Abstract
Goethite (α-FeOOH) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4·2H2O) are the main solid constituents of the iron oxide residues in zinc hydrometallurgy by the goethite process. Impounding these residues in tailings ponds is costly to maintain and causes a great threat to the local environment. In this study, magnetic separation was applied to separating goethite from calcium sulfate with maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) fine particles as the carrier, which were prepared by roasting −1 μm pure magnetite mineral particles. The SEM images and XRD patterns indicated the precipitation of goethite on maghemite fine particles in the goethite process, which made the goethite aggregates magnetic, while the calcium sulfate formed nonmagnetic bulk precipitates. The magnetic goethite–maghemite aggregates were then separated effectively from calcium sulfate precipitates using a magnetic drum separator. The recovery of Fe and Ca to their corresponding products was 93.2% and 91.9%, respectively. The removal of S and As from goethite precipitates was studied by roasting with coal powder. Under the optimum conditions of the coke powder to the residue mass ratio of 4% and 1100 °C, 99.3% S and 99.5% As were removed while the goethite precipitates reached the standard of ironmaking raw materials. After drying, the calcium sulfate precipitates are used to produce cement and building materials.
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