EFFECT OF NITRIC ACID EXTRACTION ON PHASE BEHAVIOR, MICROSTRUCTURE AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PRIMARY AGGREGATES IN THE SYSTEM DIMETHYLDIBUTYLTETRADECYLMALONAMIDE (DMDBTDMA) / n-DODECANE / WATER: A PHASE ANALYSIS AND SMALL ANGLE X-RAY SCATTERING (SAXS) CHARACTERISATION STUDY

Among the different problems to be solved when designing a liquid-liquid solvent extraction process, third phase formation. i.e. the splitting of the organic phase into two layers when extracting high concentration of solutes, like nitric acid or metallic nitrates (here trivalent f ions), is one of the most important to address. In some conditions the formation of a "third phase" is observed with dimethyldibutyltetradecylmalonamide (DMDBTDMA), a potential extractant used in the DIAMEX process We have investigated the phase behavior of the system DMDBTDMA / n-dodecane / water / HNO 3 , in the acceptable concentration limits for the DIAMEX process.