Extraction of copper from solutions of ammonia leaching of copper melting production slags

The article is devoted to the study of the process of extraction extraction of copper from solutions of ammonia leaching of slags of copper-smelting industries, which, in addition to copper, contain ions of such a valuable element as rhenium. Over the past decade, there has been a steady increase in the demand for rare metals. Rhenium is one of the highly demanded, but at the same time one of the most difficult and expensive. The high demand for rhenium is due to its use in aircraft and rocketry as a key component of alloys used in the manufacture of engines, or in the oil refining industry as a component of catalysts. The combination of the above facts leads to an increase in the profitability of processing copper slag. Liquid extraction of copper is a stage preceding further sorption extraction of rhenium from technological leaching solutions in the course of complex processing of copper slag. As an object of research, we used model solutions similar in elemental composition to solutions of ammonia leaching of slags from copper smelting industries. The extraction characteristics of the copper extraction process using a solution of the chelating extractant LIX 84-I in kerosene were determined. The dependence of the degree of extraction of the components of the leaching solution on the ratio of the volumes of the aqueous and organic phases, as well as the degree of dilution of the extractant, was obtained. The efficiency of the extractant LIX 84-I in the extraction of copper from ammonia solutions of complex salt composition is shown. The optimal ratio of the volumes of the aqueous and organic phases and concentration of the extractant in the organic phase has been established.