EJCHEM
EJCHEM
EJCHEM
R ECOVERY of zinc from its dross was investigated using electrochemical and
pyrometallurgical methods. Almost 100% pure zinc was obtained using these methods.
A small bench scale system for the investigating the recovery of zinc using pyrometallurgical
methods was developed. The system based on the evaporation of zinc (in the dross) at 1050oC
and condensing zinc vapors into pure zinc in a separate crucible. Almost pure Zn (99.95%) is
obtained using this method. Recovery of zinc was also performed using electrowinning from
the acidified zinc sulfate bath and electrorefining of zinc dross anodes in the alkaline ammonia
bath. In either method different parameters including current density and deposition time were
addressed. Zinc powder of almost 100% purity was obtained.
and recovery of zinc from zinc plating mud, catholyte flow velocity, temperature, current
recovery of zinc from zinc-carbon batteries, density, and zinc, HCl, NaCl and inhibitor TBACl
Leaching kinetics of zinc residues augmented have been investigated. Optimized electrowinning
with ultrasound and zinc recovery from was obtained from solution containing 20 g/l Zn,
galvanizing dross by super-gravity separation 9 g/l HCl, 1 mol/l NaCl, and 50 mg/ TBACl and at
[13-19]. a flow velocity of 100 cm/min and electrowinning
at a current density of 300 A/m2 at 35-40°C.
Viswanath and George [20] studied the
electrowinning of zinc from ammonia and The effects of sodium laurayl sulphate on
glycerol with glycerol varying from 0 to 20% and the electrowinning of Zinc from acidic sulphate
ammonia from 0.5 to 1.5 N was studied. The zinc solution were investigated by B. C. Tripathy, et
powder particles were spherical in shape with size al. [26] and the results were compared with glue
varying from 2.63 to 79 µm, depending on the as the addition agents. Results indicated that
concentration of glycerol and the ammonia. Addition of sodium laurayl sulphate increased
the current efficiency, sodium laurayl sulphate
Das, et al. [21] proposed that the addition of and glue affected the cathodic polarization of zinc
perfluorocarboxylic acids increased the current similarly.
efficiency, decreased power consumption and
produced better surface morphologies during The recovery of zinc metal from zinc ash,
the electrowinning of zinc from acidic sulphate with a zinc content of about 76% by leaching and
solutions. Perfluorocarboxylic acids were found electrowinning has been studied. The presence of
to be better additives for zinc electrodeposition chloride has been identified as the major problem
when Sb(III) was absent from the zinc electrolyte. area. A catalytic anode based on the iridium
dioxide (IrO2) was used as the anode material to
Sanjay [22] developed a process based on the overcome this problem [27].
direct electrowinning of zinc dross in an alkaline
medium. In the electrolytic cell zinc dross was Rabah and Elsayed as well as Koros et al. [28,29]
taken in a porous metallic container and used as studied the factors affecting the performance and
the anode. It was found that at 5 A/dm2 current efficiency of the pyrometallurgical processes of
density, the formation of zinc powder is possible zinc ash by using ammonium-chloride flux. The
with 1.23 kWh per kg of energy consumption. The recovery efficiency amounts to 89% and 63% for
impressed voltage was found 1.2 V with a current zinc ash having particle size diameter of +1.25
efficiency of 90%. mm and –0.4 + 0.315 mm, respectively, with 10%
flux at 600°C.
Tripthy et al [23] investigated the
electrowinning of zinc from acidic sulfate Ratherford [30] studied a process called
path. The effects of perfluorobutyric acid, decantation filtration. A filter plate was attached
perfluoroheptanoic acid and perfluorooctanoic on the top of the melting crucible. This gave a
acid, in the presence and absence of antimony(III), yield of 75% of the recoverable zinc at 600°C
on the cathodic current efficiency, power with a settling time of 37 min., and the remaining
consumption and polarization behavior of the iron was 0.78%.
cathode during the electrowinning of zinc from
acidic sulphate solutions were investigated. The aim of the present study is to recover
Addition of any of these perfluorocarboxylic zinc dross from Kandeel For Steel Co.
acids increased the current efficiency, decreased The zinc dross was brought from a leading
power consumption and produced better surface galvanizing company in Egypt, which uses
morphologies. hot dip continuous galvanizing process. The
investigated sample was taken from the top-
Stanojevi, et al [24] investigated Zinc dross of the galvanizing bath. The sample
Dissolution Process in sulfuric acid. They contains a high percent of zinc metal (>90%),
proposed that acceleration of zinc dissolving which associates the intermetallic Fe2Al5 dross.
is possible using copper cathode depending on The work developed an effective technology for
the quality of electrical contact between copper recycling zinc from zinc dross. The recovered
electrode and zinc. zinc can be returned to the production cycle
which would significantly reduce the cost of
Guo et al [25] investigated zinc electrowinning obtaining galvanized products.
from acidic chloride solutions. The effects of
Egypt.J.Chem. 62, No. 2 (2019)
RECOVERY OF ZINC FROM ZINC DROSS USING PYROMETALLURGICAL ... 375
Fig. 1. Schematic presentation of the pyrometallurgical system used for Zn recovery from Zn-dross.
