Extraction of Indium From Sulphate Solutions with D2EHPA Solutions Using Static Mixers

Abstract
The possible use of static mixers as a reactor for the extraction of indium from sulphate solutions was investigated. The experimental work was focused on "Kenics" type static mixers, since these were found simplest and cheapest among a variety of models, and yet yielded acceptable preliminary results with low pressure drop along the reactor. A series of experiments was carried out in a stirred continuous flow reactor to compare the results. It was found that under certain (different) conditions both reactors perform satisfactorily. The energy consumption of a static mixer is of the same order of magnitude as that of a stirred vessel. The most significant achievement of the experimental work is establishing that the residence time in a static mixer is about two orders of magnitude less than that in a stirred reactor.