Electrodialytic separation of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) using liquid membranes based on tri-n-octylamine and trialkylbenzylammonium chloride

Electrodialytic separation of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the course of their transfer from 3–4 M HCl solutions into dilute solutions of various acids using liquid membranes that contain anion-exchange carriers was studied. The influence exerted on the metal transport rate and separation efficiency by the compositions of the feed and receiving aqueous solutions and of liquid membranes and by the electrodialysis current density was examined. Under optimal conditions, in metal recovery from a solution containing an equimolar mixture of 0.01 M CoCl₂ and NiCl₂, the separation factor β_Co/Ni is 147; when nickel in the feed solution is in excess, it reaches 330, and when cobalt(II) is in excess, it exceeds 400.