Research on Copper Solvent Extraction from the Solution Containing High Concentration of Sulphuric Acid and Iron

Abstract

Three commercial extractants LIX984N, LIX606N and LIX973N were chosen for the research on Cu2+extraction from the solutions bearing high concentration of sulfuric acid and iron. The ability of Cu2+extraction and Cu/Fe separation performance were totally compared among the three extractants. The results show that LIX606N and LIX973N both possess more powerful ability in Cu2+extraction as compared to LIX984N. But, LIX973N and LIX984N has better Cu/Fe separation performance than LIX606N. According to the performance of Cu2+extraction and Cu/Fe separation, LIX973N is more suitable for extracting Cu2+from the solution rich in sulfuric acid and Fe3+.Effects of sulfuric acid and Fe3+concentration on Cu2+extraction by 20%LIX973N-kerosene have been examined. When aqueous sulfuric acid concentration increases from 23.48g/L to 62.16g/L, Cu2+extraction recovery drops from 60.42% to 25.21%; When aqueous Fe3+concentration increases from 7.03g/L up to 42.94g/L, Fe3+concentration in organic phase increases from 0.26g/L to 0.82g/L.