Leaching kinetics of selenium from copper anode slimes by nitric acid-sulfuric acid mixture

The leaching kinetics of selenium from copper anode slimes was studied in a nitric acid?sulfuric acid mixture.The effects of main parameters on selenium leaching showed that the leaching rate of selenium was practically independent of stirring speed,while dependent on temperature and the concentrations of HNO3and H2SO4.The leaching of selenium includes two stages.The activation energy in the first stage is103.5kJ/mol,and the chemical reaction is the rate controlling step.It was almost independent of H2SO4concentration and dependent on HNO3concentration since the empirical reaction order with respect to HNO3concentration is0.5613.In the second stage,the activation energy is30.6kJ/mol,and the process is controlled by a mixture of diffusion and chemical reaction.The leaching of selenium was almost independent of HNO3concentration.

Synthesis and Properties of the Composite Sorbents on the Basis of Alumosilicates Separated from the Clay-Salt slimes

The composite sorbent, including an active inorganic component （alumosilicates derived from clay-salt slimes） in the quantity of more than 80 mas.% and the polymer binder （polyacrylamide） was obtained. The influences of various factors on its sorption and mechanical properties were studied. It is established that the content of polyacrylamide in the composite sorbent should be in the range of 10-15 mas.%. It is shown that quasi-equilibrium of ^137Cs in the system ＂sorbent-solution＂ is reached within 80 rain. The distribution coefficient （Kd） is 2.4× 10^4 cm^3/g. The obtained data of kinetic parameters （diffusion coefficient and sorption during half-time） show that the received sorbent can be referred to sorbents with high rate of ^137Cs sorption.

Dolochar as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes

The present investigation examines the viability of dolochar, a sponge iron industry waste material, as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes, which are another waste generated by iron ore beneficiation plants. Under statistically determined optimum conditions, which include a temperature of 900°C, a reductant-to-feed mass ratio of 0.35, and a reduction time of 30–45 min, the roasted mass, after being subjected to low-intensity magnetic separation, yielded an iron ore concentrate of approximately 64 wt% Fe at a mass recovery of approximately 71% from the feed iron ore slime assaying 56.2 wt% Fe. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the magnetic products contain magnetite and hematite as the major phases, whereas the nonmagnetic fractions contain quartz and hematite.

Comparison of mechanical and column flotation performances on recovery of phosphate slimes in presence of nano-microbubbles

Fine particle flotation has been one of the main problems in many mineral processing plants.The bubble particle collision rate is very low for fine particles,which reduces flotation efficiency.Also,the existence of slimes is,generally,detrimental to the flotation process,affecting the selectivity and the quality of the concentrates.Besides,it causes an increase in reagents consumption.Hence,in most of processing plants,some of these particles are transmitted to the tailing ponds to reduce the effects of these problems and increase the selectivity of the process.Esfordi phosphate plant in Iran loses more than 30%of its capacity as particles with d 80 finer than 30μm.These fine particles with 15.9%P_(2)O_(5)content are transferred to tailing dam.Processing of fine particles is very important for phosphate industry from economic and environmental aspects.This study addressed the processing of fine tailings(slimes)from a phosphate ore concentrator via flotation,despite the traditional view that ultrafine particles do not float.Phosphate flotation performances in the presence and absence of nanobubbles(NBs)in both mechanical and column cells were compared according to the metallurgical results of the process.NBs(generated by hydrodynamic cavitation)have interesting and exclusive properties such as high stability,durability and high surface area per volume,leading to increase of their utilization in mining-metallurgy and environmental areas.The results of this study revealed that,in the absence of NBs,a concentrate containing 26.9%P_(2)O_(5)with a recovery of 29.13%was obtained using mechanical cells in comparison to 31.6%P_(2)O_(5)with a recovery of 32.74%obtained using column flotation.In the presence of NBs,the recoveries of the concentrate of the mechanical and column flotation increased to 40.49%and 41.26%with 28.47%and 30.43%P_(2)O_(5)contents,respectively.Comparative study showed that the column flotation was almost more efficient for processing the phosphate ore in the presence of the NBs,and had thicker froth layer compared to the mechanical flotation.

