Recovery of Gallium from Bayer Liquor Using Chelating Resins in Fixed-Bed Columns

In recent times, resins with chelating ligands (hydroxamic acids, in particular) have received considerable attention owing to their selective adsorption of gallium from sodium aluminate liquor, commonly known as Bayer liquor. This paper deals with the synthesis of a chelating ion-exchange resin as well as the studies carried out on the resin to ascertain its loading capacity for gallium, kinetics, stability toward acid and alkali besides its recyclability. The paper also gives a description of the ion-exchange cycle besides the design of a laboratory-scale column which shall yield data applicable to the designing of commercial units.