Sumitomo Metal Mining Company, Ltd.

Kouji Ando

Masaki Imamura

Keiji Kudo

Atsushi Fukui

Kenji Takeda

A process for efficient separation/recovery of copper involving selective extraction of the copper ion with the aid of an organic extractant from an aqueous chloride solution containing copper and one or more concomitant elements, discharged from an extractive metallurgy of non-ferrous metals or the like, and subsequent stripping. The process of solvent extraction of copper which treats an aqueous chloride solution containing copper and one or more concomitant elements to separate/recover copper, comprising the first step for selective extraction of copper from the aqueous chloride solution by mixing the solution with an extractant of organic solvent composed of tributyl phosphate as the major component after adjusting the solution at an oxidation-reduction potential of 0 to 350 mV (based on an Ag/AgCl electrode), and the second step for stripping of copper by mixing the extractant in which copper is stripped with an aqueous solution.

Process of solvent extraction of copper

The present invention provides a nickel refining method which uses nickel sulfide produced from nickel oxide ore using a hydrometallurgical process, as the raw material, and in which chlorine leaching is performed using a chloride solution, wherein a cementation reaction is caused between the nickel sulfide and copper ions, using copper ions, preferably included in the leaching solution itself, and a portion of the nickel in the nickel sulfide is leached into the solution, and the remaining nickel and copper are left as a residue, and copper and nickel are chlorine leached from this residue, and wherein the cementation reaction is performed with an oxidation-reduction potential as measured by a silver-silver chloride electrode of below &#x2212;20 mV, preferably below &#x2212;100 mV.

Nickel refining method

A solution purification method for an electrolyte comprising the steps of dividing a chelate resin having a volume corresponding to the quantity of Sb and Bi to be adsorbed into a plurality of columns, bringing an electrolyte into contact with the chelate resin in the columns to adsorb the Su and Bi for removing, respectively, and subjecting a predetermined number of columns which have completed adsorption among the plurality of columns, to washing in turn, such that the columns are fed in series with a washing solution.

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Niihama, Japan

Kouji Ando