Abstract
CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 catalysts are designed for low-temperature conversion in the process of hydrogen and ammonia synthesis gas production. This paper presents the results of research into the recovery of copper and zinc from spent catalysts using pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods. Under reducing conditions, at high temperature, having appropriately selected the composition of the slag, more than 66% of the copper can be extracted in metallic form, and about 70% of zinc in the form of ZnO from this material. Hydrometallurgical processing of the catalysts was carried out using two leaching solutions: alkaline and acidic. Almost 62% of the zinc contained in the catalysts was leached to the alkaline solution, and about 98% of the copper was leached to the acidic solution. After the hydrometallurgical treatment of the catalysts, an insoluble residue was also obtained in the form of pure ZnAl2O4. This compound can be reused to produce catalysts, or it can be processed under reducing conditions at high temperature to recover zinc. The recovery of zinc and copper from such a material is consistent with the policy of sustainable development, and helps to reduce the environmental load of stored wastes.
Highlights
Spent CuO-ZnO-Al2 O3 catalysts are very important secondary resources for metal recovery and could be highly usable for copper and zinc recycling [1]
The zinc aluminate deposit was of dark gray color, since it contained a certain amount of carbon
Material balance and analysis of the solutions made it possible to determine the yield of copper in solution at the level of 98%
Summary
Spent CuO-ZnO-Al2 O3 catalysts are very important secondary resources for metal recovery and could be highly usable for copper and zinc recycling [1]. This type of catalyst is used in low-temperature processes of carbon monoxide conversion with steam and to obtain hydrogen as well as a synthesis gas to produce ammonia or methanol [2,3,4,5]. Manufacturers of catalysts define the content of the basic components in new products as follows: CuO—min 50%, ZnO—min 25%. Multiple variations of these are available on the market. The copper to zinc mass ratio in industrial catalysts manufactured using the co-precipitation method is usually
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