Leaching of a complex sulfidic, silicate-containing zinc ore in sulfuric acid solution under oxygen pressure

Recovery of Zinc from Metallurgical Slag and Dust by Ammonium Acetate Using Response Surface Methodology

Metallurgical slag and dust (MSD) are abundant Zn-containing secondary resources that can partially alleviate the shortage of zinc minerals, with hazardous characteristics and a high recycling value. In this work, the process conditions of recycling Zn from MSD materials leaching by ammonium acetate (NH₃-CH₃COONH₄-H₂O) were optimised using response surface methodology (RSM). The influences of liquid/solid ratio, stirring speed, leaching time, total ammonia concentration, and the interactions between these variables on the Zn effective extraction rate during the ammonium acetate leaching process were investigated. Additionally, the predicted regression equation between the Zn effective extraction rate and the four affecting factors was established, and the optimal process parameters were determined with a stirring speed of 345 r/min, leaching temperature of 25 °C, [NH₃]/[NH₄]⁺ of 1:1, total ammonia concentration of 4.8 mol/L, liquid/solid ratio of 4.3:1, and leaching time of 46 min. The Zn effective extraction rates predicted by the proposed model and the measured values were 85.25% and 84.67%, respectively, with a relative error of 0.58% between the two values, indicating the accuracy and reliability of the proposed model. XRD and SEM-EDS analysis results showed that Zn₂SiO₄, ZnS, and ZnFe₂O₄ were among the main factors affecting the low extraction rate of zinc from metallurgical slag dust. This work established a new technology prototype for the effective and clean extraction of zinc resources, which can provide new routes to effectively utilise Zn-containing MSD materials and lay a foundation for developing other novel techniques for recycling Zn from Zn-containing secondary resources.

Leaching Kinetics of Secondary Zinc Oxide in a NH3–NH4HCO3–H2O System

Secondary zinc oxide (SZO), which comes from the zinc industry, is an important secondary resource of zinc and other valuable metals. In this study, the production feasibility and rationality of a cleaner zinc recovery process using SZO and a hydrometallurgical method were described. Zinc extraction is promoted by the addition of ammonium bicarbonate to a NH3–H2O system, and the maximum recovery of zinc could be close to 80% at the optimum leaching conditions of a stirring rate of 400 rpm, an ammonia/ammonium ratio of 7:3, a total ammonia concentration of 4 mol/L, and a liquid/solid ratio of 7 mL/g for 30 min at 35 °C. The kinetics of leaching were modeled using the shrinking core model of constant-size particles, and the rate-controlling step was determined to be the diffusion through the product layer. The apparent activation energy of the reaction was estimated to be 11.04 KJ·mol−1, while the order of reaction with respect to total ammonia concentration was 1.53 and the liquid/solid ratio was 2.26. The analysis results of the initial residue and the leached residue indicated that lead was transferred from PbCl2 to PbCO3 and that ZnFe2O4 was not leached in the NH3-NH4HCO3-H2O system.

Zinc recovery from metallurgical slag and dust by coordination leaching in NH3-CH3COONH4-H2O system

Metallurgical slag and dust (MSD) from lead and zinc smelting, steel dust and galvanized steel scrap are important secondary sources of zinc and other valuable metals. This paper describes the production feasibility and rationality of a cleaner zinc recovery process using MSD and a hydrometallurgical method. It was found that the addition of CH₃COONH₄ to a NH₃-H₂O system promotes zinc extraction, and 83.76% of zinc could be dissolved and recovered from the MSD under the following conditions: total ammonia concentration of 5 mol l^-1, stirring speed of 300 r.p.m., ammonia/ammonium ratio of 1 : 1, solid/liquid ratio of 1 : 5, leaching temperature of 25°C and a leaching time of 60 min. A leaching kinetic study indicates that the leaching process is controlled by the diffusion and interface transfer and that the reaction apparent activation energy is 22.66 kJ mol^-1. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis showed that zinc can combine with the carboxylate anion to form Zn complexes such as [Zn₂(Ac)₃(NH₃)₂]⁺. Zn₂SiO₄, ZnS and ZnFe₂O₄ in NH₃-CH₃COONH₄-H₂O system did not disappear according to X-ray diffraction analysis for leaching residue.