Environmental availability and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in zinc leaching residue

Four different methods,namely mineralogical analysis,three-stage BCR sequential extraction procedure,dynamic leaching test and Hakanson Potential Ecological Risk Index Method were used to access the environmental activity and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in zinc leaching residue.The results demonstrate that the environmental activity of heavy metals declines in the following order：CdZnCuAsPb.Potential ecological risk indices for single heavy metal are CdZnCuAsPb.Cd has serious potential ecological risk to the ecological environment and contributes most to the potential toxicity response indices for various heavy metals in the residue.

Technological mineralogy and environmental activity of zinc leaching residue from zinc hydrometallurgical process

Chemical, physical, structural and morphological properties of zinc leaching residue were examined by the combination of various detection means such as AAS, XRF, XRD, M？ssbauer spectrometry, SEM-EDS, TG-DSC, XPS and FTIR. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure （TCLP） was used to investigate the environmental activity of zinc leaching residue for a short contact time. The phase composition analysis indicated that the zinc leaching residue mainly consists of super refined flocculent particles including zinc ferrite, sulfate and silicate. The physical structural analysis showed that it has a thermal instability and strong water absorption properties. The results of TCLP indicated that the amounts of Zn and Cd in the leaching solution exceed 40 and 90 times of limit, respectively, which demonstrate that this residue is unstable in weak acidic environment for a short contact time.

Selective reduction process of zinc ferrite and its application in treatment of zinc leaching residues

The traditional zinc hydro-metallurgy generates a large amount of zinc ferrite residue rich in valuable metals. The separation of iron is crucial for resource recycling of valuable metals in zinc ferrite residue. A novel selective reduction roasting？leaching process was proposed to separate zinc and iron from zinc leaching residue which contains zinc ferrite. The thermodynamic analysis was employed to determine the predominant range of Fe3O4 and ZnO during reduction roasting process of zinc ferrite. Based on the result of thermodynamic calculation, we found thatV（CO）/V（CO＋CO2） ratio is a key factor determining the phase composition in the reduction roasting product of zinc ferrite. In the range ofV（CO）/V（CO＋CO2） ratio between 2.68% and 36.18%, zinc ferrite is preferentially decomposed into Fe3O4 and ZnO. Based on thermogravimetric （TG） analysis, the optimal conditions for reduction roasting of zinc ferrite are determined as follows： temperature 700？750 °C, volume fraction of CO 6% and V（CO）/V（CO＋CO2） ratio 30%. Based on the above results, zinc leaching residue rich in zinc ferrite was roasted and the roasted product was leached by acid solution. It is found that zinc extraction rate in zinc leaching residue reaches up to 70% and iron extraction rate is only 18.4%. The result indicates that zinc and iron can be effectively separated from zinc leaching residue.

Reductive acid leaching of cadmium from zinc neutral leaching residue using hydrazine sulfate

Zinc neutral leaching residue（ZNLR） from hydrometallurgical zinc smelting processing can be determined as hazardous intermediate containing considerable amounts of Cd and Zn which have great threats to the environment. The ZNLR contained approximately 35.99% Zn, 15.93% Fe and 0.26% Cd, and Cd mainly existed as ferrites in the ZNLR in this research. Reductive acid leaching of ZNLR was investigated. The effects of hydrazine sulfate concentration, initial sulfuric acid concentration, temperature, duration and liquid-to-solid ratio on the extraction of Cd, Zn and Fe were examined. The extraction efficiencies of Cd, Zn and Fe reached 90.81%, 95.83% and 94.19%, respectively when the leaching parameters were fixed as follows： hydrazine sulfate concentration, 33.3 g/L; sulfuric acid concentration, 80 g/L; temperature, 95 °C; duration of leaching, 120 min; liquid-to-solid ratio, 10 m L/g and agitation, 400 r/min. XRD and SEM-EDS analyses of the leaching residue confirmed that lead sulfate（Pb SO4） and hydrazinium zinc sulfate（（N2H5）2Zn（SO4）2） were the main phases remaining in the reductive leaching residue.

