SEPARATION OF COPPER AND NICKEL FROM AMMONIACAL AMMONIUM CARBONATE SOLUTIONS USING ACORGA PT5050

ACORGA PT5050 diluted with iberfluid (kerosene-type diluent, mostly al iphatic) was used to coextract copper and nickel from ammoniacal carbo nate solutions. The influence of kinetics, temperature, equilibrium pH , and extractant concentration on the extraction of both metals has be en studied. It was observed that nickel extraction is very sensitive t o aqueous pH and that the extraction falls beyond an equilibrium pH of 9. For a typical solution containing near 3 g/L each of copper and ni ckel and 60 g/L ammonium carbonate, conditions were established for th e coextraction and selective stripping of nickel and copper.