NEW ION EXCHANGE TECHNIQUE FOR REMOVAL OF COPPER AND NICKEL FROM COBALT ELECTROLYTE

摘要

For many years the unique capability of bis-picolylamine chelating resins (DOWEX~(TM) M-4195 and XUS-43578) to remove traces of nickel from cobalt electrolyte at low pH has given them a special place in the flow-sheets of several cobalt refineries around the world. More recently, cobalt is being recovered as "bonus" metals from copper mining or tailings reprocessing. These cobalt electrolyte streams often contain significant amounts of copper along with small amounts of nickel. While Bis-picolylamine resins perform well for nickel removal, they are Hyper-Selective for copper and do not elute copper efficiently with sulfuric acid (ammonia is normally required) like they do nickel, and can therefore, become fouled with copper. This paper introduces a new process for removal of both copper and nickel form strong cobalt solutions at low pH with no tendency to foul with copper.