure,luminescence and mechanical properties of the samples were systematically investigated.The transparent ceramic phosphors with tetrahedrally coordinated Mn^(2+)show strong green emission centered around 515 nm under blue light excitation.As the Mn^(2+)concentration increases,the crystal lattice expands slightly,resulting in a variation of crystal field and a slight red-shift of green emission peak.Six weak absorption peaks in the transmittance spectra originate from the spin-forbidden ^(4)T_(1)(^(4)G)→^(6)A_(1) transition of Mn^(2+).The decay time was found to decrease from 5.66 to 5.16 ms with the Mn^(2+)concentration.The present study contributes to the systematic understanding of crystal structure and properties of MgAlON:xMn^(2+)green-emitting transparent ceramic phosphor which has a potential application in high-power light-emitting diodes.

Pillar effect induced by ultrahigh phosphorous/nitrogen doping enables graphene/MXene film with excellent cycling stability for alkali metal ion storage

Graphene's large theoretical surface area and high conductivity make it an attractive anode material for potassium-ion batteries(PIBs).However,its practical application is hindered by small interlayer distance and long ion transfer distance.Herein,this paper aims to address the issue by introducing MXene through a simple and scalable method for assembling graphene and realizing ultrahigh P doping content.The findings reveal that MXene and P-C bonds have a "pillar effect" on the structure of graphene,and the P-C bond plays a primary role.In addition,N/P co-doping introduces abundant defects,providing more active sites for K^(+) storage and facilitating K^(+) adsorption.As expected,the developed ultrahigh phosphorous/nitrogen co-doped flexible reduced graphene oxide/MXene(NPrGM) electrode exhibits remarkable reversible discharge capacity(554 mA hg^(-1) at 0.05 A g^(-1)),impressive rate capability(178 mA h g^(-1) at 2 A g^(-1)),and robust cyclic stability(0.0005% decay per cycle after 10,000 cycles at 2 A g^(-1)).Furthermore,the assembled activated carbon‖NPrGM potassium-ion hybrid capacitor(PIHC) can deliver an impressive energy density of 131 W h kg^(-1) and stable cycling performance with 98.1% capacitance retention after5000 cycles at 1 A g^(-1).Such a new strategy will effectively promote the practical application of graphene materials in PIBs/PIHCs and open new avenues for the scalable development of flexible films based on two-dimensional materials for potential applications in energy storage,thermal interface,and electromagnetic shielding.

Achieving Narrowed Bandgaps and Blue-Light Excitability in Zero-Dimensional Hybrid Metal Halide Phosphors via Introducing Cation-Cation Bonding

Zero-dimensional(0D)hybrid metal halides,which consist of organic cations and isolated inorganic metal halide anions,have emerged as phosphors with efficient broadband emissions.However,these materials generally have too wide bandgaps and thus cannot be excited by blue light,which hinders their applications for efficient white light-emitting diodes(WLEDs).The key to achieving a blue-light-excitable 0D hybrid metal halide phosphor is to reduce the fundamental bandgap by rational chemical design.In this work,we report two designed hybrid copper(I)iodides,(Ph_(3)MeP)_(2)Cu_(4)I_(6)and(Cy_(3)MeP)_(2)Cu_(4)I_(6),as blue-light-excitable yellow phosphors with ultrabroadband emission.In these compounds,the[Cu_(4)I_(6)]^(2-)anion forms an I6 octahedron centered on a cationic Cu_(4)tetrahedron.The strong cation-cation bonding within the unique cationic Cu_(4)tetrahedra enables significantly lowered conduction band minimums and thus narrowed bandgaps,as compared to other reported hybrid copper(I)iodides.The ultrabroadband emission is attributed to the coexistence of free and self-trapped excitons.The WLED using the[Cu_(4)I_(6)]^(2-)anion-based single phosphor shows warm white light emission,with a high luminous efficiency of 65 Im W^(-1)and a high color rendering index of 88.This work provides strategies to design narrow-bandgap 0D hybrid metal halides and presents two first examples of blue-light-excitable 0D hybrid metal halide phosphors for efficient WLEDs.

