RECOVERY OF NEODYMIUM AND DYSPROSIUM FROM ACETIC ACID LEACHING SOLUTION OF XENOTIME BY SOLVENT EXTRACTION

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REEs) have become increasingly influential in human lives due to their significant roles in various high-tech applications. The research on neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy) recovery from either primary or secondary REE sources has attracted the increasing attention of researchers because of their importance and indispensable in the manufacturing of neo magnet or NdFeB. Solvent extraction after acid leaching is commonly applied to extract and separate Nd and Dy from different sources. Therefore, a study was conducted to recovery Nd and Dy from local xenotime minerals through solvent extraction. This research aimed to determine the ability of acetic acid (CH₃COOH) as the leaching solution for the recovery of Nd and Dy using an organic solvent, 30% of Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) in kerosene as the extractant. The Nd and Dy concentrations before and after extraction were analysed using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The study found that the highest extraction efficiency of Nd and Dy was 99.4% and 99.3%, respectively, at the leaching solution concentration of 1M and the volume ratio of the aqueous-to-organic (A/O) phase equal to 1. The best extraction temperature and time with the optimum extraction efficiency was at 30°C and 20 min. Therefore, this study proves that CH₃COOH is potentially be used as the leaching media of xenotime for the extraction of Nd and Dy with D2EHPA.