Leaching and recovery of zinc from leaching residue of zinc calcine based on membrane filter press

The feasibility of leaching and recovery of zinc from zinc leaching residue （ZLR） based on a membrane filter press （MFP） was investigated. Experimental results show that zinc calcines with particle sizes of less than 106 μm and chambers of widths of 30 mm are appropriate for establishing uniform filter cakes to obtain acceptable leaching and recovery results. The leaching of zinc from ZLR performed via washing at 90 to 96 ℃ for 90 min with spent electrolyte using a MFP results in a zinc extraction rate of 97%, and almost all of the zinc leached are recovered after water washing with MFP, thereby avoiding any loss in the ZLR. Compared with the traditional hot concentrated acid leaching process, the process based on MFP as a leaching reactor is able not only to ensure a high extraction rate but also to reduce the leaching time. Moreover, the thickening, pulping, second leaching, washing, filtering and pressing could be integrated and realized using a single MFP.

Sulfidation roasting of zinc leaching residue with pyrite for recovery of zinc and iron

Zinc leaching residue(ZLR) contains high content of valuable metals such as zinc and iron. However, zinc and iron mainly exist in the form of zinc ferrite, which are difficult to separate and recover. This study proposed a new process involving sulfidation roasting, magnetic separation and flotation to recover zinc and iron in ZLR. Through sulfidation roasting of ZLR with pyrite, zinc and iron were converted into ZnS and Fe3 O4. The effects of pyrite dosage, roasting temperature and roasting time on the sulfidation of zinc in ZLR were investigated. The results showed that the sulfidation percentage of zinc reached 91.8% under the optimum condition. Besides, it was found that ball-milling was favorable for the separation and recovery of zinc and iron in sulfidation products. After ball-milling pretreatment, iron and zinc were enriched from sulfidation products by magnetic separation and flotation. The grade of iron in magnetic concentrates was 52.3% and the grade of zinc in flotation concentrates was 31.7%, which realized the recovery of resources.

Recovery of valuable metals from zinc leaching residue by sulfate roasting and water leaching

Zinc leaching residue(ZLR),produced from traditional zinc hydrometallurgy process,is not only a hazardous waste but also a potential valuable solid.The combination of sulfate roasting and water leaching was employed to recover the valuable metals from ZLR.The ZLR was initially roasted with ferric sulfate at640°C for1h with ferric sulfate/zinc ferrite mole ratio of1.2.In this process,the valuable metals were efficiently transformed into water soluble sulfate,while iron remains as ferric oxide.Thereafter,water leaching was conducted to extract the valuable metals sulfate for recovery.The recovery rates of zinc,manganese,copper,cadmium and iron were92.4%,93.3%,99.3%,91.4%and1.1%,respectively.A leaching toxicity test for ZLR was performed after water leaching.The results indicated that the final residue was effectively detoxified and all of the heavy metal leaching concentrations were under the allowable limit.

Leaching of lead from zinc leach residue in acidic calcium chloride aqueous solution

A process with potentially reduced environmental impacts and occupational hazards of lead-bearing zinc plant residue was studied to achieve a higher recovery of lead via a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process. This paper describes an optimization study on the leaching of lead from zinc leach residue using acidic calcium chloride aqueous solution. Six main process conditions, i.e., the solution pH value, stirring rate, concentration of CaC12 aqueous solution, liquid-to-solid （L/S） ratio, leaching temperature, and leaching time, were inves- tigated. The microstructure and components of the residue and tailing were characterized using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. On the basis of experimental results, the optimum reaction conditions were determined to be a solution pH value of 1, a stirring rate of 500 r·min-1, a CaC12 aqueous solution concentration of 400 g·L-1, a liquid-to-solid mass ratio of 7：1, a leaching tempera- ture of 80℃, and a leaching time of 45 min. The leaching rate of lead under these conditions reached 93.79%, with an iron dissolution rate of 19.28%. Silica did not take part in the chemical reaction during the leaching process and was accumulated in the residue.

Reaction behaviors of Pb and Zn sulfates during reduction roasting of Zn leaching residue and flotation of artificial sulfide minerals

To evaluate the feasibility of recovering Pb and Zn sulfides and Ag-containing minerals from Zn leaching residue by the process of reduction roasting followed by flotation,the reaction behaviors of Pb and Zn sulfates during this process were investigated.Chemical analysis showed that the transformation ratios of PbSO4 and ZnSO4 could reach 65.51%and 52.12%,respectively,after reduction roasting,and the introduction of a sulfidation agent could improve the transformation ratios of these sulfates.scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy(SEM-EDS)revealed that temperature obviously affects the particle size,crystal growth,and morphology of the artificial Pb and Zn sulfide minerals.Particle size analysis demonstrated that the particle size of the materials increases after roasting.Flotation tests revealed that a flotation concentrate composed of 12.01wt%Pb,27.78wt%Zn,and 6.975×10^(−2)wt%Ag with recoveries of 60.54%,29.24%,and 57.64%,respectively,could be obtained after roasting.

