PRODUCTION OF ZINC POWDER FROM CO ZINC PLANT RESIDUE (CO-ZPR) USING SELECTIVE ALKALINE LEACHING FOLLOWED BY ELECTROWINNING
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1
Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
2
University of applied science and technology, Calcimin Branch, Zanjan, Iran.
4
Department of Mineral Processing, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sahand Technology, Tabriz, Iran.
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Research & Engineering Co. for Non-ferrous Metals, Zanjan, Iran
Publication date: 2015-03-26
Corresponding author
Hossein Kamran Haghighi
Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran., No. 632, Ansariyeh- 9th Golestan-Zanjan-IRAN, 4515745793 Zanjan, Iran
Physicochem. Probl. Miner. Process. 2015;51(2):411-425
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ABSTRACT
Annually, thousands tons of Co residues called Hot Filter Cake (HFC) are produced from Co neutralization step of Iranian zinc plants. With respect to the composition of HFC (i.e., 15-25% Zn, 0.5–1.5% Co, 3–8% Mn), it can be used as a secondary source of zinc, cobalt and manganese. In the present study, for the first time, treatment of HFC for separation and recovery of zinc has been studied. The residue was treated by employing selective alkaline leaching, in order to recover the maximum amount of zinc, followed by zinc electrowinning process. Therefore, a solution was obtained from alkaline leaching under the optimum condition of 75 °C, sodium hydroxide of 8 M, S/L of 1:10, and stirring speed of 600 rpm, having zinc recovery of 88.5 %. In the following step, the electrowinning process under the optimum working conditions being as current density= 350 A/m2 and time= 10 hours, was carried out to produce the zinc powder with high purity of 99 percent. Finally, a simple and effective conceptual flow diagram was proposed for the process.