Solvent extraction process
AssigneeHenkel Corporation
InventorsStephen M. Olafson, Roy G. Lewis, Gary A. Kordosky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improvement is disclosed in the solvent extraction process for recovering metal values, i.e. copper, from aqueous solutions, particularly aqueous solutions, containing copper and iron which may also include chloride, and more particularly to an improvement which provides for increased copper to iron ratios in the loaded organic extractant phase. The improvement comprises washing the loaded organic extractant phase prior to stripping of the copper values therefrom with an aqueous acidic scrub solution containing at least a portion of electrolyte.
Claims17
In a solvent extraction process for recovery of copper from an aqueous feedstock containing copper and iron values wherein the feedstock is contacted with an organic phase comprising a reagent composition including an hydroxy aryl oxime extractant and in which a copper loaded organic phase is provided by extraction of said copper values from said aqueous feedstock and wherein contact between the feedstock and the organic phase is accomplished by means of at least one mixer-settler extraction stage and at least one strip stage to provide a pregnant copper electrolyte from which the copper is electrowon to provide cathode copper and a stripped electrolyte the improvement comprising washing said copper loaded organic phase prior to stripping said copper values therefrom with an aqueous scrub solution containing at least a portion of electrolyte thereby providing an increased copper to iron ratio by weight in said copper loaded organic phase.
In a solvent extraction process for the recovery of copper from an aqueous feedstock containing copper and iron values and up to about 50 g/l Cl wherein the feedstock is contacted with an organic phase comprising a reagent composition including an hydroxy oxime extractant in which a copper loaded organic phase is provided by extraction of said copper values from said aqueous feedstock by said oxime extractant and wherein contact between the feedstock and the organic phase is accomplished by means of at least one mixer-settler extraction stage and at least one strip stage to provide a pregnant copper electrolyte from which the copper is electrowon to provide cathode copper and a stripped electrolyte the improvement comprising washing said copper loaded organic phase prior to stripping said copper values therefrom with an aqueous scrub solution containing about 1-20 v/v% of electrolyte thereby providing an increased copper to iron ratio by weight in said copper loaded organic phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.