Recovery and separation of cobalt and nickel

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF RECOVERING COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES FROM AN AQUEOUS ACIDIC SOLUTION CONSISTING OF A SULFATE LEACH LIQUOR WHICH HAS BEEN FREED OF COPPER AND IRON VALUES AND CONTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY NO HEAVY METAL VALUES OTHER THAN COBALT AND NICKEL, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE CONTACTING THE SAID AQUEOUS ACIDIC SOLUTION WITH A CATION EXTRACTANT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SOLUTION OF AN OILSOLUBLE SULFONATED HYDROCARBON IN A NON-POLAR ORGANIC SOLVENT WHEREBY COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES ARE TAKEN UP BY THE EXTRACTANT; SEPARATING THE LOADED CALTION EXTRACTANT FROM THE AQUEOUS ACIDIC PHASE; CONTACTING THE LOADED CATION EXTRACTANT WITH AN AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION WHEREBY COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES ARE STRIPPED INTO THE AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION, SAID CHLORIDE SOLUTION CONTAINING ESSENTIALLY A CHLORIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID, SODIUM CHLORIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF; SEPARATING THE CATION EXTRACTANT AND THE AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION; ADJUSTING THE CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION OF THE AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION TO AT LEAST 3 MOLAR; CONTACTING THE AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION WITH AN ANION EXTRACTANT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A WATER-IMMISCIBLE MEDIUM HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN ABOUT 5 TO 50 VOLUME PERCENT OF THE HYDROCHLORIDE OF A SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-INSOLUBLE ALKYL AMINE CONTAINING ABOUT 7 TO 50 CARBON ATOMS AND A PK VALUE ABOVE ABOUT 10 SAID AMINE HYDROCHLORIDE HAVING A PARTITION CO-EFFICIENT FAVORABLE TO ITS RETENTION IN THE WATER-IMMMISCIBLE MEDIUM; AND SEPARATING THE ANION EXTRACTANT FROM THE AQUEOUS CHLORIDE SOLUTION.