In the chain of cobalt resource development and utilization, it is a key part that cobalt extraction from cobalt ore and wastewater treatment. Traditional processes suffer from low efficiency, high energy consumption, and significant environmental impact. Our LC series centrifugal extractor, with its enhanced separation technology using a supergravity field and an intelligent control system, offers a breakthrough solution for this process.

Process Flow: Five-Stage and Closed-Loop centrifugal extractor for Efficient Extraction

Taking a cobalt smelting company's project treating 200 cubic meters of cleaning wastewater per day as an example, it is adopted a five-step process of "pretreatment - extraction - washing - back-extraction - electrowinning", combined with an LC-650 centrifugal extractor to construct a cobalt resource regeneration system.
Pretreatment: Breaking Bindings and Providing Clean Feed Solution

Cobalt ore wastewater often contains complexing agents such as EDTA, which bind cobalt ions and affect subsequent extraction. The pretreatment stage employs a combined process of "iron powder reduction + hydrogen peroxide oxidation" to effectively break the binding of cobalt ions by complexing agents. Simultaneously, vacuum filtration and centrifugal dehydration control the solid moisture content to below 8%, providing a clean feed solution for subsequent extraction and avoiding interference from impurities. Extraction: Selective Extraction for Efficient Separation

In the extraction stage, an organic phase is prepared by mixing 20% LIX984N extractant with kerosene at a volume ratio of 1:4. In the 5-stage countercurrent extraction system of the LC centrifugal extractor, the equipment generates a 1000G centrifugal force field through high-speed rotation at 6500 rpm, achieving nanoscale mixing with a single-stage contact time of less than 5 seconds. This efficient mixing method results in a cobalt extraction rate of 99.2%, a cobalt concentration in the raffinate of less than 0.1 g/L, and an iron and copper co-extraction rate of less than 1%, achieving efficient separation of cobalt from impurities.

Washing: Deep Purification to Ensure the purity of Back-Extraction Liquid
The loaded organic phase enters the LC centrifugal extractor for a first-stage washing process using 5 g/L dilute sulfuric acid as the washing agent, with an O/A ratio = 4:1. This step effectively reduces the iron ion entrainment from 120 mg/L to 3 mg/L, and the cobalt ion loss rate is less than 0.5%, ensuring high purity for the subsequent back-extraction liquid and guaranteeing the quality of the final product.

Back-extraction: High-efficiency regeneration, High-concentration cobalt solution
Using a lean electrolyte containing 180 g/L sulfuric acid, back-extraction is performed at 45°C with an O/A ratio = 2:1 for 15 seconds per stage. This process yields a back-extraction solution containing 45 g/L cobalt, with iron and copper content less than 5 mg/L. This solution can be directly fed into the electrowinning cell for subsequent electrowinning processing.

Electrowinning: Final purification for high-purity cobalt
After the back-extraction solution enters the electrowinning cell, electrowinning is performed at a cell voltage of 2.0V and a current density of 180 A/m². The cathode cobalt purity reaches 99.95%, the current efficiency is 88%, and the power consumption per ton of cobalt is 2100 kWh, successfully producing a high-purity cobalt product.


Equipment Advantages: Multi-dimensional support for process implementation

The LC series centrifugal extractor has multiple advantages, providing strong support for the process of extracting cobalt from cobalt ore treatment wastewater.
Full-scenario coverage
A complete product line covering laboratory to large-scale production (tens of thousands of tons) has been built. The LC-50 laboratory model supports small-scale process development for universities and research institutions, completing extraction package design within 72 hours and improving efficiency by 80%. The LC-250 pilot-scale model features a modular design, allowing for assembly and disassembly in 30 minutes. Its corrosion-resistant materials are suitable for strong acid systems such as aqua regia. The LC-650 industrial model's dual-motor drive design improves separation efficiency by 50%, with a single unit's annual processing capacity reaching 30,000 tons.

Corrosion Resistance and Intelligent Operation: The main body material can be selected from 304, 316L stainless steel, or fluoropolymers, adapting to corrosive media such as strong acids and alkalis. Equipped with an automatic pH and flow rate control system, it can optimize the extractant ratio in real time, avoiding emulsification. Simultaneously, it supports remote monitoring and automatic parameter adjustment, reducing operator requirements by 70%.

Environmentally Friendly and Economical: The closed-loop environmentally friendly design reduces solvent leakage, with cobalt residue in wastewater less than 0.01 g/L. The solvent regeneration system allows for over 200 cycles of reuse, with a solvent loss rate of less than 0.8%. In a pilot project at a cobalt smelter, this machine successfully validated the 8-stage countercurrent extraction process, achieving a single-line daily processing capacity exceeding 50 tons, with a cobalt recovery rate consistently above 99.3%, saving over 2 million yuan annually in extractant costs.

LC Series Centrifugal Extractors: Ushering in a New Era of Green Cobalt Extraction

The LC series centrifugal extractors, with their advanced process flow and significant equipment advantages, demonstrate strong competitiveness in the field of cobalt extraction from wastewater treated with cobalt ore. They not only improve cobalt extraction efficiency and purity and reduce production costs but also reduce environmental pollution, aligning with the concept of green development. With the advancement of "dual carbon" goals, the LC series centrifugal extractors are rapidly expanding into the new energy field, injecting new momentum into sustainable industrial development and ushering in a new era of green cobalt extraction.