The selective removal of Co(II) from Ni(II) by coprecipitation with manganese in ammoniacal solutions

The coprecipitation of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) with manganese in ammoniacal solutions has been studied. It was found that cobalt and nickel were precipitated with the aid of manganese at pH 9.3–10.2. However, the rate of precipitation of manganese was about five times that of cobalt. The recovery of these divalent ions by precipitation increased as the pH of the solution increased, while the selectivity of cobalt against nickel decreased with the increase of pH. The partial pressure of oxygen had also an important role in the precipitation of manganese and cobalt but little effect on the up-take of nickel. As the oxygen pressure increased, manganese and cobalt oxidized at a fast rate and the rate of coprecipitation of cobalt with manganese increased. Typically, more than 90% of cobalt was recovered readily by coprecipitation with manganese, while very little nickel was removed from the solution.