Bi-functional ionic liquid based on Aliquat 336 and Cyanex 572 for effective separation of Nd(III) and Ni(II) from chloride solution and recover Nd2O3 from waste Nd-Ni-Fe magnets

The recovery of lanthanide elements is considered a vital sector in the field of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The current paper describes a novel method for recycling a real scrap NdFeNi magnet from computer hard disks in order to recover Nd(III) as a marketable salt and other valuable by-products while also establishing an environmentally friendly process. Solvent extraction of Nd(III) and Ni(II) ions with the synthesized bi-functional ionic liquid (Bif-IL) based on Aliquat 336 and Cyanex 572 [AL336][Cy572] in kerosene was systematically investigated in a chloride solution. When compared to Cyanex 572 alone, Bif-IL improved not only the extraction percentage of these metal ions but also the separation factors between Nd(III) and Ni(II). The effects of different parameters on the extraction process, as well as thermodynamic parameters, were investigated. Based on the slope analysis method and the IR-spectrum, the extracted species are NdCl3(R4NCy)3(org) and NiCl2(R4NCy)2(org) for the studied metal ions. Following that, the loaded organic phase was successfully stripped for Nd(III) ions with 0.5 mol/L HCl. The McCabe-Thiele diagram was used to determine the number of stages required for the extraction and stripping of Nd(III) ions. Eventually, the separation of Nd(III) from scrap NdFeNi magnet leach liquor demonstrates the efficacy of the suggested process.