Solvent Extraction of Iron(III) from Al Chloride Solution of Bauxite HCl Leaching by Mixture of Aliphatic Alcohol and Ketone

Research into the solvent extraction of iron(III) from a chloride solution after bauxite HCl leaching by neutral oxygen-containing extractants and their mixtures were studied and the iron(III) extraction degree from chloride solutions using alcohols is presented. The effect of dilution of alcohol with a ketone by an extraction mixture in relation to its effectiveness was investigated. The iron(III) was efficiently extracted by the mixture of 1-octanol and 1-decanol (70%) with 2-undecanone (30%) from hydrochloric bauxite leach liquor at an O:A ratio = 2-4:1 at an iron(III) concentration of 7.4 g/L and 6 M HCl. For the removal of iron-containing organic phase from impurities (Al, Ca, Cr) that are co-extracted with iron(III), we used two step scrubbing at O:A = 5:1 by 7 M HCl as a scrub solution. The iron(III) stripping at the O:A ratio is shown. Using counter-current cascade of extractors, it was possible to obtain an FeCl3 solution with the iron(III) content of 90.5 g/L and total impurities less than 50 mg/L.

Automated summary

The research focused on the extraction of iron(III) from a chloride solution after bauxite leaching using neutral oxygen-containing extractants and their mixtures, particularly alcohols. It was found that a mixture of 1-octanol and 1-decanol (70%) with 2-undecanone (30%) was effective in extracting iron(III) from hydrochloric bauxite leach liquor. Additionally, a two-step scrubbing process using 7 M HCl was employed to remove impurities co-extracted with iron(III). Ultimately, using a counter-current cascade of extractors, an FeCl3 solution with high iron(III) content and low impurities was obtained.