Fabrication of YAG:Ce^(3+) and YAG:Ce^(3+),Sc^(3+) Phosphors by Spark Plasma Sintering Technique

In this study,a single-doped phosphors yttrium aluminum garnet(Y_(3)Al_(5)O_(12),YAG):Ce^(3+),single-doped YAG:Sc^(3+),and double-doped phosphors YAG:Ce^(3+),Sc^(3+) were prepared by spark plasma sintering(SPS)(lower than 1 200℃).The characteristics of synthesized phosphors were determined using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and fluorescence spectroscopy.During SPS,the lattice structure of YAG was maintained by the added Ce^(3+) and Sc^(3+).The emission wavelength of YAG:Ce^(3+) prepared from SPS(425-700 nm) was wider compared to that of YAG:Ce^(3+) prepared from high-temperature solid-state reaction(HSSR)(500-700 nm).The incorporation of low-dose Sc^(3+) in YAG:Ce^(3+) moved the emission peak towards the short wavelength.

Durable hierarchical phosphorus‐doped biphase MoS_(2)electrocatalysts with enhanced H^(*)adsorption

Phase engineering is an efficient strategy for enhancing the kinetics of electrocatalytic reactions.Herein,phase engineering was employed to prepare high‐performance phosphorous‐doped biphase(1T/2H)MoS_(2)(P‐BMS)nanoflakes for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).The doping of MoS_(2)with P atoms modifies its electronic structure and optimizes its electrocatalytic reaction kinetics,which significantly enhances its electrical conductivity and structural stability,which are verified by various characterization tools,including X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy,high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy,X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy,and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure.Moreover,the hierarchically formed flakes of P‐BMS provide numerous catalytic surface‐active sites,which remarkably enhance its HER activity.The optimized P‐BMS electrocatalysts exhibit low overpotentials(60 and 72 mV at 10 mA cm^(−2))in H_(2)SO_(4)(0.5 M)and KOH(1.0 M),respectively.The mechanism of improving the HER activity of the material was systematically studied using density functional theory calculations and various electrochemical characterization techniques.This study has shown that phase engineering is a promising strategy for enhancing the H*adsorption of metal sulfides.

Adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) in Water with Phosphoric Acid Modified and Ordinary Walnut Shells

A comparison between the effects of ordinary walnut shell and phosphoric acid modified walnut shell on adsorption of Cr（Ⅵ） was carried out. The experimental results showed that owing to larger surface void of modified walnut shell its adsorption of Cr（Ⅵ） was better. When the temperature was 35 ℃, adsorbent particle size was 1.0-1.6 mm, shaker shock rate was 200 r/min, and dosage of walnut shell was 0.80 g, the Cr（Ⅵ） removal rate reached 99.4%. The fitting of adsorption isotherm and kinetics model showed that, Langmuir isotherm model could reflect the adsorption process of modified walnut shell; and both the adsorption processes of ordinary and modified walnut shells accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetic equations.

Mechanism and kinetics study on removal of Iron from phosphoric acid by cation exchange resin

Iron element is one of the main impurities in wet-process phosphoric acid and it has a significant impact on the subsequent phosphorus chemical products. This paper studied the feasibility of using Sinco-430 cation exchange resin for iron removal from phosphoric acid. The specific surface area and the total exchange capacity of resin were 8.91 m2·g-1 and 5.18 mmol·g-1, respectively. The sorption mechanism was determined by FTIR and XPS and the results indicated that iron was combined with-SO3 H in resin. The removal process was studied as a function of temperature, H3 PO4 content and mass ratio between resin and solution. The unit mass of resin to remove iron was 0.058 g·g-1 resin when the operating parameters were T = 50 ℃, H3 PO4 content = 27.61 wt%and S/L = 0.1, respectively. Kinetics study demonstrated that pseudo-second-order reaction model fits this study best and the calculated activation energy of overall reaction is 29.10 kJ·mol-1. The overall reaction process was mainly controlled by pore diffusion.

