Separation of copper from cobalt

Claim 1

In a method for recovering cobalt and copper from an aqueous chloride solution having a minimum total chloride concentration of about 7N, and containing cobalt, copper and hydrochloric acid in which cobalt and copper are co-extracted by contacting said solution with a substantially water-immiscible organic solution containing a tertiary amine solvent which will extract anionic chloride complexes of cobalt and copper and cobalt is preferentially stripped from the so produced cobalt and copper-bearing organic solution by water or dilute chloride solution having a maximum total chloride concentration of 5N, thereby forming a cobalt eluate containing copper, the improvement for separating copper from cobalt comprising, i. dividing the water-immiscible organic solution into a first part and a second part, ii. co-extracting cobalt and copper into the first part thereby forming a first cobalt and copper-bearing organic solution, iii. preferentially extracting copper from the cobalt eluate containing copper into the second part, thereby forming a purified cobalt eluate and a second cobalt and copper-bearing organic solution, said cobalt eluate containing copper having a maximum chloride concentration of 5N, iv. combining the first and second cobalt and copper-bearing organic solutions thereby forming a combined loaded organic solution, v. preferentially stripping cobalt from the combined organic solution with an aqueous solution having a maximum chloride concentration of 4N, thereby forming the cobalt eluate containing copper and a cobalt-depleted organic solution, vi. stripping copper from the cobalt-depleted organic solution thereby forming a copper eluate and a stripped organic solution, and, vii. recycling the stripped organic solution.