Solvent extraction process for preparing purified phosphoric acid and sodium phosphate salts

A process for concurrently preparing purified phosphoric acid and phosphate salts which comprises the steps of:

• (A) extracting crude phosphoric acid with a nonaqueous solvent to give a phosphoric acid enriched organic solvent phase;
• (B) contacting the phosphoric acid enriched organic solvent phase of step (A) with aqueous neutralizing agent containing alkaline sodium salts selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, or mixtures thereof;
• wherein the volume ratio of said aqueous neutralizing agent to said organic solvent is from about 1:50 to about 1:300 and the alkaline sodium salt content of said neutralizing agent is an amount effective to convert from about 15% to about 35% of the phosphoric acid in the solvent phase from step (A) to sodium phosphate salts;
• said contact resulting in (I) a purified organic solvent phase containing a major portion of the phosphoric acid originally present in the solvent phase from step (A), and (II) a partially neutralized aqueous raffinate phase;
• (C) reextracting the purified solvent phase of step (B) with water or dilute phosphoric acid to release a purified phosphoric acid product;
• (D) neutralizing aqueous raffinate phase of step (B) to a pH in the range of 4 to 6 with an alkaline sodium salt selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, or mixtures thereof in an amount effective to precipitate a major portion of polyvalent cations dissolved in said raffinate;
• (E) separating the precipitate formed in step (D) from the aqueous raffinate to give a precipitate-free aqueous raffinate;
• (F) neutralizing the precipitate-free aqueous raffinate of step (E) to a pH of at least 8 with sodium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide in combination with an alkaline sodium salt selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or sodium sesquicarbonate to form a purified solution of phosphate salts.