Effect of Saline Water on Soil Acidity, Alkalinity and Nutrients Leaching in Sandy Loamy Soil in Rwamagana Bella Flower Farm, Rwanda

The necessity to saline and sodic waters is sometimes used for irrigating agricultural activities under certain circumstances, but it is important to note that the use of these waters comes with specific considerations and limitations. One way to decrease undesirable effects of sodic waters on the physical and chemical properties of soils is to apply organic and chemical amendments within the soil. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of saline water on soil acidity, alkalinity and nutrients leaching in sandy loamy soil at Bella flower farm, in Rwamagana District, Rwanda. The water used was from the Muhazi Lake which is classified as Class I (Saline water quality). Column leaching experiments using treated soils were then conducted under saturated conditions. The soil under experimental was first analyzed for its textural classification, soil properties and is classified as sandy loamy soil. The t-test was taken at 1%, 5% and 10% levels of statistical significance compared to control soil. The results indicated that the application of saline water to soils caused an increase in some soil nutrients like increase of Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg2+), Sulphur (S), CN ratio and Sodium (Na+) and decreased soil texture, physical and chemical properties and remained soil nutrients. Consequently, the intensive addition of saline water leachates to soil in PVC pipes led to decreased of soil EC through leaching and a raiser Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP). The rate of saline water application affected the increase accumulation of SAR and Na% in the top soil layers. The study indicated that saline water is an inefficient amendment for sandy soil with saline water irrigation. The study recommends further studies with similar topic with saline water irrigation, as it accentuated the alkalinity levels.

Leaching behavior of metals from high-arsenic dust by NaOH-Na_2S alkaline leaching

Arsenic is selectively extracted from high-arsenic dust by NaOH-Na2S alkaline leaching process. In the leaching arsenic process, the effects of alkali-to-dust ratio, sodium sulfide addition, leaching temperature, leaching time and liquid-to-solid ratio on metals leaching efficiencies were investigated. The results show that the arsenic can be effectively separated from other metals under the optimum conditions of alkali/dust mass ratio of 0.5, sodium sulfide addition of 0.25 g/g, leaching temperature of 90 ℃, leaching time of 2 h, and liquid-to-solid ratio of 5：1 （mL/g）. Under these conditions, the average leaching efficiencies of arsenic, antimony, lead, tin and zinc are 92.75%, 11.68%, 0.31%, 29.75% and 36.85%, respectively. The NaOH-Na2S alkaline leaching process provides a simple and highly efficient way to remove arsenic from high-arsenic dust, leaving residue as a suitable lead resource.

Desilication from titanium–vanadium slag by alkaline leaching

A hydrometallurgical process for the selective removal of silicon from titanium-vanadium slag by alkaline leaching was investigated. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive spectroscopy were used to characterize the samples. The results show that anosovite, pyroxene and metallic iron are the major components of the titanium-vanadium slag. Anosovite is presented in granular and plate shapes, and pyroxene is distributed in the anosovite crystals. Metallic iron is spheroidal and wrapped in anosovite. Silicon is mainly in the pyroxene, and titanium and vanadium are mainly in the anosovite. The effects of agitation speed, leaching temperature, leaching time, sodium hydroxide concentration and liquid-solid （L/S） mass ratio on the leaching behavior of silica from titanium-vanadium slag were investigated. The leaching temperature and L/S mass ratio played considerable role in the desilication process. Under the optimal conditions, 88.2% silicon, 66.3% aluminum, 27.3% manganese, and only 1.2% vanadium were leached out. The desilication kinetics of the titanium-vanadium slag was described by the chemical control model. The apparent activation enerffv of the desilication orocess was found to be 46.3 kJ/mol.

Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint and Environmental Impact of CO_(2)and O_(2)in situ Uranium Leaching

Under the new development philosophy of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,CO_(2)and O_(2)in situ leaching(ISL)has been identified as a promising technique for uranium mining in China,not only because it solves carbon dioxide utilization and sequestration,but it also alleviates the environmental burden.However,significant challenges exist in assessment of CO_(2)footprint and water-rock interactions,due to complex geochemical processes.Herein this study conducts a three-dimensional,multicomponent reactive transport model(RTM)of a field-scale CO_(2)and O_(2)ISL process at a typical sandstone-hosted uranium deposit in Songliao Basin,China.Numerical simulations are performed to provide new insight into quantitative interpretation of the greenhouse gas(CO_(2))footprint and environmental impact(SO_(4)^(2–))of the CO_(2)and O_(2)ISL,considering the potential chemical reaction network for uranium recovery at the field scale.RTM results demonstrate that the fate of the CO_(2)could be summarized as injected CO_(2)dissolution,dissolved CO_(2)mineralization and storage of CO_(2)as a gas phase during the CO_(2)and O_(2)ISL process.Furthermore,compared to acid ISL,CO_(2)and O_(2)ISL has a potentially smaller environmental footprint,with 20%of SO_(4)^(2–)concentration in the aquifer.The findings improve our fundamental understanding of carbon utilization in a long-term CO_(2)and O_(2)ISL system and provide important environmental implications when considering complex geochemical processes.

Leaching optimization and dissolution behavior of alkaline anions in bauxite residue

Bauxite residue is a highly alkaline waste containing soluble alkaline anions, which can cause environmental concerns. The optimal leaching conditions, distribution of alkaline anions, types of pivotal alkaline anions and their dissolution behaviors were investigated based on the combination of single factors-orthogonal experiments and leaching stage experiment. Using a two-stage leaching, 86% of the soluble alkaline anions（CO3^2-, HCO4^-,Al（OH）4^-, OH^-） were leached with a L/S ratio of 2 mL/g, at 30 ℃, over 23 h. During the first stage of leaching, approximately 88% of alkaline anions were leached from the dissolution of free alkali（Na OH, carbonate, bicarbonate, NaAl（OH）4） with the rest originating from the dissolution of alkaline minerals（calcite, cancrinite and hydrogarnet）. Supernatant alkalinity was 69.78 mmol/L with CO3^2- accounting for 75%. Furthermore, carbonate leaching was controlled by solid film diffusion using the Stumm Model with an apparent activation energy of 10.24 kJ/mol.

Effect of ammonium chloride on leaching behavior of alkaline anion and sodium ion in bauxite residue

This study focused on leaching behavior of alkaline anion and sodium in bauxite residue through ammonium chloride treatment.The results showed that the pH of bauxite residue decreased from 10.49 to 8.93,total alkaline anion(HCO3^-,CO3^2-,OH^-,AlO2^-)concentration reduced from 38.89 to 25.50 mmol/L,leaching rate of soluble sodium was 80.86%with ammonium chloride addition of 0.75%,liquid/solid(L/S)ratio of 3(mL/g),temperature of 30°C and reaction time of 18 h;L/S ratio was the main factor affecting the removal of alkaline anion and the leaching of sodium.Furthermore,ammonium chloride promoted the dissolution of diaspore and changed the micro/morphological characteristics with the increase of massive structure.The findings of this work will contribute to achieve soil-formation of bauxite residue.

Optimization of efficient stable reagent of alkaline thiourea solution for gold leaching

Na2SiO3 and Na2SeO3 were chosen as stable reagents of alkaline thiourea solution substituting Na2SO3, according to the structure-property relationship between the stability of alkaline thiourea and the structure of thiourea and sulfite ion, and the effect of the stable reagents on stability of alkaline thiourea was investigated. The results show that contrary to Na2SeO3, Na2SO3 and Na2SiO3 affect the stability of alkaline thiourea solution remarkably. The stable effect of Na2SiO3 on alkaline thiourea is obviously better than that of Na2SO3. The stable reagents Na2SO3 and Na2SiO3 decrease the decomposition rate of alkaline thiourea solution greatly, and the decomposition rate of alkaline thiourea reduces from （72.5%） to （33.8%） with addition of (0.3 mol·L-1) Na2SiO3. Dissolution currents of gold in the alkaline thiourea solution containing Na2SO3 and Na2SiO3 are （2.0） (mA·cm-2) and （3.5） (mA·cm-2) at the potential of 0.42 V, respectively, and Na2SO3 is consumed excessively due to the oxidation reaction of Na2SO3 occurring in the studied potential range. Na2SiO3 is an efficient stable reagent of alkaline thiourea solution, and gold dissolution is accelerated much more obviously by Na2SiO3 than by Na2SO3.

