The citric acid leaching of boron process wastes

Abstract

ABSTRACT With boron plants belonging to ETI Mine Operations concentrated in Western Anatolia, Turkey has the largest boron reserves in the world (73.6%). The annual wastes of boron plants have a higher B2O3 content than the raw material amount of many regions in the world. These wastes, increasing in abundance every year, cause other environmental problems, in addition to waste dam/pond storage problems. For this reason, it is essential to recover these wastes. In this study, optimisation tests were carried out regarding the production of boric acid from organic acid in the utilisation process of borate (Ca/Na-Ca) wastes (8–12% B2O3) from the Balıkesir/Bigadiç Boron Plant. For this purpose, the Yates technique (ANOVA) was used in the experiments at an 8–12 wt.% solids ratio, 40–80°C temperature, 20–60 min of leaching time, and 0.15–0.45 M citric acid concentration. According to the optimisation test results, recovery efficiencies of 90–95% were identified, and net acid consumption (NAC) values were determined as 22–86 kg/t. Characterisation studies such as FT-IR, SEM, XRD Rietveld's, and XRF were also carried out on the raw ore (primary waste) and treated waste samples.