Flocculation of the Moroccan phosphates slimes

In Morocco, the phosphate industry generates by washing during the ore beneficiation in humid way, big quantities of sludge loaded in fine mineral particles （or slimes） with contents of water in the order of 90-95%. The specific consumption in water for the beneficiation of one tone of dry ore is approximately 0.6 m3. The management of this sludge and the recycling of process water are played to a schema of solid-liquid separation by flocculation, settling then stocking in basins of several dozens hectares. Recovered clear waters are recycled into the circuit of washing. The principal motivation of this work which is a part of EL MAA project is dedicated to the study of the impact of the speed of agitation on the flocculation behavior in terms of dewatering of the phosphate slimes and recycling of the process water. Study was driven on sample of slimes taken in entrance of the thickeners of a Moroccan washing plants, before flocculation. The raw slimes have a concentration in solid of 75.5 g·L^-1, a P205 grade of 17.3% and a free settling velocity 9 cm·h^-1. Fine fraction -2 μm, responsible for the poor settling of slimes is composed in practice of nearly 96% of smectite. It represents 9% of the dry solid content in the slimes. Measurements reveal important variations of the granulometric and textural properties of large floes in response to flocculation, opening ways of optimization for the velocity gradient.

Effects of anode slime removing by Fe^(2+)dissolution method on electrochemical properties of Pb−0.6%Ag anode and zinc electrowinning

Fe^(2+)dissolution method and manual method were used to remove the anode slime and their effects on properties of cast Pb−0.6wt.%Ag anode and zinc electrowinning were compared.The results reveal that the Fe^(2+)dissolution method can avoid mechanical damage to the oxide film layer on the anode surface,which cannot be achieved by traditional manual method.This can lower the anode corrosion rate by 57.14%,thus reducing Pb contamination in electrolyte and zinc products.Meanwhile,compared with manual method,Fe^(2+)dissolution method can significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity of the anode and lower the initial power consumption of zinc electrowinning to 2720 kW·h/t after removing anode slime.

Removal and stabilization of arsenic from anode slime by forming crystal scorodite

A process was proposed for removing and stabilizing arsenic(As) from anode slime. The anode slime with high arsenic concentration was pretreated by circular alkaline leaching process. Then, the arsenic in the leaching solution can be further precipitated as a form of scorodite crystalline(FeAsO4·2H2O). In the precipitating arsenic reaction, in which ferrous ions were oxidized by air gas, the effects of acidity(p H), reaction temperature, air flow rate, initial concentration of arsenic and initial molar ratio of Fe(II) to As(V) on arsenic precipitation were investigated. The results showed that sufficiently stable crystal scorodite could be achieved under the condition of initial arsenic concentration of 10 g/L, pH 3.0-4.0, Fe/As molar ratio of 1.5, the temperature of 80-95 °C, and the air flow rate higher than 120 L/h. Under the optimal condition, more than 78% of arsenic could be precipitated as a form of scorodite crystalline. The As leaching concentration of the precipitates was less than 2.0 mg/L and the precipitates may be considered to be safe for disposal.

Sequential removal of selenium and tellurium from copper anode slime with high nickel content

A process using soda roasting-alkaline leaching-acid leaching to remove selenium, tellurium and copper sequentially from the copper anode slime with high content of Ni was tested. The mechanism of this process was outlined based on thermodynamic analysis and the change in the XRD patterns of different intermediate products. During soda roasting, copper which occurs as Cu4SeTe in the slime was oxidized to CuO and Cu3TeO6, while selenium and tellurium were oxidized to Ag2SeO4 and Cu3TeO6, respectively. Ag2SeO4 in the calcine is easily leached in the subsequent alkaline leaching, but CuTeO3 resulted from the decomposition of CCu3TeO6 remains inactive in this process through which selenium is leached out in preference to tellurium. The CuTeO3 and Cu O in the alkaline leaching residue can be leached in the following sulfuric acid leaching process. More than 97% of selenium was leached with little tellurium leached under the optimal condition. Then, more than 96% of copper and almost all the tellurium were leached out in the following acid leaching process.

