Extraction of gold(III) from hydrochloric acid solutions with a PVC-based polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) containing cyphos® IL 104

Abstract

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) based polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs), with different concentrations of Cyphos® IL 104 asthe membrane extractant/carrier, were studied for their ability to extract Au(III) from hydrochloricacid solutions. Some of the PIMs also contained one of the following plasticizers or modifiers: 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether, dioctylphthalate, 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, or tri(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate. The best performance, in terms of extraction rate and amount of Au(III) extracted, was exhibited by a PIM consisting of 25 wt% Cyphos ® IL 104, 5 wt% 1-dodecanol, and 70 wt% PVC. An almost complete back-extraction ofthe Au(III) extracted from this membrane was achieved by using a..