Transformation and leaching kinetics of silicon from low-grade nickel laterite ore by pre-roasting and alkaline leaching process

The mineralogical phase transformation of a low-grade nickel laterite ore during pre-roasting process and the extraction of silicon during alkaline leaching process were investigated.The results indicate that the reaction activity of nickel ores is effectively improved by pre-roasting at650°C for2h,because of the transformation of lizardite into magnesium olivine and protoenstatite.When finely ground ore samples(44-61μm)pre-roasted firstly react with sodium hydroxide solution(60g/L)with a solid/liquid ratio of1:5at140°C for120min,the extraction of silicon can reach89.89%,and the other valuable elements of magnesium,iron and nickel are accumulated in the solid residues.The leaching kinetics of nickel laterite ore can be described successfully by the diffusion through the product layer control model.The activation energy is calculated to be11.63kJ/mol and the kinetics equation can be expressed as1-3(1-x)2/3+2(1-x)=13.53×10-2exp[-11.63/(RT)]t.

Separation of silicon and iron in copper slag by carbothermic reduction-alkaline leaching process

Approximately 2.0-3.0 t of copper slag(CS) containing 35%-45% iron is generated for every ton of copper produced during the pyrometallurgical process from copper concentrate. Therefore, the recovery of iron from CS utilizes a valuable metal and alleviates the environmental stress caused by stockpile. In this paper, a new method has been developed to realize the enrichment of iron in CS through the selective removal of silica. The thermodynamic analyses and experimental results show that the iron in CS can be fully reduced into metallic iron by carbothermic reduction at 1473 K for 60 min. The silica was converted into free quartz solid solution(QSS) and cristobalite solid solution(CSS). QSS and CSS are readily soluble, whereas metallic iron is insoluble, in NaOH solution. Under optimal leaching conditions, a residue containing 87.32% iron is obtained by decreasing the silica content to 6.02% in the reduction roasted product. The zinc content in the residue is less than 0.05%. This study lays the foundation for the development of a new method to comprehensively extract silicon and iron in CS while avoiding the generation of secondary tailing.

Extraction of Zinc from Electric Arc Furnace Dust by Alkaline Leaching Followed by Fusion of the Leaching Residue with Caustic Soda

Extractability of zinc from two types of electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts containing 24.8% and 16.8% of zinc respectively (denoted as Sample A and Sample B) were tested using direct alkaline leaching followed by fusion of the resulting leaching residues with caustic soda. The experimental results show that the extraction of zinc is heavily dependent on the contents of iron in the dusts. The higher iron content, the lower extraction of zinc is obtained. 53% and 38% of zinc can be extracted when both dusts were directly contacted with 5mol·L^-1 NaOH solution for 42h. The remaining zinc left in the leaching residues, which supposed to be present as zinc ferrites, can be further leached when the residues were fused with caustic soda. Quantitative extraction of zinc can be obtained from the leaching residue of Sample A while only 85% from Sample B. The extractability of zinc from dusts wit hvarious contents of iron is compared. The production flowsheet for zinc from the dusts using the process proposed is discussed.

Pyrite oxidation in the presence of calcite and dolomite:Alkaline leaching,chemical modeling and surface characterization

The effect of calcite and dolomite on the oxidation of pyrite was studied using batch-leaching experiments complemented with chemical modeling, solution analysis and solid characterization techniques. Leaching tests conducted at 80℃ and p（O2）=1.013×105 Pa and pH〉13 showed that pyrite alkaline oxidation rate decreased in the presence of both calcite and dolomite, while more detrimental effect was observed in the case of calcite. FE-SEM/EDS analysis exhibited a surface layer containing Ca（in the case of calcite） and Mg（in the case of dolomite） on the pyrite surface, which justified the slowdown in pyrite leaching rate. This surface layer was formed due to partial dissolution of carbonate minerals, which was affected dominantly by the p H and temperature of the leaching solution based on the chemical modeling data. The surface layer was characterized as Ca or Mg hydroxide using XRD and FTIR analysis. It was also found that this layer was thin and continuous in the case of calcite while it was thick and discontinuous in the presence of dolomite.

