Extraction Of Boric Acid Research Articles

A study on the coupling of Li+ and H3BO3 extraction and their mutual promotion mechanism

Efficient extraction of lithium and boron resources from salt-lakes is a prominent topic of research among scholars. In this study, a process route for the simultaneous extraction of lithium and boric acid was employed, followed by their separation through stepwise stripping. During the experiments, a coupling effect in the extraction of Li+ and H3BO3 was found, leading to an in-depth investigation of their mutual promotion mechanisms. Three significant patterns have been clearly verified through experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical calculations: First, the acidic extractant N221 can not only extract Li+, but also enhance the extraction of H3BO3; Second, mono-fatty alcohol R-OH as dilute can effectively extract H3BO3 while also promoting the extraction of Li+. Lastly, Li+ and H3BO3 can mutually promote each other's extraction. Using the Qinghai old brine, N221 system achieved a 99 % extraction efficiency for H3BO3, with an initial lithium extraction of 97 %, around 80 % in subsequent rounds. This paper proposes an effective method for the extraction of Li+ and boric acid, and thoroughly studied the mechanism of their mutual promotion of extraction. This research offers new insights into the comprehensive utilization of salt-lake resources.

Poly (ethylene imine)-mediated dihydroxy-functionalized resin with enhanced adsorption capacity for the extraction of boron from salt lake brine

Boron selective resin is a crucial material used for extracting boron from salt lake brine, but the adsorption capacity of resin remains to be improved. In this work, a boron selective resin with high adsorption capacity was created by modifying branched poly (ethylene imine) (PEI) on chloromethyl polystyrene resin, followed by reacting with D-(+)-gluconic acid δ-lactone. The influence of surface hydroxyl content on adsorption capacity of the resin was investigated by varying molecular weights of PEI during modification. The adsorption mechanism of boric acid was explored by changing pH and composition of solution, and by analyzing the adsorption thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors. Furthermore, the selectivity of resin was assessed by the effects of coexisting ions on the adsorption rate of boric acid. The results show that PEI modification effectively increases the content of hydroxyl on the surface of the resin so as to enhance the adsorption capacity of the resin towards boric acid up to 39.4 mg/g. Also, the adsorption rate can still reach up to 75 % even in the presence of 400 times coexisting ion, showing a good selectivity. Furthermore, the adsorption of boric acid is primarily driven by boronate affinity rather than an anion exchange in alkaline solution. Finally, the dynamic extraction of boric acid was carried out, and gives an enrichment factor of up to 39.6 on fixed bed, demonstrating a potential of the resin in the field of boron extraction.

Mechanism of boric acid extraction by trioctylamine and tartaric acid

The separation of boron isotopes poses significant challenges due to their similar chemical properties. Previous studies have demonstrated that boron isotope separation can be achieved by solvent extraction of boric acid (H3BO3) using trioctylamine (TOA) and tartaric acid (DL-TA), resulting in a remarkable separation factor of up to 1.04 through chemical exchange. However, the coordination mechanism among these three compounds remains elusive, impeding our understanding of the isotope exchange process. In this study, the species in the aqueous and organic phases were investigated using extraction experiments (maximum loading method), alongside various characterization techniques (FT-IR, 11B NMR, and high-resolution ESI-MS), followed by DFT computations. The results showed that H3BO3 and DL-TA formed anionic complexes in the aqueous phase with stoichiometric ratios of 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. However, the stoichiometric ratios became more intricate in the organic phase, encompassing 1:1, 1:2, 2:2, 2:3, and 3:3. The average stoichiometric ratio of H3BO3 to DL-TA calculated within the range of 1:1 to 1:1.5. Protonated TOA could form ion pairs with these anionic complexes, while unprotonated TOA might form hydrogen bonds with the carboxyl groups in DL-TA, contributing to the complexity of the stoichiometric ratios between H3BO3 and TOA. The DFT calculations indicated that all complexes containing B(4)–O bonds, including 1:1, 1:2, 2:2, 2:3, and 3:3, effectively facilitated the exchange of isotopes with H3BO3. These findings pave the way to process optimization of boron isotope separation by solvent extraction of boric acid.

