Study of Adsorption Property of Ga(III) onto Strongly Basic Resin for Ga Extraction from Bayer Liquor

Ion-exchange is the main technology used in industry for gallium recovery from Bayer liquor, the largest gallium production resource. However, the co-extraction of vanadium and the degradation of resins are the major issues. Further investigations related to fundamental theory are needed. This paper reports the study of the adsorption properties of a strongly basic resin having a combination of one =NOH group and another active group -NH₂ for Ga(III) extraction. The influence of operational conditions such as contact time, initial Ga(III) concentration and temperature on Ga(III) adsorption were extensively investigated. The results revealed that the resin has high adsorption capacity and Ga(III) selectivity. The optimal adsorption condition was obtained at temperatures of 40–50°C and contact time of 40–60 min. The Ga(III) adsorption data on the resin fit well with the pseudo second-order kinetics. Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to describe Ga(III) adsorption isotherms on the resin.