ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Extraction of Cu(II) with Acorga M5640 using hollow fibre liquid membrane

Shiva Agarwal, M. Teresa A. Reis, M. Rosinda C. Ismael, and Jorge M. R. Carvalho

Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment (CERENA) and Centre for Chemical Processes (CPQ), Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

E-mail: rosinda.ismael@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Abstract: The extraction of copper from sulphuric/sulphate solutions using a hollow fibre module as contactor was studied. The aldoxime Acorga M5640 was used as an extractant. The effects on the extraction rate of the flow-rates, the concentrations of copper and extractant, pH, and the presence of Na2SO4 in the feed phase were investigated. The overall mass transfer coefficient for copper extraction was calculated from the experimental data and was compared with the value evaluated by the resistance in the series model. The extraction process was found to be governed by the diffusion in the boundary aqueous layer and also by the chemical reaction. The kinetic data obtained were used to simulate the extraction of copper with the pseudo-emulsion-based hollow fibre with strip dispersion technique. The accordance between the results thus calculated and the experimental data was found to be satisfactory, particularly for dilute feed solutions.

Keywords: copper extraction – Acorga M5640 – hollow fibre – liquid membranes

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1515/chempap-2015-0076

Chemical Papers 69 (5) 679–689 (2015)