Operational analysis of a continuous Kühni column for lanthanum mass transfer with dual extractants

In this study, the potential effects of utilizing the ionic liquid Cyphos IL 104 in the extraction of lanthanum were explored using the Kühni column as an extractor apparatus. The influence of agitation speed and phase flow rates on the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients (Koc×a) was experimentally examined in continuous mode after optimizing the procedure through batch experiments. Under the best conditions, the optimal values for aqueous pH, Cyphos IL 104 concentration, and D2EHPA concentration were determined to be 6, 0.02 M, and 0.08 M, respectively. It was discovered that the Kühni column exhibited superior mass transfer efficiency for extracting La(III) with Cyphos IL 104 compared to when loaded with the D2EHPA extractant. Evaluation of the system based on the axial dispersion model’s mass transfer coefficient revealed that reactive resistances control the reactive mass transfer within the column. The use of organic extractants like D2EHPA and Cyphos IL 104 as feeds results in achieving chemical resistances of 74.6% and 69.8%, respectively. As a result, a correlation of Koc was proposed for reactive conditions, which allows for a rapid calculation of mass transfer rates in the Kühni column in the presence of the ionic liquid.