Recovery of Cu (II), Zn (II) and Pb (II) by Successive Stripping after the Extraction of their Pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate Complexes in the Cationic Surfactant System

Abstract

The extraction of metal complexes with pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) and stripping methods were investigated in the cationic surfactant systems of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) . The complexes of Cu (II), Zn (II) and Pb (II) with PDTC were extracted into the CPC phase and separated from Be (II) which could not form a complex with PDTC. The extracted metals were successively recovered into the aqueous phase by stripping after the acid decomposition of their complexes. More than 90 % of the metals were separately recovered by heating at 30°C in 0.1 M HNO₃ for Zn (II), at 60°C in 0.1 M HNO₃ for Pb (II) and 90°C in 1.0 M HNO₃ for Cu (II) . This method was used to separately recover the metals in a beryllium-copper alloy.