Extraction of aluminum and iron from bauxite: A unique closed‐loop ore refining process utilizing oxalate chemistry

Red mud with enhanced dealkalization performance by supercritical water technology for efficient SO2 capture

The total de-alkalization treatment of industrial solid waste red mud (RM) has been a worldwide challenge. Removing the insoluble structural alkali fraction from RM is the key to enhancing the sustainable utilization of RM resources. In this paper, supercritical water (SCW) and leaching agents were used for the first time to de-alkalize the Bayer RM and to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gas with the de-alkalized RM slurry. The results showed that the optimum alkali removal and Fe leaching rates of RM-CaO-SW slurry were 97.90 ± 0.88% and 82.70 ± 0.95%, respectively. Results confirmed that the SCW technique accelerated the disruption of (Al-O) and (Si-O) bonds and the structural disintegration of aluminosilicate minerals, facilitating the conversion of insoluble structural alkalis to soluble chemical alkalis. The exchangeable Ca2+ displaced Na+ in the remaining insoluble base, producing soluble sodium salts or alkalis. CaO consumed SiO2, which was tightly bound to Fe2O3 in RM, and released Fe2O3, which promoted Fe leaching. RM-SCW showed the best desulfurization performance, which maintained 88.99 ± 0.0020% at 450 min, followed by RM-CaO-SW (450 min, 60.75 ± 6.00%) and RM (180 min, 88.52% ± 0.00068). The neutralization of alkaline components, the redox of metal oxides, and the liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of Fe contributed to the excellent desulfurization performance of the RM-SCW slurry. A promising approach shown in this study is beneficial to RM waste use, SO2 pollution control, and sustainable growth of the aluminum industry.

Element distribution of grading in red mud at different temperatures based on TIMA and EDS analysis

In this paper, element distribution patterns of red mud particles with different grading temperatures were explored based on TIMA and EDS, and alkali removal performance of different particle sizes under high temperature grading was compared. The results show that non-clay phases in the particles coagulate with the clay phases of different sodium contents during stacking process, thus forming a mixture phase containing clay phase and other impurities. The potential of grading utilization of red mud is displayed by process mineralogy studies. The elements and phases of different particle sizes of red mud cannot be effectively separated by grading at room temperature. Due to high-temperature grading, red mud is divided into three particle sizes, namely, a (above 100 μm), b (38-100 μm), and c (below 38 μm), with Na2O contents of 3.25%, 2.31%, and 8.13%, respectively, decreasing to 1.00%, 0.27%, and 2.99% after alkali removal. The different elements and phases of red mud can be effectively separated by high-temperature grading, which promotes the classification of different particle sizes and the comprehensive utilization of red mud.