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Solvent Extraction of Lutetium from Different Acidic Solutions Using Organophosphorus Extractants

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Abstract

The liquid–liquid extraction behavior of lutetium from different acidic solutions was investigated using two extractants, D2EHPA and PC88A, in kerosene. Lutetium extraction reactions with D2EHPA and PC88A from HNO3 and H2SO4 solutions were chemically and thermodynamically analyzed. It was found that each Lu cation was complexed with six monomers of the organic extractant and released three protons. Simultaneously, the Lu cation was instituted in the P–O–H group of the extractants. Thermodynamic analysis of reactions between extractants and acidic solutions showed that the D2EHPA-HNO3 system is the most favorable for extracting lutetium. It is noted that the calculated equilibrium constant of the reaction in this system was approximately six times larger than that of the D2EHPA-H2SO4 system. However, the value of the equilibrium constant for the D2EHPA-HNO3 system was evaluated to be approximately 200 times greater than that of the PC88A-HNO3 system. Therefore, one can conclude that the extraction behavior of lutetium is more influenced by the extractant type than the solution medium. The synergistic effect of different mixtures of extractants on the solvent extraction of lutetium was also examined, and the highest synergistic factor was obtained for a binary mixture of PC88A:D2EHPA at the ratio of 4:1 for both aqueous solutions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the support of the research council at the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST).

Funding

This research was financially supported by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran, Iran

    Hamed Tavakkoli, Mohammad Reza Aboutalebi & S. H. Seyedein

  2. Research Lab for Advanced Separation Processes, Department of Chemical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran, Iran

    S. N. Asharafizadeh

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  1. Hamed Tavakkoli
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  3. S. H. Seyedein
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Correspondence to Mohammad Reza Aboutalebi.

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Tavakkoli, H., Aboutalebi, M.R., Seyedein, S.H. et al. Solvent Extraction of Lutetium from Different Acidic Solutions Using Organophosphorus Extractants. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 38, 1561–1571 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-021-00402-1

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