Egypt.J.Chem. 62, No. 2 (2019)
376
IBRAHIM M. GHAYAD et al.
Fig. 2. A photograph of the pyrometallurgical system used for Zn recovery and recovered zinc from Zn-dross.
TABLE 1. The working conditions as well as the current efficiency of the electrowinning experiments. The time
was fixed at 30 min.
TABLE 2. The effect of current density on the efficiency of the electrorefining tests using the NH3/NH4Cl bath.
TABLE 3. Effect of time on the efficiency of the electrorefining of zinc from NH3/NH4Cl bath.
Figure 4 represents the morphology of compact and adhered which allows the formation
zinc deposited using electrorefining method of high quantity of deposit in comparison to the
from the NH3/NH4Clbath at 107 mA/cm2 electrowinning method.
and 2 h. Aggregates of zinc deposits were
obtained. Each aggregate seems to consist It is clear that electrofinning technique excels
of small particulates (flakes) tightly adhered the electrowinning technique regarding the ease of
to each other. The aggregates are obviously the process where electrorefining technique uses
distinguished from each other and mostly of zinc dross as anode whereas in the electrowinning
the same size. SEM images show that deposits technique zinc dross must be dissolved prior to
formed using electrorefining method are more electrodeposition.
TABLE 4. Chemical analysis of Zn formed after lab scale pyrometallurgical experiments performed at 1050oC.
TABLE 5. Effect of temperature on the percent recovery of zinc using pyrometallurgical technique.
TABLE 6. The effect of time on the percent recovery of zinc using pyrometallurgical technique.
12. Abdel-Aal, E.A. Fouad, E.A., Shukry, Z.E., 23. H Guo, H., Lu, J., Dreisinger, D., Steyl, J., Smit,
Extraction of Zinc Metal from Zinc Ore, Journal J., Zinc electrowinning from acidic chloride
of Egyptian Chemical Engineering, 10 (2002). solutions, In Proceeding of Pb Zn 2010 - Lead-
Zinc 2010 Symposium, Vancouver, Canada, pp.
13. Ahmed, I.M., Nayl, A.A., Daoud, J.A., Leaching
685 (2010).
and recovery of zinc and copper from brass slag by
sulfuric acid, Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 24. Prasad, Sanjay, Production of Electrolytic
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14. Mahandra, H., Singh, R., Gupta, B., Liquid-liquid
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& Markets, New Delhi (2009).
phosphonium ionic liquid (Cyphos IL104) and
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and Purification Technology, 177, 281 (2017). Zinc Dissolution Process in sulfuric acid. J. Min.
Met., 41 B, 47 (2005).
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R., Scoppettuolo, A., Characterization of spent 26. Tripathy, B.C., Das, S.C., Hefter, G.T. and Singh,
zinc–carbon and alkaline batteries by SEM-EDS, P., Zinc electrowinning from acidic sulfate
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28. Rabah, M., A., and Elsayed, A., S., Recovery of
17. Huajun, Z., Zhenghai, G., Jinhuan, Z., Study on the Zinc and Some of its Valuable Salts from secondary
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29. Koros, D., Hellickson, D. and Dudek, F., Iron and
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19. Liu, Q, Zhao, G., Zhao, Y., Regeneration and (Received 1/2/2018;
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تناول البحث دراسة استرجاع الزنك من مخلفات مصانع الجلفنة بالطرق الكهروكيميائية و الحرارية ،حيث تم
الحصول على زنك نقي بنسبة %100تقريبا .وقد تم تطوير نظام معملي مصغر الستعادة الزنك بالطرق الحرارية
حيث يسخن الزنك إلى درجة التبخر فى بوتقة داخل فرن ثم يتم سحب هذا البخار وتكثيفه فى بوتقة خارجية .وقد
تم الحصول على زنك نقاوة %99.97بهذه الطريقة .و أيضا تم دراسة استرجاع الزنك باستخدام تقنية الترسيب
الكهربي من حوض كبريتات الزنك الحامضية والتى نتجت عن إذابة الزنك الغير نقى في حامض الكبريتيك
المركز .كما تم تنقية الزنك باستخدامه كأنود في حوض األمونيا القلوي وترسيبه كهربيا على كاثود من االلومنيوم.
في كال الطريقتين تمت دراسة العوامل المختلفة من كثافة التيار والوقت الالزم للترسيب كما تم الحصول على
بودرة الزنك بنقاوة %100تقريبا.