Kinetics of Extraction of Boric Acid by 2,2,4-Trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol Using Lewis Cell

The extraction kinetics of forward extraction of boron by 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD) were investigated, using a Lewis cell. Factors affecting the extraction rate, including stirring speed, concentrations (TMPD and B(OH)3), interfacial area, and temperature were examined. Results indicated that the extraction rate is controlled by chemical reaction at interface. The activation energy Ea was measured depending on experimental conditions. The extraction rates of B(OH)3 and TMPD are first-order dependent with respect to B(OH)3 and TMPD concentrations, and rate equation is proposed. The rate-determining step is to form the complex at the interface, and the derived extraction mechanism is in good agreement with the experimental results. Based on the above-mentioned regime, an extraction mechanism for boron was also presented.

Process Modeling of Boron Isotopes Separation by Cross-Current and Counter-Current Solvent Extraction

Boron has two stable isotopes, namely, 10B and 11B, which play important roles in the nuclear industry due to their excellent neutron absorption (10B) and neutron transmission (11B) properties, respectively. Nevertheless, the separation of the two isotopes is extremely difficult because of their very similar chemical properties. The traditional separation method based on the chemical-exchange rectification of BF3 and ethers is highly corrosive and requires expensive equipment. The separation based on solvent extraction (SX) of boric acid is potentially a greener alternative. Here we present the process modeling of SX separation of boron isotopes. The effects of separation factor, extraction ratio, and extraction stages on the purity and yield of boron isotopes have been discussed in detail. In the cross-current SX, the enrichment of isotopes increases linearly with increasing extraction stages, while the yield decreases exponentially, consequently the separation of the isotopes is not possible. In the counter-current SX, the enrichment of the isotope increases with increasing extraction stages, and the yield is ≥1 – EY (EY is the extraction ratio of the less extractable isotope). Assuming the separation factor β = 1.02, 11B and 10B can be enriched to be ≥95% in about 200 and 500 extraction stages, respectively. The higher the separation factor, the faster enrichment and the higher yield. Therefore, future research should focus on increasing the separation factor and on the precise control of hundreds of extraction stages.

A Taguchi Optimization Study about The Dissolution of Colemanite in Ammonium Bisulfate (NH4HSO4) Solution

In this study, the optimum conditions of the dissolution of colemanite (2CaO.3B2O3.5H2O) ore in ammonium bisulfate (NH4HSO4) solution were examined by using Taguchi fractional design methods, and an alternative reactant for boric acid extraction process from colemanite ore was specified. The studied parameters and optimum conditions for the dissolution process were in the following; reaction temperature: 50˚C, solid/liquid ratio: 0.1 g/mL, particle size: -80 mesh, mixing speed: 600 rpm and reaction time: 25 minutes. Particle size, mixing speed and reaction time had the most significant effect on dissolution, when compared to the others. Accordingly, the dissolution efficiency of colemanite was found to be 99.54% under optimum conditions, and using NH4HSO4 as a solvent enabled the selective separation of boron from the colemanite ore. The ammonium sulphate formed as a by-product was converted into NH4HSO4 by the addition of appropriate stoichiometric amount of sulfuric acid and fed back into the dissolution vessel.

Life cycle assessment on boron production: is boric acid extraction from salt-lake brine environmentally friendly?

No information is currently available on potential environmental impact of boric acid solvent extraction from salt-lake brine although boron production is important for industry, agriculture, and human well-beings. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was firstly used by this study to evaluate the environmental impact of boron production using extraction method with the functional unit of 1-ton boric acid. CO2 was the pollutant with the highest emission amount among the target pollutants, while both extraction and reverse extraction stages contributed to 61.6% of total emission amount for the boron extraction technique. Global warming potential (GWP) and acidification potential (AP) of producing 1-ton boric acid by extraction technique reached 5.52 × 103 kg CO2 eq and 28.0 kg SO2 eq, respectively. Extraction/dry stage contributed to the highest/lowest percentage of environmental impact indices by following the order of extraction > reverse extraction > acidification > dry. Life cycle cost for 1 ton of boric acid was estimated as $1054.83 with 67.5% of internal cost. Approximately 1.59 ton of indirect water and 6010 kWh of electricity were consumed to produce 1 ton of boric acid. The emission amounts of pollutants for nanofiltration boron-production technique were 1.4–1.7 times those for extraction technique. GWP and AP of boron extraction production were comparable with those of the other production processes. The findings of this study will provide the theoretical basis and quantitative data for the sustainable development and cleaner production of boron industry.

