摘要 |
The invention relates to the preferential precipitation of cobalt from aqueous acidic sulphate solutions of nickel and cobalt. The separation is carried out by introducing at least a stoichiometric amount of Caro's Acid containing no more than a small amount of hydrogen peroxide into the nickel/cobalt solution progressively over a period of at least an hour, while maintaining the solution of a pH from 3.1 or 3.5 up to 4.7 by addition of an alkali metal hydroxide carbonate or bicarbonate, or at 4.3 to 4.7 with the corresponding ammonium compound, and, thereafter separating the precipitate from the aqueous cobalt depleted solution. In preferred features, the Caro's Acid solution used contains hydrogen peroxide in a mole ratio to peroxomonosulphuric acid of not more than 1:10; the Caro's Acid solution is introduced continuously or in increments of less than 1% of the total over a period of at least an hour; the Caro's Acid is produced by reaction between 93-98% sulphuric acid and 65-72% aqueous hydrogen peroxide in a mole ratio of 2.7:1 to 3.5:1; the Caro's Acid solution is diluted before use; and particular amounts of Caro's Acid are used depending upon the nature of the nickel/cobalt solution, the mode of treatment, and the nature of the neutralizing agent. Further separation can be effected by subsequent water and particularly not acid washing of the precipitate. |