Application of a Sulfur Removal Hydrometallurgical Process in a Lead-Acid Battery Recycling Plant in Costa Rica

This study presents the implementation of a desulphurization process for lead recycling under different chemical and physical conditions using pyro-metallurgical processes. Desulphurization was done using a hydrometallurgical process using sodium carbonate as a desulphurization agent and different lead-bearing loads compositions. Waste characterization included: SO2 concentrations in the stack emissions, total lead content in the furnace ash, the total lead content in the slag, and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). A significant reduction in SO2 emissions was achieved (~55% reduction) where mean SO2 concentrations changed from 2193 ± 135 ppm to 1006 ± 62 ppm after the implementation of the modified processes. The desulfurized lead paste (i.e. the metallic fraction lead of the battery) of the modified process exhibited an improvement in the concentration of the lead in the TCLP test, with an average value of 1.5 ppm which is below US EPA limit of 5 ppm. The traditional process TCLP mean value for the TCLP was 54.2 ppm. The total lead content in the bag house ashes shows not significant variations, when comparing the desulphurization (67.6% m/m) and non-desulphurization process (64.9% m/m). The total lead mean content in the slag was higher in the desulphurization process (2.49% m/m) than the traditional process (1.91% m/m). Overall, the implementation of a new desulphurization method would potentially increase the operation costs in 10.3%. At the light of these results, a combination of hydrometallurgical and pyro-metallurgical processes in the recycling of lead-acid batteries can be used to reduce the environmental impact of these industries but would increase the operational costs of small lead recyclers.

Hydrometallurgy two stage process for preparation of (Nd,La,Ce)_(2)O_(3) from end-of-life NiMH batteries

The present work aims to investigate the recovery of light rare earth elements(LREEs) oxides from end-oflife NiMH batteries using a hydro metallurgical process followed by effective precipitation.The operational leaching parameters such as phosphoric acid concentration,temperature,and the solid-liquid ratio were first optimized by Box-Behnken design.The results reveal that under optimum conditions([H_(3)PO_(4)]=2 mol/L,T=80℃,and S/L=1:10 g/mL) the leaching efficiencies of Ni,Co reach 98.1% and99.3%.While La,Ce,and Nd elements remain in the leaching residue as(La,Ce,Nd)PO_(4) with yields of 98.2%,98.6%,and 99.6% for La,Ce,and Nd,respectively.Afterward,the(La,Ce,Nd)PO_(4) is leached with HCl acid,then the rare earth oxalate was precipitated using oxalic acid at a pH of 1.8 and then the product was calcined at 800℃ for 2 h in order to synthesize the(Nd,La,Ce)_(2)O_(3).The analysis using scanning electron microscopy(SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX) confirms the homogeneity of(Nd,La,Ce)_(2)O_(3) particles that have two morphologies,i.e.,flower and sticks with a particle size between 3and 6 μm.The unit cell parameters of(Nd,La,Ce)_(2)O_(3) were calculated after Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns,in the space group of Fm-3m are a=b=c=0.57921 nm and the volume equal to 0.194322 nm^(3).

A hydrometallurgical method of energy saving type for separation of rare earth elements from rare earth polishing powder wastes with middle fraction of ceria

This study described a hydrometallurgical method to investigate the separation of rare earth elements（REEs）from rare earth polishing powder wastes（REPPWs）containing large amounts of rare earth oxides with a major phase of CeO2 and minor phases of La2O3,Pr2O3,and Nd2O3 using a process devised by the authors.The suggested approach consisted of five processes：the synthesis of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O from rare earth oxides in Na2SO4-H2SO4-H2 O solutions（Process 1）,the conversion of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O into RE（OH）3 using NaO H（Process 2）,and the oxidation of Ce（OH）3 into Ce（OH）4 using air with O2 injection（Process 3）,followed by Processes 4 and 5 for separation of REEs by acid leaching using HCl and H2SO4,respectively.To confirm the high yield of NaR E（SO4）2·xH2O in Process 1,experiments were carried out under various Na2SO4 concentrations（0.4–2.5 mol/L）,sulfuric acid concentrations（6–14 mol/L）,and reaction temperatures（95–125 oC）.In addition,the effect of the pH value on the separation of Ce（OH）4 in HCl-H2 O solutions with Ce（OH）4,La-,Pr-,and Nd（OH）3 in Process 4 was also investigated.On the basis of above results,the possibility of effective separation of REEs from REPPWs could be confirmed.

Recent advances in the recovery of transition metals from spent hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Hydrodesulfurization(HDS)catalysts are widely used in petrochemical industries,playing a crucial role in desulfurization process to get high-quality oil.The generation of Al-based spent HDS catalyst is estimated to be 1.2×105 tons per year around the world.The spent HDS catalysts have been regarded as an important secondary resource due to their abundant output,considerable metal value,and regeneration potential;however,if improperly handled,it would severely pollute the environment due to high content of heavy metals.Thus,the recovery of valuable metals from spent HDS catalysts is of great importance from both resource utilization and environmental protection points of view.In this work,recent advances in the spent HDS catalyst treatment technologies have been reviewed,focusing on the recovery of valuable transition metals and environmental impacts.Finally,typical commercial processes have been discussed,providing in-depth information for peer researchers to facilitate their future research work in designing more effective and environmentally friendly recycling processes.