Comparative study of organic solvents for extraction of copper from ammoniacal carbonate solution

Ammoniacal leaching followed by solvent extraction is practiced for the production of copper sulfate from copper dross generated in lead refinery during the pyro metallurgical production of lead. Copper is leached from its dross as Tetra-amino-Copper (II)-carbonate complex in the solution. Copper leached solution is guided through the solvent extraction process, using LIX-54 as a solvent and sulphuric acids as stripping agent to generate copper sulfate solution of the desired grade. Due to limited availability of LIX-54, performances of other solvents having a base of cinnamate and β diketone groups are evaluated. Both the solvents and LIX-54 have been compared in fields of effective organic concentration, effective loading, extraction kinetics, extraction isotherms, stripping activity and the optimized values are 20% organic concentration, 20 g/l Cu, 35 s, one theoretical stage for extraction and stripper acidity of 120 g/l respectively. Under these conditions, > 98% of copper has been extracted.