Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

Continuous separation experiments using mixer-settler have been performed to separate cobalt and nickel from hydrochloric acid solutions by Alamine336 dissolved in xylene. The composition of aqueous feed solution was 5.0 g / l nickel and 0.7 g / l cobalt and 5.0N hydrochloric acid. The mixer-settler consists of three stages extraction, two stages scrubbing, three stages stripping and two stages washing. In extraction, 99% of cobalt was extracted into the organic phase but the extraction percentage of nickel was negligible. Nickel in the organic phase was removed in two stages scrubbing by 6.0N hydrochloric acid solution. Over 92% of cobalt was stripped from the organic phase by 0.1N hydrochloric acid solution at the volume ratio of organic to aqueous of 2. After stripping, the organic phase was washed by 3.0N hydrochloric acid solution at the volume ratio of organic to aqueous of 2 and this washed organic solution could be reused in extracting metals.