Extraction of rare earths using mixtures of sec-octylphenoxy acetic acid and organophosphorus acids

The extraction of rare earths from nitrate medium using three organophosphorus acids, 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEHEHP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA), bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid (Cyanex272), and their mixtures with sec-octylphenoxy acetic acid (CA12) has been studied in detail. The mixtures have different extraction effects on various rare earths. Synergistic extraction effects are only found when light rare earths and yttrium (III) are extracted with mixtures of D2EHPA and CA12. The possibilities of separating the rare earths with these mixtures are investigated according to the extractabilities. It is feasible and advantageous to separate yttrium (III) from the lanthanoids (III) with HEHEHP + CA12 and D2EHPA+CA12 mixtures at proper extractant ratios. The separation of yttrium (III) from heavy rare earths is also possible with mixtures of Cyanex272 and CA12.     

Studies on the solvent extraction of rare earths from nitrate media with a combination of di‐(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid and sec‐octylphenoxyacetic acid

BACKGROUND: Di‐(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA, H₂A₂) has been used extensively in hydrometallurgy for the extraction of rare earths, but it has some limitations. Synergistic extraction has attracted much attention because of its enhanced extractabilities and selectivities. In the present study, sec‐octylphenoxyacetic acid (CA12, H₂B₂) was added into D2EHPA systems for the extraction and separation of rare earths. The extraction mechanism of lanthanum with the mixtures and the separation of lanthanoids and yttrium were investigated. RESULTS: The synergistic enhancement coefficient for La³⁺ extracted with D2EHPA + CA12 was calculated as 3.63. La³⁺ was extracted as La(NO₃)₂H₂A₂B with the mixture. The logarithm of the equilibrium constant was determined as 0.80. The thermodynamic functions, ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS were calculated to be 4.03 kJ mol^?1, ? 1.96 kJ mol^?1, and 20.46 J mol^?1 K^?1, respectively. The mixtures have synergistic effects on Ce³⁺, Nd³⁺, and Y³⁺, with an especially strong synergistic effect on Y³⁺. Neither synergistic nor antagonistic effects on Dy³⁺ and weak antagonistic effects on Lu³⁺ were found. CONCLUSION: Mixtures of D2EHPA and CA12 exhibit evident synergistic effects when used to extract La³⁺ from nitric solution. The stoichiometries of the extracted complexes have been determined by graphical and numerical methods to be La(NO₃)₂H₂A₂B with the mixture. The extraction is an endothermic process. The mixture exhibits different extraction effects on rare earths, which provides possibilities for the separation of Y³⁺ from Ln³⁺ at a proper ratio of D2EHPA and CA12. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Reactive solvent extraction of amino acids with cationic extractants

A mixture of amino acids (arginine, phenylalanine, alanine, glycine and aspartic acid) in solution was extracted by four acidic extractants (dinonylnaphthalenesulphonic acid (DNNSA), di(2-ethylhexyl)monothiophosphoric acid (D2EHPA(S)), di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and Versatic 10) in toluene. The extractive capacity of the organic phase for the amino acids, using DNNSA, D2EHPA(S) and D2EHPA was found to decrease in the order arginine>phenylalanine>alanine>glycine>aspartic acid, although at low pH values phenylalanine>arginine occurred for D2EHPA(S) and D2EHPA. Separation factors derived for pairs of amino acids were in the range 2·0 (glycine–aspartic acid) to 20·1 (alanine–glycine). The extractive and loading capability of the extractants for the amino acids was found to decrease in the order DNNSA>D2EHPA(S)>D2EHPA>Versatic 10, which follows the reverse order of their respective acid dissociation constants. DNNSA was shown to be a promising extractant for the extraction and fractionation of amino acids. © 1998 SCI     

二(2-乙基己基)磷酸萃取L-色氨酸

以二 (2 -乙基己基 )磷酸 (D2EHPA) -正辛烷 (体系A)及D2EHPA -正辛醇 +正辛烷 (体系B)萃取L -色氨酸为对象 ,研究了D2EHPA浓度、L -色氨酸初始浓度、稀释剂组成以及pH值对萃取平衡分配系数的影响 .结果表明 ,在实验研究涉及的pH值 (1.0     

Solvent extraction modeling of Ce/Eu/Y from chloride media using D2EHPA

End-of-life fluorescent lamps are becoming essential in the rare earths (REEs) field and suppose a feasible secondary source for getting them, reducing thus their supply risk. Considering the proved viability of the cationic extractants, the present study aims at establishing a solvent extraction model using di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) not only based on the individual Ce, Eu, and Y behavior in chloride media, but also bearing in mind the competitive extraction of these metals in Ce/Eu/Y mixtures, depending on the media variables. Furthermore, the model allow determining the optimal REEs separation conditions. The results disclose that Y could be separated from the mixture using 0.1 mol/L D2EHPA, acidity above of 3 mol/L of protons and chloride concentrations higher than 4 mol/L.     

