APPLICATION OF ANNULAR CENTRIFUGAL CONTACTOR ON SEPARATING INDIUM FROM IRON

It is hard to separate indium from iron in sulfuric acid leachate with out reducing Fe3+ to Fe2+ with di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP ) by the equilibrium extraction process. A nonequilibrium extraction p rocess with annular centrifugal contactors is studied through the extr action kinetics difference between In and Fe. The mass transfer veloci ties of In and Fe were determined. Laboratory- and industry-scale extr action tests with miniature and industry scale annular centrifugal con tactors, respectively, were conducted. The results indicate the mass t ransfer velocity of In is much faster than that of Fe, the contact tim e between the two phases is very short in the contactor, and the In ca n be well separated from Fe in the nonequilibrium extraction process w ith annular centrifugal contactors.