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

Recovery of nickel from electroplating wastewater with a new extractant

Dongmei He, Zuoying Cao, Guiqing Zhang, Li Zeng, Qinggang Li, and Wenjuan Guan

Central South University, Changsha, China

E-mail: caozying@sina.com

Abstract: Nickel is one of the most important strategic metals. With the depletion of high-grade nickel sulfide ores, electroplating wastewater as a kind of secondary resources, its utilization has great significance in nickel recycling industries. A novel extractant, [(2-ethyl-hexylamino)-pyridin-4-yl-methyl]-phosphonic acid diethyl ester (L) was synthesized and used with D2EHPA (di-2-ethyl-hexyl phosphoric acid) to extract and recover nickel from simulation electroplating wastewater. The optimum conditions were determined by single-stage extraction process, and the extraction efficiency and the selectivity of Ni could be greatly enhanced by synergistic binary mixture of L–D2EHPA system. The coordination mode of Ni-extracted complex was studied through the analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was cued that Ni ions might be coordinated with the N atom from the pyridine ring of L and the O atom of P=O in D2EHPA. Moreover, hydrogen bonds between the O atom of P=O in D2EHPA and the H atom of water molecules might be formed.

Keywords: Electroplating wastewater ; Synthesis ; Synergistic extraction ; Nickel ; Mechanism 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0616-2

Chemical Papers 73 (3) 583–589 (2019)