Inhibition of Fe4Ge3O12 formation in the leaching process of zinc oxide dust containing germanium by ultrasonic and iron powder

Abstract

Low leaching efficiency of germanium has always been a difficult point hindering the efficient utilization of zinc oxide dust containing germanium. Based on the previous research results that the formation of insoluble Fe4Ge3O12 leads to germanium loss in the leaching process, a new process of reduction leaching of zinc oxide dust containing germanium enhanced by ultrasonic and iron powder is proposed. Under optimized conditions, the germanium leaching efficiency can be increased by 9.17%, reaching 93.43%. When leaching, the addition of iron powder can reduce the Fe3+ formed in the leaching process and hinder the formation of insoluble Fe4Ge3O12, which can increase the leaching efficiency of germanium by 5.30%. At the same time, strong mechanical action of ultrasonic can fully disperse the iron powder in the leaching system, avoiding the phenomenon of insufficient local reduction. More importantly, the addition of ultrasonic can reduce the dissolved oxygen in the solution system and produce strong reducing hydrogen free radicals (H), strengthening the reduction leaching effect, thus the germanium leaching efficiency is further increased by 3.87%. The research results provide a new method and theoretical guidance for the efficient utilization of zinc oxide dust containing germanium, which is of great significance.