Selective extraction equilibria of Sc(III), Y(III), Fe(III) and Al(III) from acidic media with toluene mixture of deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of TOPO and isostearic acid.

A deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of isostearic acid and TOPO was newly found out and investigated for selective recovery of scandium. The four elements used in this study are scandium, iron, yttrium, and aluminum. It was difficult to separate the four elements owing to the overlap of extraction behavior when isostearic acid or TOPO alone in toluene was used, respectively.