Patents.com Logo
Choose Language:
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
N. A. Degerstrom, Inc. -

City: Spokane
State/Country: WA US


Company Contact Info




N. A. Degerstrom, Inc. ( Spokane, WA )
A process for extracting gallium from an aqueous gallium-bearing acidic solution comprises: a) providing a quantity of phosphorus within the aqueous gallium-bearing solution, the phosphorus being provided in an aqueous soluble form and being substantially dissolved within the aqueous solution, the aqueous gallium-bearing solution having dissolved phosphorus defining a first aqueous phase; b) intermixing the aqueous gallium-bearing solution having the quantity of aqueous soluble dissolved phosphorus with a first organic phase comprising a quantity of an alkylated 8-hydroxyquinoline; c) separating the intermixed first aqueous phase and first organic phases into a second aqueous phase and a second organic phase, the quantities of aqueous soluble phosphorus and alkylated 8-hydroxyquinoline being effective to extract gallium from the aqueous gallium-bearing solution to provide a gallium concentration in the second organic phase which is greater than a gallium concentration in the first organic phase and to provide a gallium concentration in the second aqueous phase which is less than a gallium concentration in the first aqueous phase, the gallium concentration in the second organic phase being greater than if no aqueous soluble phosphorus were present in the first aqueous solution; and d) stripping gallium from the second organic phase with an acid solution.