Occurrence of lead and silver minerals and their interaction with xanthate in slurry of zinc electrolysis anode slime

The background pulp potential of zinc anode slime,and its influence on the occurrence of lead,silver and xanthate,were investigated with thermodynamic method.The thermodynamic conclusion and XRD analysis pointed out that in zinc anode slime,the thermodynamically stable compound of xanthate is dixanthogen,anglesite is the only mineral of lead,and kerargyrite is one of silver minerals occurring.Microflotation tests on single minerals of anglesite and kerargyrite in sulfuric acid solution by amyl dixanthogen indicated that dixanthogen has a much stronger collecting ability to kerargyrite than to anglesite.Molecular dynamic simulation indicated that amyl dixanthogen can only be adsorbed on the surface of kerargyrite in the presence of SO42-.The FTIR tests also verified the selective adsorption of amyl dixanthogen on the surface of kerargyrite in the presence of SO42-.

Extended DLVO theory applied to coal slime-water suspensions

Coal slimes are mainly composed of coal and clay particles.The interaction energies among these particles were calculated using extended DLVO(DERJAGUIN-LANDAU-VERWEY-OVERBEEK)theory and the aggregation mechanisms were analyzed based on the settling experiments for coal-kaolinite and coal-montmorillonite suspensions,respectively,under different conditions of water hardness.The results indicate that for coal-kaolinite suspensions,as the water hardness reaches 10.0mol/L,the coal particles aggregate with each other easily,and then,the coal particles may aggregate with kaolinite particles.However,no aggregation occurs between kaolinite particles.A clay platelet network is formed in coal-montmorillonite suspensions by montmorillonite particles and coal particles are captured into the network.Coal and montmorillonite particles settle completely.

Recovery of Iron Ore Tailings by Column Flotation

The exploration of iron ore in small mining companies results in a large amount of unrecovered fine material, representing 35% of the run of mine. Millions of tons of useful minerals are discarded every year into tailings, incurring operation costs, raising production losses and environmental impact. In addition to the disposal of 300 t/h of this material, millions of tons are already stored in tailings. CDTN carried out a study of the process in a column flotation pilot plant installed in the mining facilities with a slime sample, with a view to recovering this sludge using the reverse flotation technique. The aim of this experiment was to obtain a final concentrate whose Fe content assigned 66% with a SiO2 content below 0.8% and P lower than 0.03%. The results showed that the ultrafine flotation is an economical alternative if the improvement of the recovery in the mineral sector is concerned. Ultrafine flotation can also be assessed when dealing with reduction and treatment of effluent discharged in the environment.

Recovery of Iron Bearing Minerals from Beneficiation Plant 2 Thickner Underflow of JSW Steel Limited

To identify and establish beneficiation techniques for slime, a comprehensive research work was carried out on beneficiation plant 2 thickener underflow (Tailing). Iron ore slimes (-45 micron ~80.0%) generated at beneficiation plant 2 assaying 46.7% Fe, 10.82% SiO2, and 4.58% Al2O3 have been subjected to various beneficiation studies like cyclone, wet high intensity magnetic separator and flotation to recover the iron bearing minerals. The effects of different operating parameters have been studied to get a product suitable for pellet making. Detailed beneficiation studies indicate that it is possible to obtain a product containing 61.8% to 66.6% Fe, 1.80% to 3.35% SiO2, and 1.65% to 2.40% Al2O3 with 8.0% to 22.3% weight recovery by adopting de-sliming followed by magnetic separation. Within this product grade range the pellet grade fines (JSW norms-minimum 63.0% Fe) consist of 63.0% Fe, 2.97% SiO2 and 2.48% Al2O3 with 16.9% weight recovery and 56.9% Fe recovery at 0.5 Tesla magnetic field intensity, pulsation rate 230 rpm and 2 min residence time.

