Rare Metal Extraction & Processing: Process Development and Optimization
Sponsored by: TMS Extraction and Processing Division, TMS: Hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy Committee, TMS: Recycling and Environmental Technologies Committee
Program Organizers: Takanari Ouchi, University of Tokyo; Kerstin Forsberg, KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Gisele Azimi, University of Toronto; Shafiq Alam, University of Saskatchewan; Neale Neelameggham, IND LLC; Hojong Kim, Pennsylvania State University; Alafara Baba, University of Ilorin; Hong (Marco) Peng, University of Queensland; Athanasios Karamalidis, Pennsylvania State University; Shijie Wang, Coeur Mining, Inc
Tuesday 2:30 PM
March 21, 2023
Room: 30B
Location: SDCC
Session Chair: Alafara Baba, University of Ilorin; Hong Peng, The University of Queensland
2:30 PM
Formation Rates of Different Zinc Oxide Crystal Morphologies Associated with the Recycling of Zn-ion Batteries: Billy Hoogendoorn1; Xiong Xiao1; Veerababu Polisetti1; Fritjof Nilsson1; Kåre Tjus2; Kerstin Forsberg1; Richard Olsson1; 1KTH Royal Institute of Technology; 2IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
The formation of zinc oxide (ZnO)-particles of different hierarchical morphologies was investigated. By performing elemental analysis on samples extracted from the supernatant solution during precipitations yielding two distinctly different morphologies, the consumption of zinc ions was used to follow the liquid-to-solid phase formation. While a rapid Zn-ion consumption was synonymous with the formation of oxygen-terminated flower-shaped ZnO-particles, with half of the zinc ions being precipitated during the first minute, less than 10% of the zinc ions were converted to sea urchin-shaped ZnO-particles (with mixed terminations) after 1 min of the reaction. The unique ZnO-particle morphologies may therefore be related to the precipitation rates, which can be further explored as a tool for understanding how ZnO-particles with differently facetted surfaces form. Interestingly, the different formation rates remained with identical patterns when 0.5 g/L cellulose (0.005 wt%) was added to the reactions as nucleating seeds for improved yields.
2:50 PM
Production of Micro-sized Metallic Tungsten Particles from Natural Wolframite and Scheelite via Sulfide Chemistry: Charles Boury1; Sierra Green1; Antoine Allanore1; 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The development of sulfide based chemistry and physical separation has opened the way for new industrial production methods. A new route for the production of micron sized metallic tungsten particles from natural wolframite (Fe,Mn)WO4 and scheelite CaWO4 is presented. Sulfidation of mineral concentrates allows for the breaking of the tungstate crystal structure into a mix of sulfides containing tungsten disulfide WS2. The thermal instability of WS2 at high temperature allows for its selective thermal reduction to metallic tungsten particles under inert atmosphere.
3:10 PM
Purification of an Indigenous Barite Mineral for Sustainability of Operation in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industries: Alafara Baba1; Fausat Akanji2; Abdul Ganiyu Alabi3; Abdullah Ibrahim1; Kuranga Ayinla1; Mustapha Raji1; Seyi Adeboye4; Rasheed Agava5; M. Haruna5; 1University of Ilorin; 2SHEDA Science and Technology Complex; 3Kwara State University, Malete; 4National Biotechnology Development Agency; 5National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)
The increasing demand for pure barite as a precursor in oil and gas drilling mud cannot be over-emphasized. Despite the abundance of this mineral in Nigeria, its exploration has been facing neglect because of the lower quality that could not meet the American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. Consequently, the treatment of a Nassarawa State barite mineral through acidic and alkaline leaching techniques was purified using a Denver flotation cell at pH 9. At optimal conditions, a leaching efficiency of 87.6% was achieved. In addition, the specific gravity of the purified barite product (BaSO4: 96-900-4486, melting point = 1465°C) gave 4.42 g/cm3 close to the API standard of 4.48 g/cm3. The product as characterized is therefore recommended for use as local drilling mud in the oil and gas industries to sustain the continuous operation in industries, thereby supporting human and capital development of Nigeria among others.
3:30 PM
Pyrolysis of Waste Printed Circuit Boards: Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology and Characterization of Solid Product: Kurniawan Kurniawan1; Sookyung Kim2; Jae-chun Lee2; 1Korea University of Science and Technology; 2Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)
Recovery of precious and valuable metals from WPCBs faces challenge due to heterogeneous mixture of organic substrates and metal sheets. Thermal treatment, pyrolysis, is considered a promising and efficient process to ease the separation of organic substrates and metals by transforming the organic substrates into high calorific products of oil and gases. In this work, pyrolysis of WPCBs are evaluated while investigating the effects of parameters, such as temperature, heating rate and N2 flow rate. The pyrolysis process was optimized using response surface methodology with a central composite design (CCD). The results showed that a quadratic model explained adequately the non-linear behavior of the modeled response with an R^2 value of 0.987, indicating a sufficient adjustment of the model with the experimental data. The optimal conditions were determined, and solid product generated was comprehensively characterized. Also, enrichment of metals after pyrolysis was discussed to develop the metal recovery process.
3:50 PM
Tantalum Recovery Technique for Recycling of Tantalum Coated Composite Materials: Akanksha Gupta1; Brajendra Mishra1; 1Worcester Polytechnic Institute
In recent years, tantalum is being increasingly researched as a replacement for hard chromium coating on steel substrate for military applications. This study focuses on high-temperature oxidation as a potential recycling route of such composite material. Several oxidation tests were carried out in muffle furnace and thermogravimetric analyzer to study the oxidation behavior and oxidation kinetics at various temperatures and times. A comparative study was also carried out on different grades of steel substrates to determine the effect of coating, substrate and deposition technique on oxidation behavior of tantalum coated steel composite. The results indicate temperatures around 700C is optimum for separation, but optimal time may differ depending on the type of substrate and thickness of coating.