Efficient recovery of copper from aqueous solutions with pyridine extractants (oxime, ketone) and their quaternary pyridinium salts

In this research, 1-(3-pirydyl)undecan-1-one, 1-propyl-3-undecanoylpyridinium bromide and 1-propyl-3-undecanoylpyridinium chloride, as well as, 1-(3-pirydyl)undecan-1-one oxime with its chloride and bromide salt were designed as new extraction agents for the copper recovery. It was found that the increasing chloride ions concentration positively affected the copper(II) extraction. The discussion also includes the speciation of the complexes transported into the organic phase and the selectivity of the quaternary bromide salts (K-3PC10-PrBr and Ox-3PC10-PrBr) towards iron ions. Moreover, the laboratory-scale experiments indicate that 3-[1-(hydroxyimine)undecyl]-1-propylpyridinium bromide is efficient and selective in the copper extraction and it can be proposed to copper removal from the solution obtained in the chloride leaching of copper sulfides.