Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for recovering zinc and iron products from zinc- containing waste materials obtained from the zinc or steel industry, or both, by first treating the waste material(s) with strong acid, to convert any zinc ferrites into leachable compounds, and then leaching the acid-treated material, neutralizing the acid of the leach solution, recovering zinc from the neutralized ferrous iron-containing solution, recovering iron from the thus obtained solution, and circulating at least a fraction of the raffinate solution obtained from the iron recovery back to the leaching step.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method for recovering rare earth metals from waste sulphate materials, such as waste gypsum, which is a known secondary resource of rare earth metals and widely present e.g. in areas, where industrial phosphate production takes place. The present invention combines sulphate reduction treatment, such as bioreduction with sulphate reducing bacteria, and magnetic separation, which is based on an exceptionally high magnetic susceptibility of rare earth compounds compared to e.g. calcium compounds in such reductively pretreated gypsum precipitate.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for separating metals using a series of precipitations from waste materials of the zinc or steel industry, or both. The method is characterized in carrying out the precipitations using hydroxides or sulfur-containing chemicals selected from sulfates, sulfides, sulfur oxides and sulfites, or both, in order to obtain metal precipitates as well as an aqueous sulfur-containing solution, the latter optionally being recycled in the process, where after a final precipitate is carried to a thermal step, for forming