Study on Extraction of Co(II) by Oleic Acid/Butanol/Sodium Carbonate Microemulsion

The microemulsion system of oleic acid/butanol/sodium carbonate solution was employed to extract Co2+ in aqueous phase.The main effect of experimental parameters such as acid concentration in aqueous phase,Co2+ concentration in aqueous phase,volume ratio of microemulsion to aqueous,stirring time and stirring speed on the extraction yield of Co2+ were investigated.Research results showed that the extraction yield of Co2+ increased with acid concentration in feed,but decreased with Co2+ concentration in feed.The optimized experimental conditions were that volume ratio of microemulsion to external phase was 1∶2.5,stirring time was 2 min and stirring speed was 200rpm,and at this condition,the extraction yield of Co2+ could exceed 80 percent.The farther analysis indicated that it was possible that the microemulsion system of oleic acid/butanol/sodium carbonate solution was used to separate Cu/Co,Zn/Co and Ni/Co.