Date of Graduation
5-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Chemical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Beitle, Robert
Abstract
Beads were washed then impregnated with an organophosphorous extractant D2EHPA. The washing process, as well as factors in the impregnation process were studied. Water was deemed sufficient to prewash the beads before use over small and large amounts of acid with acetone. The impregnation of beads at an Amberlite D2EHPA ratio of 1:1 was determined to be best. Absorption isotherms of Neodymium were the first to be studied. By testing different concentrations, Amberlite was determined to absorb the max amount at 4000 ppm. The pH values from 2-7 were determined to have no effect on the amount of Neodymium absorbed by Amberlite. The pH values 0 and 1 were not able to be measured by the ICP; possibly due to the large number of ions in the solution. The shaking time of Amberlite to adsorb Neodymium was determined to be over 15 hours. It is recommended to shake Amberlite with the Rare Earth solution overnight. The adsorption isotherm of Lanthanum was also tested and determined to be similar to Neodymium. When a Lanthanum and Neodymium solution was created, the isotherm showed that Neodymium adsorbed much better than Lanthanum. The elution of Neodymium from Amberlite was also achieved and the Amberlite was reloaded successfully with Neodymium.
Citation
Hampton, B. G. (2015). Impregnation and Adsorption of Rare Earth Elements on Amberlite XAD-7. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cheguht/63