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The impact of acidic media on the synergistic solvent extraction of Sm and Lu by mixture of organophosphorus extractants

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The synergistic extraction of samarium and lutetium, using two extractants of D2EHPA and PC88A was studied. The chemical stabilities of various samarium and lutetium species in acidic solutions of H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3 were evaluated. Considering the available species of samarium and lutetium in acidic solutions, H2SO4 and HNO3 solutions were chosen as proper aqueous media. The calculated synergic coefficient (R) values showed that the synergic extraction of samarium could be obtained from both nitric and sulfuric acid solutions. The mole fraction of D2EHPA was equal to 0.4 for both solutions, while the maximum obtained R-value for the nitric acid solution was about two times greater than that of the sulfuric acid solution. The composition of the chemical complex was evaluated as Sm(H2A2)2(H2B2) in both acidic media. The equilibrium constants, as well as, enthalpy and entropy changes of the reactions, were also calculated. Based on the obtained results, the concentrations of 0.01 mol·dm−3 of D2EHPA and 0.04 mol·dm−3 of PC88A were identified as the optimum ratio for the lutetium extraction from sulfuric and nitric acid solutions. The R-values for sulfuric and nitric acid solutions were calculated as 1.6 and 1.5, respectively. The type of aqueous solution played a more influential role in the samarium extraction (as a light rare earth element) than in the lutetium extraction (as a heavy rare earth element). The variations of FT-IR peaks showed that maximum R values occur when the P–OH peak of PC88A appears.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). The authors also appreciate the technical support conducted by the research council at the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran

    Hamed Tavakkoli, Mohammad Reza Aboutalebi & Seyed Hosein Seyedein

  2. Research Lab for Advanced Separation Processes, Department of Chemical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Nezameddin Ashrafizadeh

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  1. Hamed Tavakkoli
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Tavakkoli, H., Aboutalebi, M.R., Seyedein, S.H. et al. The impact of acidic media on the synergistic solvent extraction of Sm and Lu by mixture of organophosphorus extractants. J Solution Chem 51, 1571–1588 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10953-022-01210-x

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