Synergistic Solvent Impregnated Resin for Adsorptive Separation of Lithium Ion

A novel synergistic solvent impregnated resin (SIR), containing both 1-phenyl-1,3-tetradecanedione (C(11)ph beta DK) and tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO), was used for the selective adsorption of Li+ in aqueous chloride media. The extractants have a synergistic effect on the ability of the SIR system to adsorb Li+ ion with high selectivity relative to Na+ and K+. The extent of adsorption of Li+ is increased with an increase in the amount of TOPO impregnated in the SIR. Li+ can be effectively separated from a solution containing a high concentration of Na+ by column chromatography using a column packed with SIR.