Effects of clay and calcium ions on coal flotation

The microflotation of three single minerals,mixed coal–kaolinite and mixed coal–montmorillonite were examined to study the effects of clay and calcium ions on coal flotation.The results show that the ash content of flotation concentrate increases by 3%in the presence of clay minerals,and the ash content would further increase by 3%in co-presence of clay minerals and high concentration of Ca2+.Scanning electron microscope(SEM)images and elemental spectrum analysis indicate that fne clay particles that coat on the coal surface,which is called slime coating,can affect the coal flotation.The slime coating would be induced much more easily in the presence of Ca2+.

Optimization on selenium and arsenic conversion from copper anode slime by low-temperature alkali fusion process

A process was proposed to convert and separate selenium and arsenic in copper anode slime(CAS) by low-temperature alkali fusion process.Central composite design was employed to optimize the effective parameters,in which Na OH/CAS mass ratio,fusion temperature and fusion time were selected as variables,and the conversion ratio of selenium and arsenic as responses.Second-order polynomial models of high significance and 3D response surface plots were constructed to show the relationship between the responses and the variables.Optimum area of >90% selenium conversion ratio and >90% arsenic conversion ratio was obtained by the overlaid contours at Na OH/CAS mass ratio of 0.65-0.75,fusion temperature of 803-823 K and fusion time of 20-30 min.The models are validated by experiments in the optimum area,and the results demonstrate that these models are reliable and accurate in predicting the fusion process.

Optimum conditions to treat high-concentration microparticle slime water with bioflocculants

We studied how bioflocculants,produced by white-rot fungi,affect flocculation in slime water.Based on a test in an orthogonal design,flocculation conditions were optimized.The results show that flocculation activity is at its highest when the following conditions are met:slime water concentration 27.42 g/L;coagulant aid(CaCl_2) mass concentration 5.0 g/L;two-segment stirrings:the first at a stirring speed of 60 r/min for 180 s and the second 180 r/min for 60 s;a pH of 11 and a flocculant concentration of 15 mL/L.The flocculation activity can be up to 98.71%of bioflocculants at the time.Further experiments indicate that most of the flocculation active material is found outside the mycelium cells.This is the extracellular secretion produced by mycelium cells during the fermentation process.This flocculant has strong thermal stability.Many kinds of cations have a flocculation function to assist bioflocculants.This aid-flocculation effect of the divalent cation Ca^(2+) is obvious in the bioflocculant produced by the white-rot fungus.Therefore,this is of great value when applied to control engineering in the battle against water pollution.

Rheological behaviors of coal slime produced by filter-pressing

It is an effective way to use coal slime as fuel for circulating fluidized bed boilers, which will not only solve its pollution to the environment, but also turn waste to treasure. In order to provide basic technical information for transportation of coal slime from the coal preparation plant to the boiler, this paper experimentally studied the rheological behaviors of coal slime produced by filter-pressing. By using a rotational viscometer, the influences of water content, temperature, and shear time on the rheological behaviors of coal slime were investigated. Experimental results show that the coal slime will behave like Bingham plastics with low water content and like Bingham pseudo-plastics with 37.5% water content,while like pseudo-plastics with 40% water content. This indicates that the water content of coal slime must be controlled in consideration of both transportation resistance and combustion efficiency. Study results also show that, the apparent viscosity of coal slime at 5℃ is about 1.5–1.7 times of that at 40℃ for water contents 32%–37.5%, while the influence of temperature can be neglected when the water content is 40%. With increasing of water content, the influences of shear time on the apparent viscosity of coal slime becomes less. When the water content is more than 30%, the effect of shear time is negligible. It indicates that water content has the most important influence on the rheological behaviors of coal slime. There must be an optimal water content in considering conveying resistance and combustion efficiency. The environmental temperature must also be considered in coal slime transportation.

