Selective solvent extraction process for copper from nickel

摘要

The present invention relates to a solvent extraction process for selectively recovering copper from an aqueous solution containing copper and nickel and having a pH above about 9. By employing only limited amounts of oxime, sufficient to provide about equivalent exchangeable hydrogen ion therein to latent copper ion of the aqueous stream, copper ion can be extracted in a multistage countercurrent process preferentially to nickel or cobalt. Hydrogen ion of the oxime molecule exchanges with copper ion in the aqueous solution in accordance with the equation: