Solvent Extraction
MT 221/ GM 210/ MT 321
Introduction
❑ After leaching, the leach liquor must normally undergo concentration of the metal
ions that are to be recovered. Additionally, undesirable metal ions sometimes
require removal.
❑ Solvent extraction (SX) is a chemical process in which a chemical extractant can
exchange hydrogen ions for specific metal ions across an organic - aqueous
interface.
❑ Liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) consists of transferring one (or more) solute(s)
contained in a feed solution to another immiscible liquid (solvent). The solvent
that is enriched in solute(s) is called extract. The feed solution that is depleted in
solute(s) is called raffinate.
❑ Liquid–liquid extraction also known as solvent extraction and partitioning, is a
method used to separate compounds based on their relative solubilities in two
different immiscible liquids, usually water and an organic solvent. It is an
extraction of a substance from one liquid into another liquid phase.
❑ The aqueous phase and organic phase must be immiscible to effect separation.
❑ The process is used to treat Copper, Uranium, Zinc, Nickel, Cobalt, PGMs and
nuclear materials.
Process
❑ In the solvent extraction is a mixture of an extractant in a diluent which is used to
extract a metal from one phase to another. This mixture is often referred to as
"organic" because the main constituent (diluent) is some type of oil.
❑ Process is done continuously by pumping an organic and aqueous stream into a
mixer. This mixes the organic (oil like solution) component with the aqueous ( water
based solution) component.
❑ Contact of the two liquids allows ion transfer between them. The mixing continues
until (near) equilibrium is reached.
❑ Once the ion transfer is complete, the mixture (emulsion) flows into a separator, with
the lighter component (organic) floating to the top.
❑ The main objective of this process is to concentrate the copper in the pregnant leach
solution by the transfer of copper through the organic to the electrolyte for
subsequent valuable mineral processing operation, i.e. electrowinning.
❑ There are basically two main processes that comprises solvent extraction in most
cases and these include:
✓ Extraction process
✓ Stripping process
Simplified Flow Chart
Extraction Process
❑ The PLS (pregnant leach solution) of concentration of about 3-7gpl Cu from a
leaching process is pumped to a primary mixer/settler where it is contacted
with organic material.
❑ The copper is extracted from the aqueous (PLS) to the organic. The emulsion
that is formed then overflows from the primary mixer into a secondary mixer
for further agitation then to the settler through a launder where the organic
and aqueous phases separate and overflow into the organic and aqueous
weirs respectively.
❑ Depending on the amount of contained copper in the aqueous phase, this
material will either be sent to the pond as raffinate of <300 ppm Cu or sent
back to the extraction circuit for further copper extraction. Then the loaded
organic is later sent to the stripping circuit.
❑ Extraction: The process in which the extractant releases hydrogen ions in
exchange for metal ions.
[2RH]Org + [Cu2+ SO42-]Aq ═ [R2Cu]Org + [2H+ SO42-]Aq
Stripping Process
❑ In the stripping circuit, the spent (lean) electrolyte from the tankhouse
(Electrowining) of concentration of about 30-38 gpl Cu and 165-185 gpl
acid is contacted with the loaded organic from the extraction circuit in
mixer/settlers, where the copper is transferred from the organic to the
electrolyte before being fed to copper tankhouse as advance electrolyte
with concentration of about 38-50 gpl Cu and 140-160 gpl acid.
❑ After stripping of the organic, it is later fed back to the extraction circuit for
more copper extraction.
❑ Stripping: The process in which the extractant releases metal ions in
exchange for hydrogen ions. It is basically the reserve of extraction
process.
[R2Cu]Org + [2H+ SO42-]Aq ═ [2RH]Org + [Cu2+ SO42-]Aq
Measures of effectiveness
❑ Distribution ratio
In solvent extraction, a distribution ratio is often quoted as a measure of how well-
extracted a species is. The distribution ratio (Kd) is equal to the concentration of
a solute in the organic phase divided by its concentration in the aqueous phase.
Depending on the system, the distribution ratio can be a function of temperature, the
concentration of chemical species in the system, and a large number of other
parameters.
After performing liquid-liquid extraction, a quantitative measure must be taken to
determine the ratio of the solution’s total concentration in each phase of the
extraction. This quantitative measure is known as the distribution ratio or distribution
coefficient.
❑ Separation factors
The separation factor is one distribution ratio divided by another; it is a measure of
the ability of the system to separate two solutes. For instance, if the distribution ratio
for nickel (DNi) is 10 and the distribution ratio for silver (DAg) is 100, then the
silver/nickel separation factor (SFAg/Ni) is equal to DAg/DNi = SFAg/Ni = 10.
Measures of effectiveness Cont’d
❑ Decontamination factor
This is used to express the ability of a process to remove a contaminant from
a product. For instance, if a process is fed with a mixture of
1:9 cadmium to indium, and the product is a 1:99 mixture of cadmium and
indium, then the decontamination factor (for the removal of cadmium) of the
process is 0.11 / 0.01 = 11.
❑ Slopes of graphs
The easy way to work out the extraction mechanism is to draw graphs and
measure the slopes. If for an extraction system the D value is proportional to
the square of the concentration of a reagent (Z) then the slope of the graph
of log10(D) against log10([[Z]]) will be two.
