Recycling of rayon industry effluent for the recovery and separation of Zn/Ca using Thiophosphinic extractant

In textile industries, waste effluent containing zinc is generated during the manufacture of rayon yarn from the wood pulp or cotton linters. Due to the strict environmental regulations and the presence of toxic metallic and other constituents, the discharge of industrial effluents in the sewage or disposal of solid sludge as landfill is restricted. Before recycling of zinc as zinc sulphate solution to the spinning-bath of the rayon manufacturing plant the zinc sulphate solution must be free from calcium, which is deleterious to the process as gypsum precipitates with the increase in concentration and forms scale in the bath. In the present work an attempt has been made to develop a process following solvent extraction technique using thiophosphinic extractants, Cyanex 272 and 302 modified with isodecanol and diluted in kerosene to recover zinc from rayon effluent. Various process parameters viz. extraction of zinc from different concentration of solution, distribution ratio, selective extraction, O/A ratio on extraction and stripping from the loaded organic, complex formation in the organic phase etc. have been studied to see the feasibility of the process. The extractant Cyanex 302 has been found selective for the recovery of 99.99% of zinc from the effluent above equilibrium pH 3.4 maintaining the O/A ratio of 1/30 leaving all the calcium in the raffinate. It selectively extracted zinc in the form of complex $[R_{2}Zn.3RH]_{org}$ and retained all the calcium in the aqueous raffinate. The zinc from the loaded Cyanex 302 can be stripped with 10% sulphuric acid at even O/A ratio of 10 without affecting the stripping efficiency. The stripped solution thus obtained could be recycled in the spinning bath of the rayon plant. The raffinate obtained after the recovery of zinc could be disposed safely without affacting environment.