Solvent Extraction of Boric Acid: Comparison of Five Different Monohydric Alcohols and Equilibrium Modeling with Numerical Methods

Solvent extraction is one of the common methods for the recovery of boric acid (or boron) from aqueous solutions. A wide variety of different compounds including monohydric alcohols has been tested, and there is wide recognition that they are rather ineffective compared to other extractants such as diols. Nevertheless, monohydric alcohols find application in industrial processes, demonstrating their efficiency. The intention of this study is to clarify this discrepancy and to provide an overall picture of monohydric alcohols as an extractant for boric acid. Five different monohydric alcohols are the object of this study: n-octanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2-butyl-1-octanol, 2-octanol and 3,7-dimethyl-3-octanol. A special focus of this work is the examination of the effect of the structure of the carbon chain and the effect of the composition of the aqueous phase on the extraction efficiency. As well as the extraction efficiency for boric acid, other important properties are examined such as the viscosity of the organic phase, the solubility of alcohols in the aqueous phase and the co-extraction of salts used as a salting-out agent (NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2, LiCl, LiNO3). Finally, a numerical algorithm is developed to calculate the relationship between the number of theoretical stages and the phase ratio at equilibrium for selected extraction systems.

ЗАКОНОМЕРНОСТИ РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ БОРНОЙ КИСЛОТЫ В СИСТЕМАХ НА ОСНОВЕ ТЕХНИЧЕСКИХ ПОВЕРХНОСТНО-АКТИВНЫХ ВЕЩЕСТВ И СОЛЕЙ МАГНИЯ

The work investigates boric acid and sodium tetraborate distribution oin systems based on technical oxyethylated surfactants (oxyphos B, synthamide-5, synthanols DS-10 and ALM-10) and magnesium salt (chloride, nitrate or sulfate). In example magnesium chloride – oxyphos B – water system dependence of boric acid and magnesium chloride recovery ratesof macro components contents in the system are shown. The influence of boric acid or sodium tetraborate initial concentration and presence of strong acids to boronextraction demonstrated. It was found that boric acid and magnesium chlorideseparation in magnesium chloride – oxyphos B – water system is impossible. Based on analysis of data obtained, it was found that extraction of boric acid increases with increase in extract volume and water concentration in extract.

Unbleached cellulose from waste corncob for isolation of cellulose nanocrystals

Unbleached cellulose obtained from corncobs was used to synthesize cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Corncobs are an agro-industrial residue that has a high cellulose content and can be used as a raw material to obtain CNCs. The cellulose was extracted from the corncobs by means of delignification in two stages. The first stage consisted of a pulping process with ethanol and acetic acid (organosolv method), and in the second stage, the corncob was treated with an organosolv method and potassium hydroxide, followed by sodium hydroxide and boric acid (extraction and purification) to eliminate hemicellulose. The obtained cellulose was not bleached, in order to maintain the groups corresponding to lignin and hemicellulose on their surface. Afterward, the obtained cellulose underwent acid hydrolysis to obtain CNCs, using sulfuric acid at 64%. These nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential. The CNCs obtained from the two types of unbleached cellulose showed lengths from 125.18 to 225.86 nm and diameters from 11.61 to 35.92 nm. The results indicate not only that CNCs can be obtained from unbleached cellulose corncobs but also that their characteristics are similar to those of CNCs obtained by means of bleached cellulose.

Optimization of boric acid extraction from ulexite mineral by using supercritical carbon dioxide

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) in chemical processes is one plausible solution for decreasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Herein, a boric acid extraction process was developed utilizing CO2 as a leaching agent. Three-factor three-level Box-Behnken design model was employed to investigate and optimize process variables of temperature, pressure and reaction time for reactive extraction from ulexite mineral using carbon dioxide. A 91.8 % boric acid extraction yield was obtained at 70 °C and 9 MPa with a reaction time of 170 min. At the end of reaction, the heterogeneous mixture was separated by vacuum filtration. The presence of Na (8.72% wt.) in EDX analysis confirmed the crystallized powder has sodium borate. The filter cake was determined as calcium carbonate from the XRD and FTIR analyses. Utilizing supercritical CO2 as a leaching agent is a viable solution to sequester CO2 collected as calcium carbonate while also producing commercially relevant boric acid.

