Gallium recovery from red mud: Integration of solvent extraction and siderophore assisted technologies

at O:A ratio 1 from the organic phase. Desferrioxamine B (DFOB) demonstrated selectivity by complexing with more than 90% Ga in a stripped solution. The interaction between extractable species of Ga and Cyphos IL 104 was studied by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and infrared spectroscopy. The whole process demonstrated the recovery of Ga by more than 80% present in the red mud. Further, the preliminary economic analysis suggests that the process can be profitable when Fe, Al, Sc, and Ga are recovered at a minimum rate of 50, 50, 75, and 75%.