Copper extraction by fatty hydroxamic acids derivatives synthesized based on palm kernel oil

Area of Science:

• * Green Chemistry
• * Analytical Chemistry
• * Materials Science

Background:

• * Fatty hydroxamic acids (FHAs) are derivatives of fatty acids and hydroxamic acid.
• * FHAs derived from palm kernel oil offer a sustainable source for chemical applications.
• * Chelating agents are crucial for selective metal ion extraction and recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To synthesize and evaluate fatty hydroxamic acid derivatives as chelating agents for copper extraction.
• * To investigate the efficiency of these derivatives in liquid-liquid extraction of copper.
• * To assess the selectivity of the FHAs in the presence of other divalent and trivalent metal ions.

Main Methods:

• * Synthesis of four fatty hydroxamic acid derivatives: phenyl (PFHAs), methyl (MFHAs), isopropyl (IPFHAs), and benzyl (BFHAs).
• * Liquid-liquid extraction of copper (II) from aqueous solutions using hexane as the organic phase.
• * Stripping of extracted copper using 3M sulfuric acid and analysis of recovery rates.

Main Results:

• * High copper extraction percentages achieved at pH 6.2: MFHAs (99.3%), PFHAs (87.5%), IPFHAs (82.3%), and BFHAs (90.2%).
• * Quantitative stripping of copper from the organic phase back into 3M sulfuric acid.
• * Copper recovery percentages exceeded 99% for all derivatives, with Cu-IPFHs showing 99.9% recovery.
• * Extraction efficiency was unaffected by the presence of Mg (II), Ni (II), Al (III), Mn (II), and Co (II) ions.

Conclusions:

• * Fatty hydroxamic acid derivatives are effective chelating agents for copper liquid-liquid extraction.
• * These FHAs exhibit high selectivity for copper, even with interfering metal ions present.
• * The quantitative recovery of copper demonstrates the potential of these compounds in hydrometallurgical processes.