Extraction of cerium(IV) using tributyl phosphate impregnated resin from nitric acid medium

Tributyl phosphate (TBP) solvent was used for impregnation into Amberlite XAD-16 nonionic polymeric resin beads using the wet method to prepare solvent impregnated resin (SIR). Undiluted TBP in a ratio to the resin support (volume to mass) of 6.0 at room temperature (RT) in 24 h was impregnated the resin with a mass ratio of 1.944, while the prepared gross sample of SIR at the ratio of solvent to resin of 3.0 was impregnated with a mass ratio of 1.88. Cerium(IV) oxide concentrate, prepared from crude Egyptian monazite sand, containing 37% cerium, 1.6% thorium and about 40% the other trivalent rare earth oxides, was used to prepare cerium(IV) nitrate solution for extraction using the prepared SIR. The impregnated resin was satisfactory for Ce(IV) extraction from nitric acid medium at room temperature. Cerium loading capacity of the impregnated resin reached 95.6% of the calculated theoretical capacity (173 g/kg (Ce/SIR)) under the conditions of 51.57 g/L cerium and 2.48 g/L thorium, 5.0 mol/L free nitric acid, solution to resin ratio of 10.0 and contacting the phases for 5.0 min. The loading capacity reached 98.75% when cerium concentration was increased to 91.43 g/L under the same conditions.