Analysis of Extraction Separation and Chromatographic Separation in a Cascade of Mixer–Settler Extractors

In a cascade of mixer–settler extractors, both countercurrent extraction process and chromatographic process can be performed. In the chromatographic mode, the organic phase is not removed from the extractors, but circulates between the mixing and settling zones in each unit. In this work, a theoretical analysis was made of the separation in a cascade of mixer–settler extractors in the liquid–liquid chromatography process and the countercurrent liquid extraction process. Conventional chromatographic separation processes and processes with the recycle of the aqueous phase were considered. The prospects of using the principles of chromatography in extraction technologies to obtain pure and ultrapure products on an industrial scale were shown.