Separation of alumina and silica from metakaolinite by reduction roasting-alkaline leaching process: Effect of CaSO_(4) and CaO

Limestone(CaCO3),which could promote sulfur fixation,was added to coal gangue during roasting in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boiler.CaO and CaSO_(4) were the main Ca-bearing minerals while metakaolinite was the major Al-bearing mineral in CFB slag.The effect of CaSO_(4) and CaO on the separation of alumina and silica from metakaolinite by reduction roasting−alkaline leaching process was studied.Results showed that metakaolinite was completely converted into hercynite and silica solid solutions(i.e.,quartz and cristobalite solid solutions)by reduction roasting with hematite.More than 95%of silica in the reduced specimen was removed by alkaline leaching.The addition of CaSO_(4) and CaO remarkably decreased the separation efficiency of alumina and silica in metakaolinite,which could be attributed to the formation of Si-bearing minerals:(1)Fayalite and anorthite were formed during the reduction roasting process;(2)Fayalite was stable while anorthite was converted into sodalite and wollastonite during the alkaline leaching process.This study demonstrates that sulfur in coal gangue should be fixed by treating the exhaust gas instead of controlling the combustion process of CFB to achieve the comprehensive recovery of silica and alumina from the CFB slag.

Intensified alkaline leaching pretreatment of refractory gold concentrates at common temperature and pressure

A new process for the hydrometallurgy of refractory gold concentrates was presented. The process comprises grinding leaching, intensified alkaline leaching (IAL), cyanidation and adsorption. In a stirring type pulverizing leaching tower mill, the concentrate is ground to <35.6 μm of 95.5 % while simultaneously leached by NaOH of 12 kg/t, then carried out intensified alkaline leaching for 48 h by NaOH of 108 kg/t in enhanced agitation tanks with the pulp concentration of 40% solids at the environmental temperature of 9.5 ～ 13.5 ℃ and the environmental pressure of 10 5 Pa. The oxidation rate of As is 94.9%, and 47.6% for S. The total consumption of NaOH is only 20% of that theoretically calculated under the conditions of full oxidation at the same oxidation rates of arsenic to arsenate and sulfur to sulfate. The gold leaching rate by NaCN in 24 h is increased from 9.2% before pretreatment to 94.2%. The consumption of NaCN is 7.5 kg/t, which is one times less than that before pretreatment. The extraction cost of gold is about 422 Yuan/t.

Gold leaching with elemental sulfur in alkaline solutions under oxygen pressure

A gold leaching process by using oxidation products of elemental sulfur in alkaline solutions was proposed and investigated. A gold concentrate and a residue from an arsenic refractory gold concentrate by acidic oxidation leaching were tested. The residue contains 16.3% elemental sulfur and no more elemental sulfur was added in tests. For the concentrate elemental sulfur was added before leaching tests. The leaching ratio of gold depends mainly on the initial equivalent ratio of elemental sulfur to hydroxyl ions, the consumption of oxygen and the reaction temperature in the process. Analysis of the experimental results shows that thiosulfate is the majority complexing reagent for gold in the process. Over 90% gold was leached from the residue and 82%87% from the concentrate by using this process.

Design and operando/in situ characterization of precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for alkaline water splitting

Electrochemical water splitting has attracted considerable attention for the production of hydrogen fuel by using renewable energy resources.However,the sluggish reaction kinetics make it essential to explore precious-metal-free electrocatalysts with superior activity and long-term stability.Tremendous efforts have been made in exploring electrocatalysts to reduce the energy barriers and improve catalytic efficiency.This review summarizes different categories of precious-metal-free electrocatalysts developed in the past 5 years for alkaline water splitting.The design strategies for optimizing the electronic and geometric structures of electrocatalysts with enhanced catalytic performance are discussed,including composition modulation,defect engineering,and structural engineering.Particularly,the advancement of operando/in situ characterization techniques toward the understanding of structural evolution,reaction intermediates,and active sites during the water splitting process are summarized.Finally,current challenges and future perspectives toward achieving efficient catalyst systems for industrial applications are proposed.This review will provide insights and strategies to the design of precious-metalfree electrocatalysts and inspire future research in alkaline water splitting.

