Abstract
The aim of this research is to develop an Electrostatic Solvent Extraction (ESX) contactor, to obtain fundamental data on hydrodynamics and mass transfer kinetics. ESX uses electrostatic fields to enhance either coalescence or dispersion. At low field intensities, attractive forces between the aqueous droplets predominate, favouring coalescence. At high field intensities, the aqueous drops prolate in the direction of the electrostatic field resulting in disintegration into smaller droplets. This results in large surface areas enhancing mass transfer. The application of ESX in the solvent extraction of nickel and cobalt is being studied. The effect of field intensity on the hold-up of the dispersed phase and its mean drop size has been investigated. An increase in the applied field intensity from 0 kV/cm to 4.6 kV/cm resulted in an increase in hold-up from 0.43% to 0.94% at an electrode insulation thickness of 0.5 mm. An increase in the applied field intensity from 2.5 kV/cm to 4.4 kV/cm resulted in a decrease in the mean drop size. Investigation on the separation of cobalt from nickel using Cyanex 272 in Shellsol 2046 has been carried out. Cobalt extraction doubled from 44% to 88% with an increase in applied field intensity from 3.6 kV/cm to 4.0 kV/cm. This increase in mass transfer is attributed to the smaller dispersed droplets produced and their associated vibrating and turning movements at higher field intensity.
Published Version
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