Novel solvent extraction reagents for recovery of

zinc from sulphate leach solutions

R. F. Dalton
P. M. Quan
ZENECA Specialties. Blackley. Manchester, England

Abstract

Despite the ready availability of numerous zinc sources, the process of solvent
extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) has as yet found little favour in the zinc
industry. It is suggested that this is largely due to the previous lack of availability
of suitable selective reagents having the particular features required to enable them
to fit in to a solvent extraction-electrowinning based process for zinc, particularly
with regard to strength and selectivity for zinc over iron. This paper describes
work on the development of a novel class of selective extractant for the recovery
of zinc from weakly acidic sulfate leach solutions and suggests how such reagents
might be integrated into new zinc processes.

Introduction

The process of solvent extraction combined with electrowinning (SX-EW) is now

common place in the copper industry with more than 1.5 million tons of copper
produced by this means annually. The reasons for this are quite clear:

SX-EW utilizes vast amounts of low grade ores and tailings as feedstock which can
not be treated economically by other means. SX-EW is considered the most
economical means of producing pure cathode copper, with some leach-SX-EW
operations having overall operating costs as low as 30c/lb (US). SX-EW is also
perceived to be more environmentally friendly than smelting, there being no
gaseous emissions.

Most copper produced by SX-EW is recovered from dilute sulfate solutions

produced by sulfuric acid leaching of oxidic ores or by biological and ferric sulfate
leaching of low grade sulfide ores. Crucial to these developments have been the
provision by the chemical industry - including Zeneca - of highly selective reagents
for isolation of copper from these leach solutions by solvent extraction. The

Institution of Mining and Metallurgy and the Society of Chemical Industry, Hydrometallurgy '94
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1994
602 Recovery of zinc from sulphate leach solutions
extraction reaction (eq.1) is reversible so that stripping of the copper by spent
tankhouse electrolyte regenerates the reagent and provides a pure concentrated
copper sulfate solution for recycling to electrowinning.
Cu++ + 2RH ~ R 2Cu + 2H+ (eq.1)
By comparison, solvent extraction finds little use in the recovery and processing of
zinc and so far is confined to only a few specific and comparatively small examples.
Most zinc is produced by the traditional roast-Ieach-electrowinning process using
high grade primary sources. This is despite the ready availability of alternative
primary and secondary sources of zinc and zinc bearing wastes and residues.

Typical examp~es are:

Smelter wastes
Oxide fume
EAF dusts
Low grade ores and concentrates
Complex ore concentrates
Galvanizing residues
Tankhouse bleed solutions
Industrial and chemical wastes

It is suggested that the reason why solvent extraction has not been adopted so
readily in the zinc industry is due in part to the non availability in the past of
suitable selective extractants, particularly with regard to selectivity for zinc over
iron. Previous publications have described our work on the development of a
selective extractant for the recovery of zinc from chloride leach solutions (1,2) and
one of these (2) also introduced work on a new class of reagent for the recovery
of zinc from sulfate solutions. This paper describes progress of our work aimed at
the development of new selective reagents for the solvent extraction of zinc from
sulfate leach solutions and how these reagents might be integrated into a sulfate
based solvent extraction-electrowinning process for zinc.

Reagents for the Solvent Extraction of Zinc from Sulfate Solution

Ideally, a reagent for the recovery of zinc by solvent extraction from weakly acidic
sulfate feed solutions should operate on a hydrogen ion cycle in an analogous
manner to the o-hydroxyaryloximes used extensively for the solvent extraction of
copper, i.e.
Zn+++2RH (eq.2)
Thus under extraction conditions it should give a high distribution of zinc into the
organic phase without the need for neutralisation or pH adjustment. Conversely,
it should readily give up the zinc on contact with a strongly acidic zinc bearing