• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2015

A leaching kinetics was conducted for the purpose of recovery of praseodymium in sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$) from REE slag concentrated by the smelting reduction process in an arc furnace as a reactant. The concentration of $H_2SO_4$ was fixed at an excess ratio under the condition of slurry density of 1.500 g slag/L, 0.3 mol $H_2SO_4$, and the effect of temperatures was investigated under the condition of 30 to $80^{\circ}C$. As a result, praseodymium oxide ($Pr_6O_{11}$) existing in the slag was completely converted into praseodymium sulfate ($Pr_2(SO_4)_3{\cdot}8H_2O$) after the leaching of 5 h. On the basis of the shrinking core model with a shape of sphere, the first leaching reaction was determined by chemical reaction mechanism. Generally, the solubility of pure REEs decreases with the increase of leaching temperatures in sulfuric acid, but REE slag was oppositely increased with increasing temperatures. It occurs because the ash layer included in the slag is affected as a resistance against the leaching. By using the Arrhenius expression, the apparent activation energy of the first chemical reaction was determined to be $9.195kJmol^{-1}$. In the second stage, the leaching rate is determined by the ash layer diffusion mechanism. The apparent activation energy of the second ash layer diffusion was determined to be $19.106kJmol^{-1}$. These relative low activation energy values were obtained by the existence of unreacted ash layer in the REE slag.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.32-37
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• 2015

Cobalt is abundant only in some countries including Democratic Republic of the Congo. It would be necessary to secure overseas Co ores and Co extraction technology. Two kinds of matte varying the sulfur content were manufactured by smelting reduction of Co concentrate containing ~8 wt% Co, ~19 wt% Cu, and ~3 wt% Fe. The amount of Co, Cu and Fe was concentrated to 19~21 wt%, 39~41 wt%, and 7~9 wt% respectively in the resulting matte. High-pressure leaching of matte was performed in an autoclave with considering the effect of oxidizing agent, $H_2SO_4$ concentration as a lixiviant, and the amount of sulfur added to the matte. An oxidizing agent (oxygen) is necessary to improve Co leaching efficiency enabling usage of a dilute $H_2SO_4$ leaching agent. An increase in $H_2SO_4$ concentration prevents selective leaching of Co, and the sulfur content in matte has a minor influence on the Co leaching efficiency.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.34-41
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• 2022

Smelting reduction of spent lithium-ion batteries results in metallic alloys, slag, and dust containing Li(I). Precipitation of Li₂CO₃ was performed using the synthetic leachate of the dust. Herein, the effects of the precipitant and addition of non-aqueous solvents on the precipitation of Li(I) were investigated. Na₂CO₃ was a more effective precipitating agent than (NH₄)₂CO₃ owing to the hydrolysis reaction of dissolved ammonium and carbonate. The addition of acetone or ethanol improved the Li(I) precipitation percentage for both the precipitants. When using (NH₄)₂CO₃, the Li(I) precipitation percentage increased at a solution pH of 12. Under the same conditions, the Li(I) precipitation percentage using Na₂CO₃ was much higher than that using (NH₄)₂CO₃.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.50-59
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• 2023

The amount of dust generated during the dissolution of scrap in an electric arc furnace is approximately 1.5% of the scrap metal input, and it is primarily collected in a bag filter. Electric arc furnace dust primarily consists of zinc and ion. The processing of zinc starts with its conversion into pellet form by the addition of a carbon-based reducing agent(coke, anthracite) and limestone (C/S control). These pellets then undergo reduction, volatilization, and re-oxidation in rotary kiln or RHF reactor to recover crude zinc oxide (60%w/w). Next, iron is discharged from the electric arc furnace dust as a solid called Fe clinker (secondary by-product of the Fe-base). Several methods are then used to treat the Fe clinker, which vary depending on the country, including landfilling and recycling (e.g., subbase course material, aggregate for concrete, Fe-source for cement manufacturing). However, landfilling has several drawbacks, including environmental pollution due to leaching, high landfill costs, and wastage of iron resources. To improve Fe recovery in the clinker, we pulverized it into optimal -sized particles and employed specific gravity and magnetic force selection methods to isolate this metal. A carbon-based reducing agent and a binding material were added to the separated coarse powder (>10㎛) to prepare briquette clinker. A small amount (1-3%w/w) of the briquette clinker was charged with the scrap in an electric arc furnace to evaluate its feasibility as an additives (carbonaceous material, heat-generating material, and Fe source).