Solvent Extractive Separation of Zirconium and Hafnium from Hydrochloric Acid Solutions by Organophosphorous Extractants and Their Mixtures with Other Types of Extractants

From 1 to 4 M HCl medium, zirconium was selectively extracted over hafnium by organophosphorous extractants (D2EHPA, PC88A, Cyanex 272). In order to increase the separation factor Zr/Hf, mixtures of organophosphorous extractants with amines (Alamine 336, Aliquat 336) or cationic extractants (Versatic acid 10, LIX 63) were employed in 1–4 M HCl medium. Mixtures with Versatic acid 10 and LIX 63 led to depression in the extraction percentages. But the mixture with LIX 63 was found to be the most effective in separating the two metals among the extractant systems tested in this study. The highest separation factor of around 9.5 was obtained with a mixture of 0.01 M LIX 63 + 0.05 M Cyanex 272 at HCl concentration of 2–4 M. The Zr and Hf were effectively stripped from the loaded mixture of LIX 63 + Cyanex 272 by sulfuric acid solution.     

Extraction and separation of rare earths from chloride medium with mixtures of 2‐ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) ester and sec‐nonylphenoxy acetic acid

BACKGROUND: 2‐ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) ester (HEHEHP, H₂A₂) has been applied extensively to the extraction of rare earths. However, there are some limitations to its further utilization and the synergistic extraction of rare earths with mixtures of HEHEHP and another extractant has attracted much attention. Organic carboxylic acids are also a type of extractant employed for the extraction of rare earths, e.g. naphthenic acid has been widely used to separate yttrium from rare earths. Compared with naphthenic acid, sec‐nonylphenoxy acetic acid (CA100, H₂B₂) has many advantages such as stable composition, low solubility, and strong acidity in the aqueous phase. In the present study, the extraction of rare earths with mixtures of HEHEHP and CA100 has been investigated. The separation of the rare earth elements is also studied. RESULTS: The synergistic enhancement coefficient decreases with increasing atomic number of the lanthanoid. A significant synergistic effect is found for the extraction of La³⁺ as the complex LaH₂ClA₂B₂ with mixtures of HEHEHP and CA100. The equilibrium constant and thermodynamic functions obtained from the experimental results are 10^?0.92 (K_AB), 13.23 kJ mol^?1 (ΔH), 5.25 kJ mol^?1 (ΔG), and 26.75 J mol^?1 K^?1 (ΔS), respectively. CONCLUSION: Graphical and numerical methods have been successfully employed to determine the stoichiometries for the extraction of La³⁺ with mixtures of HEHEHP and CA100. The mixtures have different extraction effects on different rare earths, which provides the possibility for the separation of yttrium from heavy rare earths at an appropriate ratio of HEHEHP and CA100. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

二(2-乙基己基)磷酸萃取L-苯丙氨酸

以二（2-乙基己基）磷酸（D2EHPA）-正辛烷萃取L-苯丙氨酸为对象,研究了D2EHPA浓度、L-苯丙氨酸初始浓度以及pH值对萃取平衡分配系数的影响。不同pH值下负载有机相的红外谱图分析表明,D2EHPA与L-苯丙氨酸形成的萃合物结构与pH值无关。提出了在萃取过程中同时存在着离子交换反应和质子转移反应的观点。1个氨基酸分子与2个二（2-乙基己基）磷酸二聚体相结合。本文建立的萃取平衡分配系数关联式,拟合精度令人满意。     

Solvent Extraction of Indium,Gallium, and Zinc Ions with Acidic Organophosphates having Bulky Alkyl Groups

The extraction equilibria of In³⁺, Ga³, and Zn²⁺ with bis(4‐ethylcyclohexyl)phosphoric acid (D4ECHPA), bis(4‐cyclohexylcyclohexyl)phosphoric acid (D4DCHPA), and bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) were investigated in acidic aqueous sulfate media. The order of extractability of metal ions is D4DCHPA > D2EHPA > D4ECHPA, which corresponds to the lipophilicity (log P) of the extractants. The separation factors, β_(In/Ga) and β_(Ga/Zn), of D4ECHPA and D4DCHPA are greater or comparable than that of D2EHPA, because of the steric hindrance of the bulky cyclohexyl groups. In³⁺ can be therefore separated from simulated liquor containing a high concentration of Zn²⁺ by D4DCHPA.     