A New Method for Colemanite Waste Processing

In this study, two extraction methods were used sequentially. In the first stage, colemanite process waste was subjected to scrubbing and decantation, and colemanite concentrate was obtained. In the second stage, leaching and filtration processes were carried out on the colemanite concentrate, and pure boric acid was obtained. Colemanite process waste (CPW) contains colemanite, calcite, quartz and others minerals. The boron oxide percentage of CPW was increased by the scrubbing method. Thus, impurities of the CPW were decreased. Scrubbed CPW is referred to as colemanite concentrate (CC). Boric acid extraction was investigated by the leaching of the colemanite concentrate in sulfuric acid solutions. The characterization of colemanite concentrate was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The leaching parameters in this study were solid/liquid ratio, stirring speed, acid concentration, and reaction temperature. It was observed that the dissolution efficiency increased with increasing reaction temperature and with decreasing solid/liquid ratio and acid concentration. CPW is a problem for the environment; however, in this study, this CPW was converted into a valuable product (boric acid).

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Swarm Intelligence for Calculating Optimum Values of Obtaining Boric Acid from Tincal Mineral

The objective of this study is to focus on boric acid extraction from the mineral tincal, in order to determine the optimum conditions thanks to the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) technique (with the response surface methodology (RSM) for the first time), and artificial intelligence based swarm intelligence. Characterization of the tincal were done by using thermo-gravimetric assay (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. In detail, a central composite design (CCD) was used for determining the effects of different solvent/solid ratios, pH, extraction time, and extraction temperature on the yield, which was determined by the conductometric method. The optimum values regarding the best extraction process was calculated by using five different swarm intelligence techniques: Particle swarm optimization (PSO), cuckoo search (CS), genetic algorithms (GA), Differential evolution (DE), and the vortex optimization algorithm (VOA). In the study content, technical details regarding to background and applied experimental processes are given and the findings pointing an approximate 85–92% boron extraction from tincal ore are discussed generally.

Recovery of boric acid from salt lake brines by solvent extraction with 2-butyl-1-n-octanol

A systematic investigation was conducted on the extraction of boric acid from salt lake brine using 2-butyl-1-n-octanol dissolved in sulfonated kerosene. The extraction parameters, including the concentration of extractant, phase ratio and pH value of the brine, were optimized. The salting-out effects of the extraction process were investigated in the presence of AlCl3, MgCl2 and NaCl, and an empirical equation was subsequently proposed. The positive salting-out effects were observed on the extraction of boric acid in the order of AlCl3 > MgCl2 > NaCl. Thermodynamic modeling results indicate that the extraction process is exothermic. To evaluate the feasibility of the process, a multi-stage countercurrent extraction and stripping process was performed under the optimized operating conditions. The results showed an overall boric acid extraction efficiency of 99.35% and a stripping efficiency of 99.63%, and the overall boric acid recovery and the purity of the stripping solution both exceeded 98%. The results of this study reveal a potential industrial application of the boric acid extraction process.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as highly effective material for the ultrasound assisted boric acid extraction from ulexite ore

In this study, an investigation of the optimum conditions to extract boric acid from ulexite mineral was examined for the first time to explore the boric acid extraction yield by employing a new extraction process, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) by the help of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Moreover, the influence of rGO has been investigated on the extraction of boric acid from ulexite mineral. Besides, the amount of extraction of boric acid from ulexite depends on reaction conditions. For this reason, the impacts of various solvent/solid ratio, pH, extraction time, and extraction temperature on the yield were investigated by the conductometric method. Experiments with rGO were carried out using one-factor-at-a-time methodology. Several experimental situations (with or without rGO) were used in order to compare the boric acid yield. It was explored that the amount of the boric acid extraction was increased importantly in the presence of rGO. Also, thermo-gravimetric assay (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were utilized for the characterization of materials. Under optimum conditions, the yield was calculated as about 93–94% by the help of rGO, which is a greater value than the yields reported in the literature.

Extraction of boric acid from tincal mineral by supercritical ethanol

In this study, extraction of boric acid from tincal mineral and borax by ethanol was investigated at supercritical and subcritical ethanol conditions. Experiments were carried out in a high pressure stainless steel reactor having volume of 0.1dm3 under a mixing rate of 800rpm. Solid/liquid ratio of 0.05 and 0.075; three different particle sizes were used between 20–63 microns. Tincal mineral decomposed at high temperature and the liberated boric acid reacted with ethanol to form volatile tri-ethylborate. Characterization of the powder crystallized from the ethanol phase and the remaining powder in the reactor was carried out by FTIR, XRD and TGA and have revealed that boric acid was extracted from tincal mineral by an esterification reaction. The maximum boric acid extraction efficiency was determined as 32.6 wt% at 250°C and particle size of −20μm for the solid/liquid ratio of 0.05g/cm3 from tincal mineral.

