THE EXTRACTANT NEW, USEFUL FOR EXTRACTING RARE EARTH OF A PHOSPHORIC ACID AQUEOUS SOLUTION, AND AP

A new extractant which makes it possible to extract both light rare earths and heavy rare earths from an aqueous phosphoric acid solution, likely to be present in this solution, and which is characterised in that it comprises : —a compound of formula (I) below : wherein R1 and R2, identical or different, are a hydrocarbon group, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, in C6 to C12; R3 is a hydrocarbon group, in C1 to C6, or a hydrocarbon group, saturated or unsaturated, monocyclic, in C3 to C8; R4 and R5, identical or different, are a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbonate group, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, in C2 to C8; and—a surfactant. It also relates to the applications of this new extractant : treatment of aqueous solutions from the leaching of natural phosphates by sulphuric acid and aqueous solutions from the leaching of urban minerals by phosphoric acid, in view of making profitable use of the rare earths present in these solutions.