Selective Recovery of Indium from Acid Sulfate Media with Solvent Impregnated Resin of Bis(4-cyclohexylcyclohexyl)phosphoric Acid as an Extractant

The selective recovery of In3+ from the mixture of In3+, Ga3+, and Zn2+ was investigated in acidic sulfate media, employing a solvent impregnated resin (SIR). Bis(4-cyclohexylcyclohexyl)phosophoric acid (D4DCHPA) in toluene was impregnated into synthetic adsorbent based on methacrylic ester copolymer. The SIR has high selectivity for In3+, and the order of selectivity is In3+ > Ga3+ > Zn2+. The adsorption progresses via Langmuir mechanism and the maximum adsorption amounts of In3+, Ga3+, and Zn2+ are found to be 0.22, 0.22, and 0.14 mmol/g, respectively. The effective adsorption-elution can be achieved by the column operation, and In3+ can be selectively recovered from ternary metal solution.