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Extraction of Aluminum from Coal Fly Ash Using Pressurized Sulfuric Acid Leaching with Emphasis on Optimization and Mechanism

  • Recovery, Sorting, and Processing of Secondary Aluminum
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Abstract

Coal fly ash, commonly produced from thermal power plants, is not only an industrial waste but an aluminum-rich resource that needs to be disposed of properly. This study aims to extract aluminum from coal fly ash using pressurized sulfuric acid (H2SO4) leaching and to investigate the dissolution mechanism during the leaching process. The effects of initial concentration of H2SO4, reaction temperature and time on the extraction of aluminum were investigated. Under optimized conditions (3 mol/l H2SO4, 220°C and 180 min), the extraction of aluminum reached 82.51%. It was found that mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) contained in coal fly ash was completely dissolved during the leaching, while the dissolution of silica-alumina glass beads was at a limited degree. The un-leached aluminum was found to be locked inside the glass beads which H2SO4 was unable to access.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Testing Center of Fuzhou University for the help with the elemental analysis presented in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, People’s Republic of China

    Peng Wang, Huiyong Liu, Fangyan Zheng, Yue Liu & Ge Kuang

  2. College of Zijing Mining, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, People’s Republic of China

    Rongdong Deng

  3. Western Australian School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia

    Huan Li

Authors
  1. Peng Wang
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  2. Huiyong Liu
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  3. Fangyan Zheng
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  7. Huan Li
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Correspondence to Peng Wang or Ge Kuang.

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Wang, P., Liu, H., Zheng, F. et al. Extraction of Aluminum from Coal Fly Ash Using Pressurized Sulfuric Acid Leaching with Emphasis on Optimization and Mechanism. JOM 73, 2643–2651 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-04801-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-04801-z

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