Arsenic removal from contaminated soil using phosphoric acid and phosphate

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to study arsenic （As） removal from a naturally contaminated soil using phosphoric acid （H3PO4） and potassium dihydrogen phosphate （KHEPO4）. Both H3PO4 and KHEPO4 proved to reduce toxicity of the soil in terms of soil As content, attaining more than 20% As removal at a concentration of 200 mmol/L. At the same time, acidification of soil and dissolution of soil components （Ca, Mg, and Si） resulted from using these two extractants, especially H3PO4. The effectiveness of these two extractants could be attributed to the replacement of As by phosphate ions （PO4^3-）. The function of H3PO4 as an acid to dissolve soil components had little effects on As removal. KH2PO4 almost removed as much As as H3PO4, but it did not result in serious damage to soils, indicating that it was a more promising extractant. The results of a kinetic study showed that As removal reached equilibrium after incubation for 360 rain, but dissolution of soil components, especially Mg and Ca, was very rapid. Therefore dissolution of soil components would be inevitable if As was further removed. Elovich model best described the kinetic data of As removal among the four models used in the kinetic study.

Synergistic extraction of rare earth by mixtures of 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid from sulfuric acid medium

The extraction of Nd^3＋ and Sm^3＋, including the extraction and stripping capability as well as the separation effect of Nd^3＋ or Sm^3＋, from a sulfuric acid medium, by mixtures of di-（2-ethylhexyl） phosphoric acid （HDEHP, H2A2（0）） and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester （HEH/EHP, H2L2（0）） were studied. The distribution ratios and synergistic coefficients of Nd^3＋ and Sm^3＋ in different acidities were also determined. A synergistic extractive effect was found when HDEHP and HEH/EHP were used as mixed extractants for Sm^3＋ or Nd^3＋. The chemical compositions of the extracted complex were determined as Nd.（HA2）2-HL2 and Sm.（HA2）2-HL2. The extraction equilibrium constants, enthalpy change, and entropy change of the extraction reaction were also determined.

Insight into the formation mechanism of levoglucosenone in phosphoric acid-catalyzed fast pyrolysis of cellulose

The catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose impregnated with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) offers a promising method for the selective production of levoglucosenone (LGO),a valuable anhydrosugar product.However,the fundamental mechanism for selective LGO formation is unclear.Herein,quantum chemistry calculations and catalytic fast pyrolysis experiments were performed to reveal the formation mechanism of LGO in H3PO4-catalyzed cellulose pyrolysis.H3PO4 significantly decreased the energy barriers of the pyrolytic reactions and altered the competitiveness of the LGO formation pathways,promoting LGO formation.Through different pathways in the non-catalytic and H3P04-catalyzed conditions,LGO is mainly produced from the primary decomposition of glucose units of cellulose and secondary conversion of levoglucosan.The major catalytic formation pathways of LGO comprise similar reactions,with dehydration at the 3-OH+2-H site as the rate-determining step.Importantly,secondary conversion of 1,4;3,6-dianhydro-α-D-glucopyranose is not feasible for LGO formation,in contrast to previous reports.In addition,a high degree of polymerization is beneficial for the selectivity of LGO formation in the catalytic process,because the glycosidic bond is important for the formation of the bicyclic structure (1,5-and1,6-acetal rings).

Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics studies of divalent manganese from phosphoric acid solution by using cationic exchange resin

There are numerous impurities in wet-process phosphoric acid,among which manganese is one of detrimental metallic impurities,and it causes striking negative effects on the industrial phosphoric acid production and downstream commodity.This article investigated the adsorption behavior of manganese from phosphoric acid employing Sinco-430 cationic ion-exchange resin.Resorting FT-IR and XPS characterizations,the adsorption mechanism was proved to be that manganese was combined with sulfonic acid group.Several crucial parameters such as temperature,phosphoric acid content and resin dose were studied to optimize adsorption efficiency.Through optimization,removal percentage and sorption capacity of manganese reached 53.12 wt%,28.34 mg·g^-1,respectively.Pseudo-2nd-order kinetic model simulated kinetics data best and the activation energy was evaluated as 6.34 kJ·mol^-1 for the sorption reaction of manganese.In addition,the global adsorption rate was first controlled by film diffusion process and second determined by pore diffusion process.It was found that the resin could adsorb up to 50.24 mg·g^-1 for manganese.Equilibrium studies showed that Toth adsorption isotherm model fitted best,followed by Temkin and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models.Thermodynamic analysis showed that manganese adsorption was an endothermic process with enhanced randomness and spontaneity.

