Chromatographic Separation of Rare Earth Elements as MGDA Complexes on Anion Exchange Resins

Chromatographic separation of rare earth elements (REE) as anionic complexes with chelating aminopolycarboxylate ligand methylglycine N,N-diacetate (MGDA) was studied experimentally. A synthetic mixture La, Nd, and Eu were used to model a REE obtained from processed secondary sources such phosphogypsum (PG). In the extraction PG, REEs can be recovered MGDA obtain REE–MGDA mixture. Three strong base anion exchange resins (Dowex 1X8, IRA-402, IRA-410) materials. Successful by elution dilute HNO3 HCl attributed differences in stabilities complexes. The pKa values determined titration 3.81, 3.25, 2.96 for Eu, respectively. Fractionation ternary La-Nd-Eu (with 1:1:1 mole ratio) studied. La at approximately 80% purity yield, but trade-offs between yield Nd must made. found an efficient process option, considering its simplicity recovery several product fractions. initial design offers promising starting point investigating more advanced configurations pure phosphogypsum.