Preparation of nano sulfur from the wastes (foam) in the Al_Mishraq sulfur mine (Mosul/Iraq)

Abstract

The research included estimating the elemental sulfur percentage in sulfuric foam waste, which was found to be 88.15%. Potassium polysulfide was prepared from this waste and used to prepare nano-sized sulfur particles through reduction processes. Stable suspensions were obtained for more than 30 days. The crystalline structure of the prepared samples was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). It showed a crystalline growth of nano-sized sulfur particles from the non-crystalline structure at a concentration of 0.5 mL. The crystalline bundles began to appear at a concentration of 1 mL, and their intensity increased, and good bundles appeared at a concentration of 1.5 mL. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to study the same prepared samples, and the particle size range was (19.59-43.47 nm), (31.33-44.23 nm), and (31.52-62.64 nm). The method was characterized by its ease, low cost, and absence of harmful environmental gas emissions.