Selective leaching process for the recovery of copper and zinc oxide from copper-containing dust
Journal
Environmental Technology
Journal Volume
36
Journal Issue
23
Pages
2952-2958
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a resource recovery procedure for recovering copper and zinc from dust produced by copper smelting furnaces during the manufacturing of copper-alloy wires. The concentrations of copper in copper-containing dust do not meet the regulation standards defined by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration; therefore, such waste is classified as hazardous. In this study, the percentages of zinc and copper in the dust samples were approximately 38.4% and 2.6%, respectively. To reduce environmental damage and recover metal resources for industrial reuse, acid leaching was used to recover metals from these inorganic wastes. In the first stage, 2 N of sulphuric acid was used to leach the dust, with pH values controlled at 2.0-3.0, and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. The results indicated that zinc extraction efficiency was higher than 95%. A selective acid leaching process was then used to recover the copper content of the residue after filtration. In the second stage, an additional 1 N of sulphuric acid was added to the suspension in the selective leaching process, and the pH value was controlled at 1.5-2.0. The reagent sodium hydroxide (2 N) was used as leachate at a pH greater than 7. A zinc hydroxide compound formed during the process and was recovered after drying. The yields for zinc and copper were 86.9-93.5% and 97.0-98.9%, respectively. © 2014 Taylor & Francis.
Other Subjects
Copper; Copper alloys; Copper oxides; Dealloying; Dust; Environmental regulations; Hydrometallurgy; II-VI semiconductors; Leaching; Metallurgical furnaces; pH; Recovery; Sodium hydroxide; Sulfuric acid; Suspensions (fluids); Zinc oxide; Zinc smelting; Environmental damage; Industrial reuse; Resource recovery; Selective acid leaching; Selective leaching; Smelting furnaces; Solid-to-liquid ratio; Taiwan environmental protection administrations; Copper smelting; cadmium; calcium ion; copper; ferric ion; lead; mercury; sulfuric acid; zinc derivative; zinc ion; zinc oxide; copper; dust; industrial waste; nitric acid; sodium hydroxide; zinc oxide; alloy; concentration (composition); copper; dust; environmental protection; extraction method; filtration; hazardous waste; inorganic compound; leaching; pH; recovery; smelting; sulfuric acid; Article; controlled study; dust; industrial waste; leaching; pH; recycling; analysis; chemistry; dust; metallurgy; procedures; Taiwan; Copper; Dust; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial Waste; Metallurgy; Nitric Acid; Recycling; Sodium Hydroxide; Sulfuric Acids; Zinc Oxide
Type
journal article