Investigation on the extraction of strontium ions from aqueous phase using crown ether-ionic liquid systems

The extraction of strontium ions using DCH18C6 as the extractant and various ionic liquids (ILs) as solvents has been investigated. The distribution ratio of Sr²⁺ can reach as high as 10³ under certain conditions, much larger than that in DCH18C6/n-octanol system. The extraction capacity depends greatly on the structure of ionic liquids. In IIs-based extraction systems, the extraction efficiency of strontium ions is reduced by increasing the concentration of nitric acid and can also be influenced directly by the presence of Na⁺ and K⁺ in the aqueous phase. It is confirmed that the extraction proceeds mainly via a cation-exchange mechanism.