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This work is a cooperation with Boliden Minerals AB, who recently has been interested in recovering more valuable elements from their byproducts. For this case, solvent extraction was chosen as a potential method of recovering these valuables, as it is a method considered to be ideal for separation of trace elements from large amounts of other substances. The goal for this work was to execute manual extraction experiments as a preparation for a bigger project at LTU. The objectives of this thesis included the investigation of the selectivity for extraction of tin and antimony, using different concentrations of hydrochloric acid in the feed solution, analysis of the equilibrium isotherms for Sn and Sb at 8M of HCl as well as the evaluation of the number of steps needed for future extraction experiments, using the McCabe- Thiele method. By executing manual experiments with a speiss precipitate dissolved in hydrochloric acid, the results obtained indicated that the selectivity increased with a higher content of HCl in the feed solution. Using different ratios between the aqueous and organic phase, the equilibrium curves denoted a pushback effect, causing antimony to migrate back into the aqueous phase at the saturation level of tin. By constructing a McCable-Thiele diagram according to the equilibrium curves, the number of steps could be evaluated to three.

Experimental data were obtained for the computation of mole fraction solubilities of three dichloronitrobenzenes in organic solvents at 25oC, and solubility ratios were obtained from this data. Abraham model equations were developed for solutes in tributyl phosphate that describe experimental values to within 0.15 log units, and correlations were made to describe solute partitioning in systems that contain either "wet" or "dry" tributyl phosphate. Abraham model correlations have also been developed for solute transfer into anhydrous diisopropyl ether, and these correlations fit in well with those for other ethers. Abraham correlations for the solvation of enthalpy have been derived from experimental and literature data for mesitylene, p-xylene, chlorobenzene, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene at 298.15 K. In addition, the enthalpy contribution of hydrogen bonding between these solutes and acidic solvents were predicted by these correlations and were in agreement with an established method. Residual plots corresponding to Abraham models developed in all of these studies were analyzed for trends in error between experimental and calculated values.

Le but du travail est d'étudier la structure supramoléculaire de mélanges de tensioactif hydrophile, n-octyl-beta-glucoside (C8G1), et d'un extractant d'ions métalliques hydrophobe, le tributyl-n-phosphate (TBP), en présence d'eau, d'huile et de sels. Les systèmes classiques d'extraction ionique (composés d'une phase aqueuse, d'huile et d'extractant dont le but est d'extraire un soluté de la phase polaire sont passés en revue. L'aspect colloïdal et les transitions de phases que l'on retrouve dans ces systèmes sont souvent décrits singulièrement. Nous avons transposé l'approche « diagramme de phases » issue de la physico-chimie des systèmes moléculaires organisés à ces systèmes d'extractant afin d'orienter globalement l'analyse de ces systèmes complexes. La discussion est basée sur des considérations géométriques. Un modèle thermodynamique a été développé en considérant les contraintes d'empilement des ces extractants dans le film moléculaire formant les micelles inverses d'extractant dans l'huile. Ce modèle a permis de prédire la solubilité de l'eau au sein de ces micelles inverses ainsi que leurs tailles obtenues expérimentalement. Dans une deuxième partie, le comportement physico-chimique des phases aqueuses et organiques composées respectivement d'eau/C8G1 et de TBP/huile/eau ont été étudiées, en s'intéressant particulièrement aux effets de sels, par des techniques de diffusion de rayons X aux petits angles, diffusion dynamique de la lumière et de spectroscopie UV-visible. Dans la dernière partie la description complète de la microémulsion en faisant varier la balance hydrophile-hydrophobe du mélange C8G1 et TBP a été obtenue en combinant des mesures de diffusion de neutrons aux petits angles et d'analyse chimique (Karl-Fischer, Carbone Organique Total, ICP-OES…). Le comportement co-surfactant du TBP a été déterminé par comparaison aux co-surfactants classiques que sont les n-alcools (4<n<8). Les compositions de films moléculaires mixtes de C8G1/TBP et de C8G1/n-hexanol, obtenues expérimentalement, ont été confirmées par un modèle basé sur des paramètres géométriques moléculaires. Nous avons tenté d'exploiter les propriétés interfaciales de ces molécules pour le contrôle des cinétiques d'extraction liquide-liquide d'ion et la séparation d'ion « sans solvant » par flottation. / The presented work describes the supramolecular structure of mixtures of a hydrophilic surfactant n-octyl-beta-glucoside (C8G1), and the hydrophobic metal ion extractant tributylphosphate (TBP) in n-dodecane/water as well as in the presence of salts.In the first part, basic solvent extraction system, composed of water, oil and extractant, will be introduced. The focus, however, lies on the extraction of multivalent metal ions from the aqueous phase. During this extraction process and in the following thermodynamic equilibrium, aggregation and phase transition in supramolecular assemblies occur, which are already described in literature. Notably, these reports rest on individual studies and specific conclusions, while a general concept is still missing. We therefore suggest the use of generalized phase diagrams to present the physico-chemical behaviour of (amphiphilic) extractant systems. These phase diagrams facilitated the development of a thermodynamic model based on molecular geometry and packing of the extractant molecules in the oil phase. As a result, we are now in the position to predict size and water content of extractant aggregates and, thus, verify the experimental results by calculation.Consequently, the second part presents a systematic study of the aqueous and organic phase of water/C8G1 and water/oil/TBP mixtures. The focus lies on understanding the interaction between metal ions and both amphiphilic molecules by means of small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. We confirmed the assumption that extraction of metal ions is driven by TBP, while C8G1 remains passive. In the third and last part, microemulsions of C8G1, TBP, water (and salt) and n-dodecane are characterized by small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and chemical analytics (Karl Fischer, total organic carbon, ICP-OES,...). The co-surfactant behaviour of TBP was highlighted by comparison to the classical n-alcohol (4<n<8) co-surfactants. The compositions of the C8G1/TBP and C8G1/n-hexanol interfacial mixed films obtained experimentally were confirmed by the prediction of a model based on the molecular geometrical parameters. We furthermore exploit the interfacial properties of these molecules to control the kinetics of liquid-liquid extraction and attempt a “solvent free” ion separation using flotation.