Physicochemical and environmental characteristics of alkali leaching residue of wolframite and process for valuable metals recovery

Physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics of an alkali leaching residue of wolframite were studied by XRD,SEM−EDS,chemical phase analysis,mineral liberation analyzer(MLA),and TG−DSC methods.Batch leaching tests,toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP)tests and Chinese standard leaching tests(CSLT)were conducted to determine the environmental mobility of toxic elements.The results show that,due to the high contents of W,Fe,Mn,Sn,and Nb,the residue is with high resource value,but the content of a toxic element,As,is also high.The existing minerals of the investigated elements mainly occur as monomer particles,but it is difficult to extract these valuable metals by conventional acid leaching due to their mineral properties.The release of As increases over time in acidic environment.The leaching concentration of all investigated harmful elements through TCLP is within the limiting value,while the leaching concentration of As through CSLT exceeds the limiting value by more than 4 times,so the residue is classified as hazardous solid waste based on the Chinese standard.A process for valuable metals recovery from this residue was proposed.Preliminary experimental results indicated that the main valuable metals could be extracted effectively.

Research on the development of resource of zinc leaching residue process and the implementation of the environment friendly system

In this paper, we conduct research on the development trend of Zinc leaching residue and the construction of environment friendly system. To further strengthen concentration degree of the chemical industry, improve the production efficiency and utilization rate of emissions, realize the comprehensive utilization of energy development and the green development. In China＇ s zinc smelting industry, the use of most of the zinc smelting raw materials contain a small amount of the cobalt, zinc in the process of leaching into the zinc sulfate solution, as a harmful effect of the zinc impurities. For zinc sulfate leaching solution cobalt purification, most of the factories are using zinc powder replacement purification method, the output of the purification of zinc slag in the vast majority of zinc with small part of cadmium and a small amount of nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and so on. This paper proposes the novel systematic method of the Zinc leaching residue re-use that will promote the further development of the green industry.

Effect of mechanical activation on dissolution kinetics of neutral leach residue of zinc calcine in sulphuric acid

Neutral leach residue of zinc calcine （NLRZC） was mechanically activated by a stirring ball mill. Subsequently, the changes in physicochemical properties and dissolution kinetics in sulphuric acid were studied. The crystalline structure, morphology, particle size and specific surface area of the non-activated and mechanically activated NLRZC were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, particle size analyzer and volumetric adsorption analyzer, respectively. The characterization results indicate that mechanical activation （MA） induced remarkable changes in the physicochemical properties of NLRZC. The leaching experiments show that MA significantly enhances the leaching reactivity of NLRZC using the zinc extraction as evaluating index. After NLRZC is mechanically activated for 30 min and 60 min, the activation energy decreases from 56.6 kJ/mol of non-activated NLRZC to 36.1 kJ/mol and 29.9 kJ/mol, respectively. The reaction orders of the non-activated, 30 and 60 min activated NLRZC dissolution with respect to H2SO4 concentration were found to be 0.34, 0.30, and 0.29, respectively.

Enhanced recovery of zinc and lead by slag composition optimization in rotary kiln

