Extraction of Zinc and Arsenic from Metallurgical Furnace Dust

Millions of tons of dust produced in the process of gas cleaning are accumulated in dumps located near metallurgical plants. Such dust contains harmful impurities (Zn, As, Pb, and P), thus its recycling by the agglomeration method can lead to either environmental contamination or furnace damage. Hence, prior separation of iron from the impurities is required to improve the efficiency of the recycling process. Here we propose a new hydrometallurgical scheme for extracting iron in the form Na3FeF6 from the liquid phase produced as the result of dust acidic leaching. The ability of Na3FeF6 to interact with NaOH (KOH) with the formation of Fe(OH)(3) has been utilized for separating Fe3+ ions from F-. The proposed scheme is relatively simple, quick, and inexpensive, thus allowing its use at metallurgical plants to separate Fe from Zn, As, Pb, and P.

Automated summary

A new hydrometallurgical scheme has been proposed for extracting iron from metallurgical waste, improving efficiency in the recycling process.