二（2-乙基己基）磷酸/磷酸三丁酯复合萃取剂协萃对氨基苯甲酸

为强化两性官能团化合物的萃取分离性能,以对氨基苯甲酸（PABA）为被分离溶质,二（2-乙基己基）磷酸（D2EHPA）/磷酸三丁酯（TBP）/正庚烷的混合物为萃取剂进行了萃取平衡特性的研究,考察了溶液的pH值、D2EHPA浓度、TBP浓度对于萃取平衡的影响,建立了复合萃取剂协同萃取PABA的萃取平衡分配系数的表达式.结果表明,D2EHPA/TBP/正庚烷复合萃取剂萃取PABA具有明显的协萃效应,协萃机理为D2EHPA及TBP分别与PABA的Lewis碱性官能团（—NH2）和Lewis酸性官能团（—COOH）缔合形成亲油性更强的萃合物,且D2EHPA与TBP的浓度差异越小,协萃效应越明显.根据萃取平衡分配系数表达式拟合求取了表观萃取平衡常数,复合萃取剂的值远大于D2EHPA、TBP单独作为萃取剂的值,进一步证明了本文提出的协萃机理.     

Synergistic extraction and separation of Fe(III) and Zn(II) using TBP and D2EHPA

Waste chloride pickle liquors from hot-dip galvanizing plants, steel plants and flue dust contain reasonable amounts of heavy metals such as Zn, Cr, Ni, etc. Iron is invariably associated with most of these materials and comes into solution during leaching. Thus, the synergistic extraction of zinc(II) and iron(III) from leach solutions in tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP)–di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) system diluted in kerosene was investigated. The Zn and Fe concentrations in the leach liquor used in the present study were 2 g/L. Experiments were carried out in the pH range of 0.5–4.0, temperature of 25°C, using sole D2EHPA, sole TBP and D2EHPA–TBP mixtures at different ratios. Results showed that the co-extraction of zinc(II) and iron(III) increased with increasing equilibrium pH using D2EHPA. It is demonstrated that the mixtures of TBP and D2EHPA are more efficient and selective than D2EHPA alone. At low pH values, the separation factor is low when pure D2EHPA is used as an extractant; however, using TBP as a synergist, the separation factor increases and results in a better separation of zinc from iron. Increasing TBP to D2EHPA ratios in the organic phase caused a slight shift to the right in the extraction isotherm of iron and a marked shift to the right in the extraction isotherm of zinc, and the maximum separation factor of 13.3 × 10³ was achieved at a TBP to D2EHPA volume ratio of 4:1 (0.58 M TBP: 0.12 M D2EHPA). Furthermore, the effect of equilibrium pH, organic to aqueous phase ratio and Cl^? concentration on the selective extraction was investigated. Using two extraction stages at the O/A ratio of 2:1 and pH_e (equilibrium pH) of 3 and 1 for zinc and iron, respectively, 99% of zinc(II) and 96.25% of iron(III) were extracted.     

Solvent Extraction Studies of Rare Earths from Thiocyanate Medium with N,N,N´,N´-tetra(2-ethylhexyl) diglycolamide

The extraction behavior of rare earth (RE) elements from thiocyanate medium by N,N,N^’,N^’-tetra(2-ethylhexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA), a neutral extractant, has been investigated and the optimum conditions for their separations were determined. Isodecyl alcohol was used as phase modifier and a concentration of 5%(v/v) was found sufficient to mitigate third phase formation under our experimental conditions. The extraction mechanism of RE with TEHDGA was established by analyzing distribution data with slope analysis technique and showed the formation of a neutral species, RE(SCN)₃.2TEHDGA, in the organic phase. The extraction of rare earth decreased with increase in temperature indicating exothermic nature and the enthalpy change (ΔH) obtained for Y(III) was ?14.27 kJ/mol. Among various stripping agents studied, oxalic acid was found to be efficient in quantitative stripping of rare earths from TEHDGA. The extraction efficiency for all the rare earths by TEHDGA was also investigated. High separation factor of 6.4 for Er/Y pair at 0.03 M thiocyanate has indicated the feasibility of using TEHDGA as extractant to separate Y from heavy rare earths, in particular Er, from thiocyanate medium.     

