Extraction of Copper from Sulfuric Acid Solutions Based on Pseudo-Liquid Membrane Technology

Pseudo-liquid membranes are extraction devices in which a liquid membrane phase is retained in an apparatus consisting of two interconnected chambers while feed and stripping phases pass through the stationary liquid membrane phase as mobile phases. The organic phase of the liquid membrane sequentially contacts the aqueous phases of the feed and stripping solutions in the extraction and stripping chambers, recirculating between them. This extraction separation method, called multiphase pseudo-liquid membrane extraction, can be implemented using traditional extraction equipment: extraction columns and mixer-settlers. In the first case, the three-phase extraction apparatus consists of two extraction columns connected at the top and bottom by recirculation tubes. In the second case, the three-phase apparatus consists of a recycling close-loop, which includes two mixer-settler extractors. In this study, the extraction of copper from sulfuric acid solutions in two-column three-phase extractors was experimentally studied. A 20% solution of LIX-84 in dodecane was used as the membrane phase in the experiments. It was shown that the extraction of copper from sulfuric acid solutions in the apparatuses studied was controlled by the interfacial area in the extraction chamber. The possibility of the purification of sulfuric acid wastewaters from copper using three-phase extractors is shown. To increase the degree of extraction of metal ions, it is proposed to equip two-column three-phase extractors with perforated vibrating discs. To further increase the efficiency of extraction using the pseudo-liquid membrane method, it is proposed to use multistage processes. The mathematical description of multistage three-phase pseudo-liquid membrane extraction is discussed.