Abstract
Simulated electroless nickel plating liquid wastes have been processed by using an emulsion flow extractor of a counter current type with a special focus on the influence of dilution of the liquid wastes on the extraction performance. The emulsion flow extractor provides efficient liquid–liquid extraction without the need for additional stirring or shaking. The solvent used in the present study was a Shellsol D70 solution containing LIX84-I as the extractant for nickel and PC88A as an accelerating agent. As a result, it was found that increasing the degree of dilution with water resulted in an improvement in nickel extractability obtained from the emulsion flow experiments with a maximum value of 96% as well as those obtained from batch experiments. Droplet sizes at the lower and the upper parts of the emulsion phases, estimated by using high-speed microscope, were 214 ± 36 µm and 415 ± 110 µm, respectively.