Selective removal of magnesium from lithium-rich brine for lithium purification by synergic solvent extraction using β-diketones and Cyanex 923

In the production of battery-grade and high-purity Li₂CO₃, it is essential to remove magnesium impurities. The state-of-the-art solvent extraction (SX) process using Versatic Acid 10 and D2EHPA co-extracts 3.3–5.5% lithium, while removing 86–98% magnesium. Here, we demonstrate that synergic SX systems containing a β-diketone (HPMBP, HTTA or HDBM) and Cyanex 923 are highly selective for magnesium extraction over lithium (separation factor α > 1,000). The extracted magnesium and lithium complexes have the stoichiometry of [Mg∙A₂∙(C923)₂] and [Li∙A _x∙(C923)₂] (x = 1, 2), respectively (A represents deprotonated β-diketone). The three β-diketone synergic SX systems all considerably outperformed the Versatic Acid 10 system for magnesium removal from a synthetic solution containing 24 g L⁻¹ Li and 0.24 g L⁻¹ Mg. In a three-stage batch counter-current extraction, the HPMBP and Cyanex 923 synergic SX system removed 100% magnesium with only 0.6% co-extraction of lithium. This excellent Mg/Li separation is the best result reported so far.     

Synergistic Effect of D2EHPA and Cyanex 272 on Separation of Zinc and Manganese by Solvent Extraction

The effect of bis-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA), bis (2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid (Cyanex 272), and tri-butyl phosphate (TBP) and their mixtures in various proportions for the separation and extraction of zinc and manganese from sulfate solutions were investigated. Experiments were carried out in the pH range of 0.5–5.0 at 25, 40, and 60°C. It was shown that the extraction of zinc and manganese by D2EHPA and/or Cyanex 272 can be increased by the increase in pH and temperature. The synergistic extraction and separation of zinc and manganese with a mixture of D2EHPA and Cyanex 272 was studied and the results showed that mixing the two extractants improved the extraction capacity of the mixture. Increasing the D2EHPA to Cyanex 272 ratio in the organic phase, caused a right shifting of extraction isotherms of manganese and zinc; shifting the manganese curve was more than zinc. The manganese curve had considerable right shifting with 5% D2EHPA and 15% Cyanex 272. TBP did not affect the zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) extraction. The stoichiometric coefficients of Zn and Mn were determined with 20% and 5% D2EHPA and 15% Cyanex 272 by applying the slope analysis method. The organic phase was stripped by sulfuric acid.     

EXTRACTION OF RARE EARTH METALS WITH 2-ETHYLHEXYL PHOSPHONIC ACID MONO-2-ETHYLHEXYL ESTER IN THE PRESENCE OF DIETHYLENETRIAMINEPENTAACETIC ACID IN AQUEOUS PHASE

Abstract

The extraction equilibria of rare earth metals with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (commercial name, PC-88A, henceforth abbreviated as HR) dissolved in n-heptane were measured at 303 K. It was found that rare earth metals are extracted with the dimer of the extractant, (HR)₂, as follows.

The extraction equilibrium constants of metals were obtained and compared with the extraction equilibrium constants obtained by di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (henceforth D2EHPA).

Furthermore, the extraction equilibria of rare earth metals with PC-88A in the presence of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (henceforth DTPA) in an aqueous phase were also measured to discuss the effect of DTPA on the extraction of rare earth metals.     

钨钼混合溶液萃取平衡的测定与研究

采用一套溶剂萃取平衡测定装置,在酸性介质中,选择D2EHPA[二－（2－乙基己基）磷酸酯]为萃取剂,煤油为稀释剂,仲辛醇为改质剂,EDTA为络合剂,系统完整地测定了不同条件下两种浓度范围的含大量钨和少量钼的溶液的钨钼萃取分离平衡数据,分析和研究了各种因素对钨钼萃取分离的影响．分别用萃取平衡的经验模型和化学模型对该萃取体系进行了关联计算,得出了一套可以在工业计算中使用的经验模型和化学模型,为工业过程设计、工程优化和计算机模拟提供了基础．     

Recovery of nickel,cobalt, copper and zinc in sulphate and chloride solutions using synergistic solvent extraction

