Recovery of Sc<sup>3+</sup> from Red Mud Leaching Solution by Emulsion Liquid Membrane

In this paper, recovery of scandium from red mud leaching solution by emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) was studied. Composition of ELM is P507+ span80 + sulfonated kerosene + HCl. Effects of mobile carrier and surfactant concentration, Roi, Rwe, internal and external aqueous phase acidity on the extracting rate of Sc 3+ were studied. Results show that it is feasible for ELM extracting Sc 3+ from the red mud leaching solution. The optimum condition for ELM extracting scandium from the red mud is P507%=8%, Span80%=7%, Roi=2:3, Rwe=6, internal aqueous c(HCl)=2 mol/L, external aqueous phase pH=2. The extracting rate of Sc 3+ can reach to 98% under optimal condition.