Research on Copper Solvent Extraction From the Solution Ccontaining High Concentration of Sulphuric Acid and Iron

Three commercial extractants LIX984N, LIX606N and L1X973N were chosen for the research on Cu2+ extraction from the solutions bearing high concentration of sulfuric acid and iron. The ability of Cu2+ extraction and Cu/Fe separation performance were totally compared among the three extractants. The results show that LIX606N and LIX973N both possess more powerful ability in Cu2+ extraction as compared to LIX984N. But, LIX973N and LIX984N has better Cu/Fe separation performance than LIX606N. According to the performance of Cu2+ extraction and Cu/Fe separation, LIX973N is more suitable for extracting Cu2+ from the solution rich in sulfuric acid and Fe3+. Effects of sulfuric acid and Fe3+ concentration on Cu2+ extraction by 20%LIX973N-kerosene have been examined. When aqueous sulfuric acid concentration increases from 23.48g/L to 62.16g/L, Cu2+ extraction recovery drops from 60.42% to 25.21%; When aqueous Fe3+ concentration increases from 7.03g/L up to 42.94g/L, Fe3+ concentration in organic phase increases from 0.26g/L to 0.82g/L.