Factors influencing in-situ leaching of uranium mining in a sandstone deposit in Shihongtan, Northwest China

The Shihongtan uranium deposit in northwest China is a sandstone-type deposit suitable for alkaline in-situ leaching exploitation of uranium. Alkaline leaching tends to result in CaCO3 precipitation there by affecting the porosity of the ore-bearing aquifer. CaCO3 deposits can also block pumping and injection holes if the formulation parameters of the leaching solution are not well controlled. However, controlling these parameters to operate the in-situ leaching process is challenging. Our study demonstrates that the dissolved uranium concentration in the leaching solution increases as HCO3-concentration increases. Therefore, the most suitable HCO3-concentration to use as leaching solution is defined by the boundary value of the HCO3-concentration that controls CaCO3 dissolution-precipitation. That is, the dissolution and precipitation of calcite is closely related to pH, Ca2+ and HCO3-concentration. The pH and Ca2+ concentration are the main factors limiting HCO3-concentration in the leaching solution. The higher the pH and Ca2+ concentration, the lower the boundary value of HCO3-concentration, and therefore the more unfavorable to in-situ leaching of uranium.

Extraction of molybdenum and nickel from Ni-Mo ore by pressure acid leaching

A direct hydrometallurgical route for nickel and molybdenum extraction from a nickel-molybdenum （Ni-Mo） ore using pressure acid leaching was studied. The nickel and molybdenum were extracted by acid leaching under oxygen pressure. Compared with traditional roasting methods, this hydrometallurgical method eliminates SO2 and As203 emission （the Ni-Mo ore containing 15%-25% S）. Compared with existing alkali leaching recovery of molybdenum process, almost all the nickel and considerable molybdenum were extracted in the acid leaching process. Under oxygen pressure conditions, almost all the nickel and a substantial part of the molybdenum were dissolved into the acid leaching liquor and the other part of the molybdenum was left in the acid leach residue. The acid leach residue was further leached under alkaline （NaOH） conditions. Under optimal experimental conditions, the extraction rates nickel and molybdenum reached 97% and 96%, respectively.

Selective recovery of lead from zinc oxide dust with alkaline Na_2EDTA solution

The selective recovery of lead from the zinc oxide dust using an alkaline Na2EDTA solution was investigated. The effects of temperature, leaching time, Na2EDTA concentration and initial NaOH concentration on the leaching rates of lead and zinc were studied. The following optimized leaching conditions were obtained： liquid-to-solid ratio 5：1 mL/g, stirring speed 650 r/min, Na2EDTA concentration 0.12 mol/L, initial NaOH concentration 0.5 mol/L, leaching temperature 70 ℃, leaching time 120 min. Under the optimized conditions, the average leaching rates of lead, zinc, fluoride and chloride are 89.92%, 0.94%, 62.84% and 90.02%, respectively. The filtrate was used to electrowin lead powders. The average current efficiency of electrowinning is about 93% and lead content is higher than 98% under the conditions of temperature of 60 ℃, current density of 200 A/m2, H3PO4 concentration of 1.5 g/L, and lead ion concentration of above 5 g/L. The consumption of Na2EDTA and the direct current are about respectively 0.218 kg and 0.958 kW·h for per kilogram of lead powder.

Molybdenum recovery from oxygen pressure water leaching residue of Ni-Mo ore

This article investigated molybdenum recovery from oxygen pressure water leaching residue of Ni-Mo ore using alkaline leaching, followed by chemical treatment of leach liquor. Parameters affecting Mo leaching rate, such as sodium hydroxide concentration, reaction time, a liquid- to-solid ratio, and temperature for the preliminary alkaline leaching were experimentally determined. The results showed that more than 88 % of molybdenum was leached under the optimum conditions （2.5 ml.g-1 NaOH, 80 ℃, a liquid to solid ratio 3 ml.g-1, and reaction time 3 h）. After the purification of leach liquor, a CaMoO4 product of 99.2 % purity could be obtained by CaCla precipitation method. The whole Mo recovery reached about 82.7 %.