• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.939-944
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• 2012

The electrochemical behavior of magnesium ions was examined by cyclic voltammetry in a molten $MgCl_2-CaCl_2$-NaCl salt. The reduction potential of magnesium ions was measured and those values were estimated with the variation of the concentration of $MgCl_2$ and the temperature of molten salts. The diffusion coefficient of the $Mg^{2+}$ ions has been determined at 660, 680, 700, 720 and $740^{\circ}C$. The values were $8.79{\times}10^{-6}$, $9.56{\times}10^{-6}$, $1.17{\times}10^{-5}$, $1.4{\times}10^{-5}$ and $1.77{\times}10^{-5}\;cm^2\;s^{-1}$. The activation energy for the diffusion processes of $Mg^{2+}$ ions was found to be $70.28\;kJ\;mol^{-1}$ by using the Arrhenius equation.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.365-369
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• 2001

EAF's dust has been treated mainly by pyrometallurgical reduction process in rotary kiln furnace to recover valuable metal elements such as Zn and to avoid the disposal of hazardous materials to waste. Recently, hydrometallurgical eletrowinning of zinc from a zinc-amino chloride solution obtained by the leaching of EAF's dust was developed to recover high grade zinc metal from EAF’s dust. But there are some disadvantages in each process such as difficulty of operation condition control and sticking problem in kiln process and low extractability and recovery of zinc owing to insoluble zinc-ferrite in electrowinning process. We propose a new combined process of pyrometallurgical one and hydrometallurgical one to treat EAF's dust efficiently and economically. In this study, ammonium chloride solution leaching of crude zinc oxide recovered from reduction of EAF's dust was carried out to find out the efficiency of zinc extraction from it and the possibility for performance of eletrowinning in the proposed process. Effects of various leaching variables ruck as leaching temperature, concentration of leaching solution and leaching time were investigated. And the leaching results of the crude zinc oxide were compared with those of EAF's dust. The extraction percents of zinc in ammonium chloride solution leaching of the crude zinc oxide recovered from reduction of EAF's dust were above 80% after 60 minutes of leaching under the leaching condition of 4M NH$_4$CI concentration and above leaching temperature of 7$0^{\circ}C$. And the concentrations of zinc in the leached solution were obtained above 50g/$\ell$. The activation energy calculated for zinc extraction in NH$_4$CI leaching was 58.1 KJ/㏖ for EAF's dust and 15.8 KJ/㏖ for the crude zinc oxide recovered from reduction of EAF's dust.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2004

Purification on the leaching solution of the crude zinc oxide obtained by the reduction of EAF dust has been carried out. Pb and Cd ions in the leaching solution were precipitated and removed from the solution by the addition of zinc metal powder. The purification condition for electrowinning to obtain the high purity zinc metal was investigated by analyzing the effects of Pb and Cd ion concentrations on the contents of impurities in the recovered zinc metal. The 3 N purity zinc metal was obtained at the electrolysis condition of the concentrations of Pb less than 2 ppm and Cd less than 0.1 ppm in the purified solution. For this purification, the amounts of zinc metal powder more than 8.5 g/l should be added in the crude zinc oxide leached solution.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.25-32
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• 2016

A electrodeposion behavior of tin was tested to recovery of tin metal from sulfate solution using a newly designed cyclone type electrolyzer. Parameters, such as flow rate, current density, tin and sulfuric acid concentration in the electrolyte were investigated. From the experimental results, a powered tin metal below $100{\mu}m$ can be obtained. As the increase of flow rate, current density and sulfuric acid concentration in the electrolyte, electrodeposition ratio of tin and current efficiency were increased. The electrodeposition ratio of tin was increased with the decrease of tin concentration in the electrolyte, but the current efficiency was decreased.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2003

This study proposed a new electrolytic reduction technology that is based on the integration of simultaneous uranium oxide metallization and Li$_2$O electrowinning. In this electrolytic reduction reaction, electrolytically reduced Li deposits on cathode and simultaneously reacts with uranium oxides to produce uranium metal showing more than 99% conversion. For the verification of process feasibility, the experiments to obtain basic data on the metallization of uranium oxide, investigation of reaction mechanism, the characteristics of closed recycle of Li$_2$O and mass transfer were carried out. This evolutionary electrolytic reduction technology would give benefits over the conventional Li-reduction process improving economic viability such as: avoidance of handling of chemically active Li-LiCl molten salt increase of metallization yield, and simplification of process.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.247-258
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• 2011

