Extraction of aluminium as aluminium sulphate from thermal power plant fly ashes

Valuable metal extraction technology from thermal power plant fly ash is limited.In the present study,aluminium is extracted from fly ash as highly pure aluminium sulphate(>99.0%)by leaching with sulphuric acid,followed by pre-concentration and successive crystallization.Two types of fly ashes from different sources,i.e.,Talcher Thermal Power Station(TTPS)and Vedanta Aluminium Company Limited(VAL)were chosen for comparative study on the extraction of aluminium as aluminium sulphate.The product is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA).Purity of aluminium sulphate was also investigated by inductively coupled plasma?optical emission spectrometry(ICP?OES).The extraction efficiency of aluminium depends on the varied solid-to-liquid ratio(fly ash:18mol/L H2SO4,g/mL)and particle size of fly ashes.Physico-chemical analysis indicates that the obtained product is Al2(SO4)3·18H2O,having low iron content(0.08%).

Removal of Turbidity and COD from a Synthetic Water Sample by Coagulation

The main objective of this research was to study the removal of turbidity and COD （chemical oxygen demand） from a synthetic water sample. The water sample was treated chemically by coagulation. Two inorganic coagulants were used, ferric chloride and the double salt potassium-aluminium sulphate. The optimum coagulant dosage and working pH were examined. The results for ferric chloride as coagulant showed that the maximum removal efficiency （%） of COD was achieved at pH 6 with a dosage of 100 mg-L-1 and the maximum removal efficiency （%） of turbidity at pH 5 with a dosage of 500 mg.L-1. For double salt, as coagulant, the maximum removal efficiencies （%） of COD and turbidity were achieved at pH 6 with a dosage of 3,500 mg.L-1. An extensive comparison with results from previous studies was also described in this research.

Morphological characterization of Al_2O_3 membrane fabricated by sol-gel dip-coating method

Alumina membranes without pinholes and cracks were prepared by the sol-gel process using anunordum aluminium sulphate as the starting material. The effects of different preparing conditions on morphology characteristics of the membrane were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and 3D rotational microscopy. The preparing conditions include the amounts of drying control chemical additives （DCCA）, sintering procedure and sol-gel concentration. The results showed that PVA is a good crack-preventing reagent and the morphology of supported membranes was affected by ninny factors, including Al2O3 concentration, PVA/Al2O3 ratio, heating rate, membrane thickness and intrinsic defects of the substrate surface.

Indirect mineral carbonation of titanium-bearing blast furnace slag coupled with recovery of TiO_2 and Al_2O_3

Large quantities of CO2 and blast furnace slag are discharged in the iron and steel industry. Mineral carbonation of blast furnace slag can offer substantial CO2 emission reduction and comprehensive utilization of the solid waste. This paper describes a novel route for indirect mineral carbonation of titanium-bearing blast furnace （TBBF） slag, in which the TBBF slag is roasted with recyclable （NH4）2SO4 （AS） at low temperatures and converted into the sulphates of various valuable metals, including calcium, magnesium, aluminium and titanium. High value added Ti-and Al-rich products can be obtained through stepwise precipitation of the leaching solution from the roasted slag. The NH3 produced during the roasting is used to capture CO2 from flue gases. The NH4HCO3 and （NH4）2CO3 thus obtained are used to carbonate the CaSO4-containing leaching residue and MgSO4-rich leaching solution, respectively. In this study, the process parameters and efficiency for the roasting, carbonation and Ti and Al recovery were investigated in detail. The results showed that the sulfation ratios of calcium, magnesium, titanium and aluminium reached 92.6%, 87% and 84.4%, respectively, after roasting at an AS-to-TBBF slag mass ratio of 2：1 and 350℃ for 2 h. The leaching solution was subjected to hydrolysis at 102℃ for 4 h with a Ti hydrolysis ratio of 95.7%and the purity of TiO2 in the calcined hydrolysate reached 98 wt%. 99.7% of aluminium in the Ti-depleted leaching solution was precipitated by using NH3. The carbonation products of Ca and Mg were CaCO3 and （NH4）2Mg（CO3）2·4H2O, respectively. The latter can be decomposed into MgCO3 at 100-200℃ with simultaneous recovery of the NH3 for reuse. In this process, approximately 82.1% of Ca and 84.2% of Mg in the TBBF slag were transformed into stable carbonates and the total CO2 sequestration capacity per ton of TBBF slag reached up to 239.7 kg. The TiO2 obtained can be used directly as an end product, while the Al-rich precipitate and the two carbonation products can act, respectively, as raw materials for electrolytic aluminium, cement and light magnesium carbonate production for the replacement of natural resources.