Leaching kinetics of calcium molybdate with hydrochloric acid in presence of phosphoric acid

Calcium molybdate(CaMoO4)is the main component of powellite and is a predominant intermediate in the pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical process of molybdenum.The extraction of Mo from CaMoO4 by a combination of phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid was investigated.For further understanding of the leaching mechanism,the effects of five key factors were studied to describe the leaching kinetics.The results indicated that the dissolution rate of CaMoO4 was independent of the stirring speed.Mo extraction significantly increased with increasing HCl concentration and temperature,but decreased with increasing particle size.A shrinking core model with surface chemical reaction was found to withstand the dissolution of CaMoO4.The apparent activation energy was calculated to be 70.879 kJ/mol,and a semi-empirical equation was derived for the rate of reaction.

Water shutoff model test in water-rich sandy stratum by phosphoric acid-water glass grout

The rheological behavior of phosphoric acid-water glass grout in different mixing ratios was studied. Grout made of water glass with Baume degree of 20° and 13.4% phosphoric acid by 1:1 volume ratio is found to be more effective in stopping water. Laboratory model test of water shutoff by grouting was conducted. Test results show that the diffusion length and water cutoff effect of the grout are significantly improved as the grout head is raised, due to the dilution of underground water, and it takes the grout longer than its gel time to cut off water.

Thermal stability and oil absorption of aluminum hydroxide treated by dry modification with phosphoric acid

The dry modification of aluminum hydroxide powders with phosphoric acid and the effects of modification of technological conditions on thermal stability, morphology and oil absorption of aluminum hydroxide powders were investigated. The results show that the increase of mass ratio of phosphoric acid to aluminum hydroxide, the decrease of mass concentration of phosphoric acid and prolongation of mixing time are favorable to the improvement of thermal stability of aluminum hydroxide; when the mass ratio of phosphoric acid to aluminum hydroxide is 5:100, the mass concentration of phosphoric acid is 200 g/L and the mixing time is 10 min, the initial temperature of loss of crystal water in aluminum hydroxide rises from about 192.10 to 208.66 ℃, but the dry modification results in the appearance of agglomeration and macro-aggregate in the modified powders, and the oil absorption of modified powders becomes higher than that of original aluminum hydroxide.

The fouling properties of SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system in high-temperature rotary kiln phosphoric acid process

Kiln phosphoric acid(KPA)technology could produce P2O5 with high purity and has been applied in thermal phosphoric acid industry;however the formation of fouling in the high-temperature rotary kiln restricts the stable and long-term operation.In this paper,the reaction of phosphate ores with gaseous P2O5 was investigated in a high-temperature reactor,and the Ca O-SiO2-P2O5 ternary phase diagram was analyzed to understand the fouling formation mechanism.The results showed that the low-melting-point products,such as Ca(PO3)2and Ca2P2O7,are responsible for the fouling in the KPA process.In addition,a small amount of impurities,e.g.,aluminum and iron,could facilitate the generation of the low-melting-point products and cause serious fouling.Based on the high-temperature SiO2-P2O5 and CaO-SiO2-P2O5 phase diagram analysis,the control of Si/Ca molar ratio(e.g.,Si/Ca=2.0)was found to avoid fouling formation in the kiln.These results could provide the operation parameters of reaction temperature and feeds composition to suppress the fouling in the kiln reactor for the phosphoric acid production in industry.

Phosphoric Acid-assisted Pretreatment Strategy for the Rational Synthesis of Lignin-derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon Toward High-performance Supercapacitors

In this article, a facile two-step activation method, coupled with phosphoric acid(H3PO4)-assisted pretreatment and followed KOH activation,was reported for constructing hierarchical porous carbon(HPC) materials derived from lignin. The introduction of H3PO4, cross-linked with lignin sources generated phosphate(and/or polyphosphate) ester groups throughout the lignin structure, which endowed the pre-activated intermediate char(IC)with a hierarchical porous structure. Such phosphate esters contributed to the multi-scale pore structure within the pre-activated IC, which was beneficial for the uniform distribution and impregnation of subsequent KOH activators,thus leading to the formation of HPC materials. The as-prepared HPC exhibited a large specific surface area(SSA) of 1345.1 m^2/g, which ensures the accessibility of the ion diffusion pathways. The supercapacitors integrated with HPC delivered a high specific capacitance of 241 F/g(in a threeelectrode system) and outstanding rate capability with an 80.9% capacitance retention from 0.5 A/g to an ultra-high current density of 50 A/g.