Solvent Extraction of Copper from Sulfate Solutions Using Acorga OPT5510; [Extracción de cobre de soluciones de sulfato mediante solventes con Acorga OPT5510]

This study used a solvent extraction technique with AcorgaOPT5510 extractant in kerosene to examine the extraction of copper ions from the actual leach solution produced after leaching malachite ore in sulfuric acid solutions. On the Cu/Fe separation factor and the effectiveness of copper extraction, the impacts of significant parameters, including stirring speed, contact duration, extractant concentration, beginning solution pH, and temperature, were examined. The following values were chosen as the optimal ones: 1:1, 1.5, 12%, 20 °C, 10 min, 10 min, and 500 rpm for maximum Cu2+ extraction from the aqueous-phase, aqueous/organic phase ratio, equilibrium pH of the aqueous phase, extractant concentration, temperature, contact time, settling time, and stirring speed. Under these conditions, 94% of the copper in the leach solution was removed, yielding about 40.09 Cu/Fe separation factor. A McCabe-Thiele plot was revealed, and it was shown that a two-step extraction procedure would yield the best results. Furthermore, employing a sulfuric acid concentration of 4 mol·L-1 for 10 minutes, the loaded organic phase was stripped and recovered 91% copper.