A possibility of surfactant application for boric acid extraction

Solubility in H3BO3-surfactant-water systems was studied at different temperatures. A dependence of solubility diagram topology on surfactant structure was shown. Boric acid extraction was shown to be little dependent on surfactant nature.

Computational and Spectroscopic Study for Reaction Mechanism of Boric Acid Extraction in Micro-Channel Device

We have attempted to develop a novel process to produce solar-grade silicon (SOG) from diatomaceous earth using wet chemical processes, which have potential advantage to conventional process with long-term, high temperature reactions [1]. The key step of the process is purification of silica solution by solvent extraction with micro-channel device to eliminate light-element impurities such as boron [2], and in order to achieve higher purity, its reaction mechanism should be elucidated in detail. In the present work, we investigate the behavior of reactant species in the channel, using computational and spectroscopic approaches. In our previous study, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD) was proposed as an efficient extractant for boron (boric acid) [3]. Boric acid is extracted in the form of ester with TMPD at the interface between aqueous solution containing silica and organic solvent with TMPD, whose reaction equation is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 2 shows schematic view of the micro-channel device, which has two channels to provide liquid-liquid interface for the reaction. In order to investigate the reaction mechanism, the following three issues should be considered; (i) local area of the reaction system should be measured precisely, (ii) mass transfer, including fluidic flow, should be simplified in the measured reaction system, (iii) reactant behavior during the extraction should be understood at molecular level. To satisfy these conditions, we used micro analysis system with simulation technique. For the local area measurement, Raman spectroscopy, which is capable to provide chemical information within less than 1μm range, was utilized. For the flow state control in the system, micro-channel device has great advantage, since laminar flow state is predominant in the device. For molecular level understanding of the reaction, density functional theory (DFT) calculation was performed. Rate constant of the reaction in Fig. 1 was estimated by transition state theoretically estimated from DFT. Using this rate constant, finite element method (FEM) was performed to calculate concentration profile of reactants within the channel, comparing to the result of the spectroscopic study. From the result of transition state optimization by DFT, the ester formation was considered to be enhanced by water molecule. Comparing the concentration profile obtained from FEM and that from Raman spectroscopy, the measurement system in this study was expected to have capability to analyze the detailed reaction mechanism of the process. Acknowledgements This work performed as part of the CREST Program, JST, Japan References [1] J. Komadina, T. Akiyoshi, Y. Ishibashi, Y. Fukunaka, T. Homma, Electrochim. Acta, 100, 236-241 (2013). [2] N. Matsuo, Y. Matsui, Y. Fukunaka, T. Homma, J. Electrochem. Soc., 161(5), E93-E96 (2014). [3] N. Matsuo, T. Ishihara, T. Oyanagi, K. Nakajima, M. Kunimoto, Y. Fukunaka, T. Homma, ECS Trans., submitted. Figure 1

Extraction of boric acid from colemanite mineral by supercritical carbon dioxide

The use of H2SO4 in boric acid production from colemanite mineral has several problems, related to product impurities, corrosion and environmental discharge limits. To overcome these problems and to increase extraction efficiency of boric acid, heterogeneous reaction between colemanite and CO2 dissolved in H2O was studied at and above supercritical CO2 conditions. Supercritical conditions enhanced the extraction efficiency of boric acid from colemanite mineral, with 96.9% boric acid extraction efficiency being obtained from CO2–colemanite reaction at 60°C, for 2h of reaction time for particles in the range of +20–40μm. A powder crystallized from filtrate of reaction was determined as H3BO3 and the solid formed at the end of reaction was characterized mostly as CaCO3 according to FTIR, XRD, TGA and SEM analyses. The use of supercritical CO2 as a leaching agent in colemanite does not only produce boric acid but also helps to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Based on these facts, supercritical CO2 as extractant makes this process green and sustainable for recovering boric acid from boron minerals.

Kinetics of Forward Extraction of Boric Acid from Salt Lake Brine by 2-Ethyl-1,3-hexanediol in Toluene Using Single Drop Technique

The kinetics of forward extraction of boric acid from salt lake brine by 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol in toluene was investigated using the single drop technique. The factors affecting the extraction rate include interfacial area between aqueous phase and organic phase, initial concentration of boric acid in aqueous phase, initial concentration of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol in organic phase, and extraction temperature. The experimental results show that the extraction rate increases with the increase of the initial concentration of boric acid and 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, interfacial area of two phases, and temperature. With the temperature-dependence study, it is showed that the extraction is a diffusion-controlled process. The kinetic equation is presented for pH 1.0 in the aqueous phase and temperature of 318 K.