PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COBALT, NICKEL AND COPPER POWDERS FROM CHELATING EXTRACTANTS

摘要

Abstract of the DisclosureCobalt, nickel and copper powders are producedfrom chelating extractants by reacting with hydrogena liquid organic medium containing in solution aquinoline-based chelating extractant having bondedthereto a metal selected from the group consisting ofcobalt, nickel and copper, and a hydrogenation inhibitorconsisting of a linear or branched aliphatic alcoholcontaining from 7 to 13 carbon atoms, at a temperatureof about 150 to about 350°C and a pressure of about 50to about 600 p.s.i. to cause precipitation of themetal in powder form while preventing decompositionof the chelating extractant, the liquid organic mediumfurther containing a seed of the precipitating metalwhereby to avoid undesirable deposition of the metalin plated form. The metal precipitates stoichio-metrically with simultaneous regeneration of thechelating extractant which can thus be recycled forreloading with the metal to be precipitated. Sincethe metal is precipitated directly from the liquidorganic medium, the process of the invention avoidselectrowinning and therefore saves on energy, inaddition to producing a product of high purity.