The goal of this experimental work was to treat a manganese sulfate aqueous solution obtained from the sulfuric acid leaching of Mina do Azul manganese ore (Brazil) to remove copper, nickel, cobalt and iron by solvent extraction using CYANEX302® solubilized in Exxsol D-100®. The experimental results for the individualized extraction stage were considered satisfactory and reached 98% Zn, 92% Ni and 77% Fe, while more than 90% of manganese was kept in solution. The experimental conditions for maximum impurities extraction and minimum manganese extraction were 6.0% v/v CYANEX302® in the organic phase, 3 minutes of contact time between phases and an organic/aqueous phase ratio equal to 5.5. Under these conditions, the results were 3.7% extraction of manganese, 77.1% iron, 89.7% zinc and 31.3% extraction of nickel.
Manganese; heavy metals; solvent extraction; hydrometallurgy