Analysis of foreign and domestic patents for pyroprocessing technology of spent nuclear fuels was carried out in this study. The current status of pyroprocessing technology development in such countries as Korea, USA, Japan and EU was analyzed by classifying the patents for 1975 through 2009 according to registration country, assignee, calendar year and technology area. The major assignees' activity indices were compared in order to find out whether there is any concentrated area of technical details. Technology competitiveness of the countries was also investigated from the information of patent citation number and family size. Furthermore, some essential unit technologies required for the commercialization of pyroprocessing were derived and examined in the aspect of the state of art as well as the trend of technology development.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.317-328
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• 2011

Pyroprocessing technology was developed in the beginning for metal fuel treatment in the US in the 1960s. The conventional aqueous process, such as PUREX, is not appropriate for treating metal fuel. Pyroprocessing technology has advantages over the aqueous process: less proliferation risk, treatment of spent fuel with relatively high heat and radioactivity, compact equipment, etc. The addition of an oxide reduction process to the pyroprocessing metal fuel treatment enables handling of oxide spent fuel, which draws a potential option for the management of spent fuel from the PWR. In this context, KAERI has been developing pyroprocessing technology to handle the oxide spent fuel since the 1990s. This paper describes the current status of pyroprocessing technology development at KAERI from the head-end process to the waste treatment. A unit process with various scales has been tested to produce the design data associated with the scale up. A performance test of unit processes integration will be conducted at the PRIDE facility, which will be constructed by early 2012. The PRIDE facility incorporates the unit processes all together in a cell with an Ar environment. The purpose of PRIDE is to test the processes for unit process performance, operability by remote equipment, the integrity of the unit processes, process monitoring, Ar environment system operation, and safeguards related activities. The test of PRIDE will be promising for further pyroprocessing technology development.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.15 no.6 s.74
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• pp.41-47
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• 2006

A study for recovering of copper and lead from electronic scraps has been carried out using a combination of bioleaching and solvent extraction. It was found that the citric acid generated by Aspergillus niger could be an imporant leaching agent acting in the solubilization of copper, iron, lead and tin from the electronic scrap. Copper could be selectively extracted by 10% LIX84 from the leaching solution and it recoved 99.9% of metallic copper by electrowinning process. Tin and iron were extracted from the remaining solution by 10% Alamine336 and stripped by NaCl solution. Finally, tin could be recovered as a metallic precipitates from the mixed solution of tin and iron by cementation with iron powder.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.82-84
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• 2002

Dimensionally stable anode(DSA) can be used for the electrowinning of non-ferrous metal like as a Zn, and electrolysis of sea water. $MnO_2$ electrode satisfies the requirements of DSA, and has a good cycle life and a low overpotential for oxygen evolution. $MnO_2$ electrodes coated with DMF and PVDF based on Pb alloy produced at several compositions and dry temperatures. The viscosity of solvent used as a binder of $MnO_2$ powder increased with the increasing PVDF contents. When the ratio of PVDF to BMF with the 5 times dipping at the solution mixed with PVDF and DMF was 1/9, the coating thickness was $150{\mu}m$. When the ratio of PVDF to $MnO_2$ was lower than 1/6, the electrode didn't show any reaction irrespective of the concentrations of DMF. However, When the ratio of PVDF to $MnO_2$ was higher than 1/6, the electrode showed a constant current reactions and homogeneous cyclic voltammetry even though at a high cycle. The reason for the high current and homogeneous cyclic voltammetry is the good catalytic reactions of $MnO_2$ powder in electrode. The reactions of Pb electrode coated with $MnO_2$ and PVDF based on the pure Pb electrode.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2013

LCC (Liquid cadmium cathode) is used for electrowinning in pyroprocessing to recover uranium and transuranic elements simultaneously. It is one of the core technologies in pyroprocessing with higher proliferation resistance than a wet reprocessing because LCC-cell does not separate TRU from uranium. The crucible which holds the LCC is technically important because it should be nonconducting material to prevent deposition of metallic elements on the crucible outer surface. The chemical stability is also crucial factor to choose crucible material due to the strong reactivities of TRU and possible incorporation of Li metal during the operation. In this study, the chemical stabilities of four kinds of representative ceramic materials such as $Al_2O_3$, MgO, $Yl_2O_3$ and BeO were thermodynamically and experimentally evaluated at $500^{\circ}C$ with simulated LCC. The contact angle of LCC on ceramic materials was measured as function of time to predict chemical reactivity. $All_2O_3$ showed poorest chemical stability and the pores in BeO contributed to a decreases in contact angle. MgO and $Y_2O_3$ have superior chemical stability among the materials.