Nickel-cobalt separation by solvent extraction method

Separation of cobalt(II), and nickel(II) ions from nitrate solutions using liquid-liqiud extraction process was reported. The measurements were run at 25oC and at fixed ionic strength equal to 0.5 (KNO3,HNO3). Initial concentrations of Co(II) and Ni(II) nitric acid in the aqueous phase were constant (0.01 M and 0.15 M, respectively). Both 1-hexylimidazole (1), and 1-hexyl-2-methylimidazole (2), both in dichloromethane were used as extractants. Their concentrations in organic phase were varied from 0.01 to 0.25 M. Cobalt(II) in an aqueous solution forms both tetrahedral and octahedral complexes. Nickel(II) forms only a six-coordinate complexes. These general differences help to provide the basis for the various separation processes currently used for cobalt-nickel separation. The steric effect for extractant 2 facilitates the extraction of tetrahedral Co(II) complexes. Extraction percent (%E) of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) in the systems studied were calculated. The percentage extraction increases for increasing values of pH of aqueous phase and is the highest for pH = 7.2. In the aqueous phase, of which the pH = 7.2, there remain 75%Ni(II) and 40% Co(II) for extractant 1 and the respective values for extractant 2 are 85% Ni(II) and 20% Co(II). The steric effect increases selectivity coefficients Co(II)/Ni(II). The highest selectivity coefficients for both extractants were obtained at a pH of aqueous phase = 6.2; their values were 5 and 8.9 for extractants 1 and 2, respectively.