Separation of Lanthanum(III) by Selective Precipitation from Sulfuric Acid Solution Containing Iron(III)

Abstract

To investigate the separation of La(III) from sulfuric acid solutions containing Fe(III), rare earth double salt precipitation experiments were performed by adding sodium sulfate. In this work, the effect of sodium sulfate, Fe(III), and La(III) concentrations; reaction temperature; and time was investigated. The extent of precipitation of La(III) was proportional to the concentrations of Na and SO4 2in the solution. As the reaction temperature increased to 100 °C, the extent of precipitation of La(III) increased. The extent of precipitation of Fe(III) decreased with increasing reaction time. The concentration ratio of Fe(III) to La(III) did not have a significant effect on the precipitation of La(III). Our results indicate that it is possible to separate La(III) from a ferric sulfate solution through selective precipitation by adding sodium sulfate.