Cyanex reagents as potential extractants for valuable and hazardous elements from different aqueous media

Abstract EN

The possible use of the different commercial organohosphorus reagents of the CYANEX series for the extraction of valuable and hazardous elements is explored.

The potential advantages of each of the CYANEX extractants over other extractants are exploited in terms of higher loading capacity, selectivity, equilibration time and reagent concentration.

Rare earths, uranium, thorium, palladium, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, cobalt, nickel and chromium are among the elements extracted by CYANEX reagents from nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, chloride, thiocyanate as well as mixed media.

The use of different techniques for the extraction processes by CYANEX reagents as conventional liquid-liquid extraction, continuous counter-current extraction, Lewis cell and liquid membranes technology are presented.

The efficiency of these extractants and the viability of the proposed systems for the selective extraction and separation of these elements from real and simulated waste solutions and from their ores is also discussed.