High-efficiency recovery of Zn and Pb from silicon-rich zinc leaching residues is realized in a rotary kiln.Characterizations by means of XRD,SEM,EDS and ICP reveal that the leaching residue contains 12.4 wt.%SiO_(2),16.1 wt.%Zn,and 7.4 wt.%Pb.Thermodynamic analysis shows that metallic vapor of Zn and Pb can be easily generated from the zinc leaching residue at 1150-1250°C inside the rotary kiln.Viscosities and melting points of 13 slag compositions were analyzed and three slag compositions(47wt.%SiO_(2)-23wt.%CaO-30wt.%FeO,40wt.%SiO_(2)-28wt.%CaO-32wt.%FeO,and 40wt.%SiO_(2)-30wt.%CaO-30wt.%FeO)possessed the desirable physical properties,with the melting point and viscosity in the range of 1150-1280°C and 0.2-0.5 Pa·s,respectively.The industrial tests show that adopting the optimized slag composition can contribute to very high recovery rates of Zn and Pb(97.3%for Zn and 94.5%for Pb),corresponding to slags with very low average contents of Zn and Pb(0.51 wt.%Zn and 0.45 wt.%Pb).The National-Standard leaching tests of the water-quenched slags result in 1.82 mg/L Zn,~0.01 mg/L Cu,0.0004 mg/L As,~0.01 mg/L Cd,0.08 mg/L Pb,and~0.02 mg/L Hg in the leachate,verifying the detoxification of the zinc leaching residue at the same time.

Developing laterite nickel ore leaching residue as sustainable blast furnace charge

A kind of leaching residue generated during high pressure acid leaching of laterite nickel ore is creatively prepared as blast furnace charge for ironmaking.Results show that the briquettes with uniform shape,compressive strength higher than 72.3 N/pellet,and cracking temperature over 400℃can be obtained by the non-binder briquetting with water content of 12.2 wt.%and pressure of 30 MPa.After preheating at 975℃for 12 min and roasting at 1225℃for 15 min,the strength of the roasted briquettes can reach 2815 N/pellet,and the iron grade is 59.27 wt.%.And the sulfur content can be simultaneously reduced to 0.067 wt.%.The obtained briquettes achieve adequate reducibility index,reduction degradation index,reduction swelling index,softening and melting temperatures,which are suitable for blast furnace ironmaking.The results show that this method cannot only effectively treat the leaching residue to reduce the risk of environmental pollution,but also realize the utilization of leaching residue.

Fundamental studies for high temperature processing of tungsten leaching residues for alloy formation

The first step in the production of tungsten is to enrich tungsten from two minerals wolframite((Fe,Mn)WO_(4))and scheelite(CaWO_(4))through the leaching process.The leaching residue usually contains a certain amount(2-5 wt%)of WO_(3) which is higher than that in the tungsten ore(generally less than 1 wt%).In addition,the leaching residue may also consist of other valuable elements such as Cu,Ta,Nb,Sn,Sc,Mn and Fe.Understanding the phases and their compositions present in the residue is one of the key steps for the efficient utilization.The typical residue sample is carefully analysed by electron probe X-ray microanalysis and X-ray fluorescence.A high-temperature process,which includes pre-reduction at 1000-1100℃and smelting reduction at 1450-1500℃,is proposed to efficiently recover the valuable elements.Experimental work and thermo-dynamic calculations confirmed that most of the valuable elements can be economically recovered with optimum conditions.

Distribution and leaching characteristics of trace elements in ashes as a function of different waste fuels and incineration technologies

Impact of waste fuels（virgin/waste wood, mixed biofuel（peat, bark, wood chips） industrial,household, mixed waste fuel） and incineration technologies on partitioning and leaching behavior of trace elements has been investigated. Study included 4 grate fired and 9 fluidized boilers. Results showed that mixed waste incineration mostly caused increased transfer of trace elements to fly ash; particularly Pb/Zn. Waste wood incineration showed higher transfer of Cr,As and Zn to fly ash as compared to virgin wood. The possible reasons could be high input of trace element in waste fuel/change in volatilization behavior due to addition of certain waste fractions. The concentration of Cd and Zn increased in fly ash with incineration temperature.Total concentration in ashes decreased in order of Zn 〉 Cu 〉 Pb 〉 Cr 〉 Sb 〉 As 〉 Mo. The concentration levels of trace elements were mostly higher in fluidized boilers fly ashes as compared to grate boilers（especially for biofuel incineration）. It might be attributed to high combustion efficiency due to pre-treatment of waste in fluidized boilers. Leaching results indicated that water soluble forms of elements in ashes were low with few exceptions.Concentration levels in ash and ash matrix properties（association of elements on ash particles）are crucial parameters affecting leaching. Leached amounts of Pb, Zn and Cr in 〉50% of fly ashes exceeded regulatory limit for disposal. 87% of chlorine in fly ashes washed out with water at the liquid to solid ratio 10 indicating excessive presence of alkali metal chlorides/alkaline earths.