ABSTRACT: Styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers used in extraction chromatography were synthesized in presence of selective chelating agents for rare earths: DEHPA, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, and EHEHPA, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphonic acid. The copolymers were prepared by suspension polymerization technique using the pure chelating agents and its mixture with toluene (TOL) as diluents. The influence of synthesis conditions such as chelating agent/TOL ratios, dilution degree of monomers and amount of DVB on the porous structure of the copolymers were studied. The porous structure was characterized by the apparent density, fixed pore volume, surface area and by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The performance of the copolymers in the separation process of rare earths was evaluated. The total chelating capacity of each copolymer and the chelating kinetics in relation to gadolinium ion were determined. The chelating agent content of the copolymers depended on the amount of chelating agents employed in the synthesis. The highest amount of chelating agent that can be used in the synthesis in order to produce copolymers with high chelating capacity and good mechanical properties was determined. The total chelating capacity varied with the content of the chelating agents in the copolymer and the chelating kinetics was dependent mainly on the pore diameter, because this parameter determines the diffusion rate of the ions through the copolymer structure.
Styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers; macroporosities; rare earths extraction chromatography
