Resource utilization of hazardous solid waste blast furnace dust: Efficient wet desulfurization and metal recovery

Abstract

Hazardous solid waste blast furnace dust (BFD) is rich in valuable metal components such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and its recycling or harmless treatment is a major challenge. This paper creatively proposes the strategy of “treating waste with waste” by using BFD for desulfurization. The experimental results show that BFD slurry can achieve high-efficiency desulfurization and recovery of Zn resources. The characterization results indicate that ZnO and Fe2O3 in BFD slurry are the main active components of desulfurization, and the consumption of active components is the main reason for the decline of BFD slurry activity. Further semi-continuous experimental research shows that Zn, Fe, and Mn ions in BFD slurry play a crucial role in the catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Additionally, the effects of reaction temperature, stirring speed, inlet SO2 concentration, and inlet gas flow rate on the leaching rate of Zn and Fe were investigated. Under optimal conditions (SO2 concentration = 3000 mg‧m−3, reaction temperature = 40 °C, inlet gas flow rate = 300 mL‧min−1, solid-liquid ratio = 0.5 g/300 mL, stirring speed = 600 rpm), the desulfurization rate reaches 100%, and the maximum leaching rate of Zn can reach 44.6%. Based on the experimental and characterization results, the possible mechanism of BFD slurry desulfurization was proposed. This study provides a reference for the application of BFD in the field of wet desulfurization.