A number of synergistic solvent extraction (SSX) systems have been developed to recover nickel, cobalt, zinc and copper from sulphuric and chloride leach solutions by the solvent extraction team of CSIRO, Australia. These in-clude (1) Versatic 10/CLX50 system for the separation of Ni from Ca in sulphate solutions, (2) Versatic 10/4PC system for the separation of Ni and Co from Mn/Mg/Ca in sulphate solutions, (3) Cyanex 471X/HRJ-4277 system for the separation of Zn from Cd in sulphate solutions, (4) Versatic 10/LIX63 system for the separation of Co from Mn/Mg/Ca in sulphate solutions, (5) Versatic 10/LIX63/TBP system for separation of Ni and Co from Mn/Mg/Ca in sulphate solutions, (6) Versatic 10/LIX63 system for the separation of cobalt from nickel in sulphate solutions by difference in kinetics, (7) Cyanex 272/LIX84 system for the separation of Cu/Fe/Zn from Ni/Co in sulphate solutions, (8) Versatic 10/LIX63/TBP system to recover Cu/Ni from strong chloride solutions, and (9) Versatic 10/LIX63 system to separate Cu from Fe in strong chloride solutions. The synergistic effect on metal separation and efficiency is presented and possible industrial applications are demonstrated. The chemical stability of selected SSX systems is also reported.     

Synergic Extraction of Folic Acid with Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phosphoric Acid and Amberlite LA-2

The influences of extractants concentrations and solvent polarity on the efficiency of folic acid separation by synergic extraction with Amberlite LA-2 and di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) mixture have been analyzed. The results indicated the formation of an interfacial compound which includes one molecule of folic acid and one of D2EHPA, the hydrophobicity of this compound being increased by solvation with Amberlite LA-2 molecules. The number of aminic molecules participating in the interfacial complex formation is controlled by solvent polarity and D2EHPA concentration, decreasing from 3 to 1 with the increase of these two parameters. The results indicated that the most important synergic effect corresponds to the extractants mixture dissolved n-heptane, at low D2EHPA concentration in the organic phase (5 g/l).     

Solvent extraction studies of Sm(III) from nitrate medium and separation factors of rare earth elements with mixtures of sec‐octylphenoxyacetic acid and 1,10‐phenthroline

BACKGROUND: Liquid–liquid extraction is widely used for the separation of rare earths, among which synergistic extraction has attracted more and more attention. Numerous types of synergistic extraction systems have been applied to rare earths with high extraction efficiency and selectivities. In the present study, mixtures of sec‐octylphenoxyacetic acid (CA12, H₂A₂) and 1,10‐phenanthroline (phen, B) have been used for the extraction of rare earths from nitrate medium. The stoichiometry of samarium(III) extraction has been studied using the methods of slope analysis and constant molar ratio. The possibility of using synergistic extraction effects to separate rare earths has also been studied. RESULTS: Mixtures of CA12 and phen display synergistic effects in the extraction of rare earth elements giving maximum enhancement coefficients of 5.5 (La); 13.7 (Nd); 15.9 (Sm); 24.5 (Tb); 45.4 (Yb) and 12.3 (Y). Samarium(III) is extracted as SmHA₄B₃ with mixtures of CA12 and phen instead of SmHA₄ when extracted with CA12 alone. The calculated logarithm of the equilibrium constant is 6.0 and the thermodynamic functions, ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS, have been calculated as 4.3 kJ mol^?1, ? 33.7 kJ mol^?1 and 129.7 J mol^?1 K^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: Mixtures of CA12 and phen exhibit synergistic effects on rare earth elements. Graphical and numerical methods have been successfully used to determine their stoichiometries. The different synergistic effects may provide the possibility of separating yttrium from heavy lanthanoids at an appropriate ratio of CA12 and phen. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Recycling of nickel–metal hydride batteries. II: Electrochemical deposition of cobalt and nickel

A combination of hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processes has been developed for the separation and recovery of nickel and cobalt from cylindrical nickel–metal hydride rechargeable batteries. Leaching tests revealed that a 4 mol dm^?3 hydrochloric acid solution at 95 °C was suitable to dissolve all metals from the battery after 3 h dissolution. The rare earths were separated from the leaching solution by solvent extraction with 25% bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) in kerosene. The nickel and cobalt present in the aqueous phase were subjected to electrowinning. Galvanostatic tests on simulated aqueous solutions investigated the effect of current density, pH, and temperature with regard to current efficiency and deposit composition and morphology. The results indicated that achieving an Ni? Co composition with desirable properties was possible by varying the applied current density. Preferential cobalt deposition was observed at low current densities. Galvanostatic tests using solutions obtained from treatment of batteries revealed that the aqueous chloride phase, obtained from the extraction, was suitable for recovery of nickel and cobalt through simultaneous electrodeposition. Scanning electron micrography and X‐ray diffraction analysis gave detailed information of the morphology and the crystallographic orientation of the obtained deposits. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry