Investigation of the separation of scandium and rare earth elements from red mud by use of reversed-phase HPLC

A chromatographic method has been developed for separation and determination of scandium (Sc) and rare earth elements (REEs) in samples from a red mud (RM)-utilization process. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with post-column derivatization using 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) and UV–visible detection at 520 nm was tested using different gradient elution profiles and pH values to optimize separation and recovery, primarily for Sc but also for yttrium and the individual lanthanides, from iron present in the samples. The separation was performed in less than 20 min by use of a mobile phase gradient. The concentration of -hydroxyisobutyric acid (-HIBA), as eluent, was altered from 0.06 to 0.4 mol L^–1 (pH 3.7) and 0.01 mol L^–1 sodium salt n-octane sulfonic acid (OS) was used as modifier. Very low detection limits in the nanogram range and a good resolution for Sc and REEs except for Y/Dy were achieved. Before application of the method to the red mud samples and to the corresponding bauxites, Sc and REEs were leached from red mud with 0.6 mol L^–1 HNO₃ and mostly separated, as a group, from the main elements by ion exchange/selective elution (6 mol L^–1 HNO₃) in accordance with a pilot-plant process developed in this laboratory. After evaporation of the eluent to dryness the extracted elements were re-dissolved in the mobile phase. By use of this chromatographic method Sc, which is the most expensive of the elements investigated and occurs in economically interesting concentrations in red mud, could be separated not only from co-existing Fe but also from Y/Dy, Yb, Er, Ho, Gd, Eu, Sm, Nd, Pr, Ce and La. All the elements investigated were individually recovered. Their recoveries were found to be nearly quantitative.     

Influence of Residual Polyesterification Catalysts on the Curing of Polyesters

 Unsaturated polyesters are synthesized by means of polyesterification, often with catalysts like strong acids, metal oxides and metal-organic salts. Most often, the catalysts used cannot be separated from the bulk of the polyester. Also, some organic or inorganic additives – called fillers – which are used with the polyester in order to decrease cost, affect the curing of the polyester. In this work the effect of residual catalyst on the curing of unsaturated polyester is studied. Unsaturated polyesters were prepared using propylene glycol with a 10% molar excess over stoichiometry and a mixture of dicarboxylic acids, namely maleic acid (unsaturated) adipic acid (saturated) and phthalic anhydride (saturated) at a molar ratio 1:2:2. Lead dioxide, p-toluenesulfonic acid and zinc acetate were used as catalysts, at 0.1% w/w. After the polyesterification, the polymers were diluted with styrene at a proportion of 100:30 w/w. The resins were cured by using MEKP (methylethylketone peroxide) as initiator and CoNp (cobalt naphthenate) as accelerator. Catalysts affect the final color of the polyester. The kinetics of curing of the resins was studied by DSC analysis based on the exothermic peak due to the double bonds breaking to give crosslinked macromolecules. The heat released ΔH is decreased by the presence of catalyst, while activation energy, the frequency factor and the order of reaction are increased.     

A TEM and XRD study of the SbNbSe3 misfit layer structures

Two new misfit layer structures have been synthesized within the Sb-Nb-Se system. Powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy techniques (electron diffraction, HREM, XEDS) have been used to determine the nature of their structure. According to TEM and XEDS data (for more than 15 crystals studied) both phases are monolayer type, i.e. (SbSe)1+delta (NbSe2). Electron microscopy reveals a composite modulated structure that consists of the periodical intergrowth of a pseudotetragonal SbSe layer, denominated as Q, and a pseudohexagonal layer NbSe2, denominated as H. Both layers fit along b, stack along c and do not fit along a (misfit) giving rise to an incommensurate modulation along this direction. The two phases differ in the symmetry of the Q layers being in one case orthorhombic (for delta = 0.17) and monoclinic in the other (for delta = 0.19). After the characterization of the sample by electron microscopy the unit cells of the basic layers could be refined for both phases by powder X-ray diffraction: aQ = 5.824(2) A, bQ = 5.962(5) A, cQ = 23.927(6) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees and aH = 3.415(5) A, bH = 5.962(6) A,, cH = 11.962(1) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees for the orthorhombic phase; aQ = 5.844(2) A, bQ = 5.981(1) A, cQ = 23.919(5) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 96.00(3)degrees and aH = 3.439(1) A, bH = 5.994(2) A, cH = 11.956(3) A, alpha = 90 degrees, beta = 90 degrees and gamma = 90 degrees for the monoclinic phase. The phase with the monoclinic Q-sublattice often appears as twinned crystals. The more abundant crystals are disordered intergrowths of both monolayer phases.     

Separation of organotin compounds by ion-exchange chromatography and their determination by inverse voltammetry

An ion exchange procedure was developed for the enrichment, separation and quantification of butyltin and phenyltin species, which show very close half wave potentials by their voltammetric determination. As a case study the separation of dibutyltin (DBT) from triphenyltin (TPT) was investigated. Among different ion exchangers tested, the strong acid ion exchanger PUROLITE C100H, used for industrial purposes, was found to be the most suitable. By using a resin bed volume of 25 mL, a flow rate of the feed solution of 1 mL/min and 3 M HCl in methanol as eluent with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, a recovery rate of each species of about 80% could be achieved. The detection limit for the determination of DBT and TPT by anodic stripping voltammetry after their separation and enrichment by the above mentioned ion exchange procedure was found to be 0.4 ng/mL for DBT and 6 ng/mL for TPT in the feed solution, respectively. The applicability of the whole procedure was tested on a sediment candidate reference material of BCR (Bureau of Reference Community).     

Effect of substrate materials on the superconducting properties of electrophoretically deposited YBa2Cu3O7−x coatings

Coatings of the high-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (x = 0.1–0.2) (YBCO), were deposited on commercial Ni,Ti and stainless steel substrates, by an electrophoretic deposition technique. Sintering and annealing procedures were followed in order to get strongly adherent superconducting films. The suitability of the used substrates was tested by measuring the stoichiometry and the superconducting properties of the deposited coatings by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and magnetization measurements with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID).     

Different Behavior of Organotin Compounds by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry and their Quantification after Partial Ion Exchange Separation

 The electrochemical behavior and the analytical performance of the organotin compounds mono-, di- and tributyltin, as well as, mono-, di- and triphenyltin were investigated by various voltammetric techniques, such as alternating current polarography of the first harmonic (ACP1), square wave polarography at a hanging mercury drop electrode (SQW) and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Differences could be observed in the sensitivity, the detection limit and the reproducibility of the organotins by the techniques used and in some cases their simultaneously determination was difficult, as the half-wave potentials were very close together. However, by ASV double peaks were observed only for the monophenyltin and dibutyltin species, distinguishing them from the overlapping peaks of diphenyltin and triphenyltin, respectively. This different electrochemical behavior, is due to the formation of intermediate products during the electrolysis of these compounds with other half wave potentials and was successfully utilized for the separation and determination of monophenyltin in the presence of diphenyltin. In the case of dibutyltin, where no linear calibration curves for the two peaks were obtained, a prior suitable ion exchange procedure was developed for its separation and determination from the interfering triphenyltin. The successful application of this technique could be proved on a CRM freshwater sediment of BCR.