Process for liquid/liquid extraction of gallium
AssigneeRhone-Poulenc Industries
InventorsJacques Helgorsky, Alain Leveque
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The recovery of gallium present in aqueous solution which may also contain a compound of aluminum and sodium, in which the aqueous solution is contacted with a substituted hydroxyquinoline in solution in an organic solvent immiscible with water and under highly alkaline conditions whereby gallium and sodium and aluminum, when present, go into the organic phase, and in which the gallium can be separated from the sodium and aluminum by contacting the organic phase with a concentrated dilute solution of an inorganic acid to remove sodium and aluminum from the organic phase and then contacting the remaining organic phase with a more concentrated solution of inorganic acid to remove the gallium.
Claims12
The process for the recovery of gallium present as a compound in solution in aqueous alkaline solutions which also contain compounds of aluminum and sodium in solution comprising contacting the aqueous solution with a water-insoluble, organic solvent-soluble substituted hydroxyquinoline in solution in a water immiscible organic solvent selected from the group consisting of halogenated and unhalogenated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons whereby gallium and some of the sodium and aluminum values transfer from the aqueous phase into the organic phase, separating the organic phase from the aqueous phase, contacting the organic phase with a dilute aqueous solution of an inorganic acid to remove sodium and aluminum to the aqueous phase, leaving gallium values in solution in the organic phase, separating the organic phase from the aqueous phase, and then contacting the remaining organic phase with an aqueous solution of a more concentrated inorganic acid to remove gallium values from the organic phase to the aqueous phase, and then separating the gallium values from the aqueous phase.
The process for the recovery of gallium present as a compound in solution in aqueous alkaline solution which also contains compounds of aluminum and sodium in solution comprising contacting the aqueous solution with a water insoluble, organic solvent soluble substituted hydroxyquinoline in solution in a water immiscible organic solvent selected from the group consisting of halogenated and unhalogenated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons whereby gallium and some of the sodium and aluminum values transfer from the aqueous phase into the organic phase, separating the organic phase from the aqueous phase, contacting the organic phase with a concentrated aqueous solution of a strong inorganic acid capable of complexing the gallium values in anionic form, which will remain in solution in the organic phase, while sodium and aluminum values transfer to the aqueous phase, separating the organic phase from the aqueous phase, and then contacting the organic phase with a dilute aqueous solution of inorganic acid to remove gallium values from the organic phase to the aqueous phase, and then separating the gallium values from the aqueous phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.