Recycling of zinc oxide scavengers

Abstract

Oxin-zinc absorbers are designed for fine purification of natural gas from sulfur compounds. Spent absorbers are replaced with fresh ones after sulfur saturation. For the simultaneous loading of desulfurization apparatus in the chemical industry, hundreds of tons of zinc oxide absorbers will be required. Absorbers unloaded from the apparatus are waste products. At the end of 2000, more than 1, 000 tons of spent absorber had accumulated at domestic enterprises of the chemical industry. Purpose: To develop a technology for the extraction of zinc oxide from spent absorbers, to determine the conditions of dissolution, precipitation, heat treatment of the precipitate, consumption rates of nitric acid, carbon ammonium salt and product yield. Consider the use of zinc oxide from spent scavengers. Methodology: Nitric acid dissolution, purification of the solution from insoluble, precipitation of basic zinc carbonate, drying and calcination. PH control, analyzes of the composition of the raw material and the finished product, solutions by volume and titrometric methods and spectrophotometrically. Scientific novelty: The possibility of extracting zinc oxide from spent absorbers by the chemical-thermal method with the production of natural active zinc oxide for use in the manufacture of paints and fresh absorbers has been established. Received data: Engineering calculations were performed with the initial data for the design of a pilot plant. Pilot tests have confirmed the performance of the developed technology. The obtained zinc oxide in terms of quality, specific surface area and particle size meets the requirements for active zinc oxides for the production of effective absorbers.