Extraction of Germanium by the AOT Microemulsion with N235 System

The extraction of germanium to a W/O microemulsion by the combination with an anionic surfactant and an amine extractant was studied. In the AOT/n-butanol/n-heptane/Na2SO4/N235 system, AOT was used as an anionic surfactant to form a microemulsion in n-heptane, n-butanol was injected in the microemulsion as a cosurfactant to enhance the stability, and N235 was a typical extractant in the system. The microemulsion system without N235 showed poor extractability and stability. However, by adding N235, the extraction efficiency (E%) can be more than 99%, and the stability of the microemulsion extremely enhanced. The influences of the concentration of cosurfactant, temperature, pH of the feed solution, and composition of the feed solution on the extraction efficiency (E%) were verified.