Alkaline pressure oxidative leaching of bismuth-rich and arsenic-rich lead anode slime

A new alkaline pressure oxidative leaching process(with NaNO3 as the oxidant and NaOH as the alkaline reagent)is proposed herein to remove arsenic,antimony,and lead from bismuth-rich and arsenic-rich lead anode slime for bismuth,gold,and silver enrichment.The effects of the temperature,liquid-to-solid ratio,leaching time,and reagent concentration on the leaching ratios of arsenic,antimony,and lead were investigated to identify the optimum leaching conditions.The experimental results under optimized conditions indicate that the average leaching ratios of arsenic,antimony and lead are 95.36%,79.98%,63.08%,respectively.X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the leaching residue is composed of Bi,Bi2O3,Pb2Sb2O7,and trace amounts of NaSb(OH)6.Arsenic,antimony,and lead are thus separated from lead anode slime as Na3AsO4·10H2O and Pb2Sb2O7.Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry imaging revealed that the samples undergo appreciable changes in their surface morphology during leaching and that the majority of arsenic,lead,and antimony is removed.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to demonstrate the variation in the valence states of the arsenic,lead,and antimony.The Pb(IV)and Sb(V)content was found to increase substantially with the addition of NaNO3.

Selenium(Ⅵ) removal from caustic solution by synthetic Ca-Al-Cl layered double hydroxides

To extract selenium(Ⅵ)from the highly caustic leachate of copper anode slime,the Ca-Al-Cl layered double hydroxides(Ca-Al-Cl-LDHs)with a formula of Ca2 Al(OH)6 Cl·2 H2 O by three co-precipitation methods were synthesized.A plate-like morphology and hexagonal crystal structure with typical mineral phases and functional groups were identified by the FESEM,XRD,FTIR,BET and XPS analysis.The forward feeding sample exhibits the best adsorption capacity of Se(Ⅵ).The factor experiments then reveal a favorable adsorption process with low temperature,low NaOH concentration and high adsorbent dosage.Furthermore,the adsorption kinetics and isotherm parameters can be well described by the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order models,respectively.Accordingly,the maximum adsorption amount of Se(Ⅵ)onto Ca-Al-Cl-LDHs reaches188.6 mg/g at 50 ℃.

Separation and recovery of copper in Cu-As-bearing copper electrorefining black slime by oxidation acid leaching and sulfide precipitation

A new hydrometallurgical route for separation and recovery of Cu from Cu-As-bearing copper electrorefining black slime was developed. The proposed process comprised oxidation acid leaching of Cu-As-bearing slime and selective sulfide precipitation of Cu from the leachate. The effects of various process parameters on the leaching and precipitation of Cu and As were investigated. At the first stage, Cu extraction of 95.2% and As extraction of 97.6% were obtained at 80 ℃ after 4 h with initial H2 SO4 concentration of 1.0 mol/L and liquid-to-solid ratio of 10 mL/g. In addition, the leaching kinetics of Cu and As was successfully reproduced by the Avrami model, and the apparent activation energies were found to be 33.6 and 35.1 kJ/mol for the Cu and As leaching reaction, respectively, suggesting a combination of chemical reaction and diffusion control. During the selective sulfide precipitation, about 99.4% Cu was recovered as CuS, while only 0.1% As was precipitated under the optimal conditions using sulfide-to-copper ratio of 2.4:1, time of 1.5 h and temperature of 25 ℃.

Preparation of pure SbCl_3 from lead anode slime bearing high antimony and low silver

A novel treatment process of lead anode slime bearing high antimony and low silver was developed by a potential-controlled chloridization leaching and continuous distillation.The experimental results show a high Sb 3+ concentration,489.2 g/L,in the leaching solution for two-stage countercurrent leaching process,and the leaching rates of Sb,Cu,Bi more than 99% when the potential is controlled at 450 mV.When the leaching solution is distillated and concentrated at 120°C,almost all the silicon compound is evaporated into the concentration distillate and exists as amorphous hydrated silica.By the continuous distillation,high pure SbCl3 could be prepared,and AsCl3 is enriched in the distillate while metals Bi,Cu are enriched in the continuous distillation residue.As a result,the recovery rate of Sb is more than 95%.