No abstract

Oxide fraction of industrial zinc ash from hot dip galvanizing was characterized in terms of composition and leaching behaviour in 10% sulfuric acid solution. Waste product contained about 68% Zn, 6% Cl, 3% Al, 1% Fe, 0.7% Si, 0.5% Pb and minor percentages of other metals (Mn, Cu, Ti etc.). It consisted mainly of zinc oxide contaminated with metallic zinc, zinc hydroxide chloride and silica. Dissolution of the metals from the material was determined as a function of solid to liquid ratio (50-150 kg/m 3 ), temperature (20°C and 35°C) and agitation rate (300 and 900 rpm). The best results (50 g/dm 3 Zn(II) at 78% zinc recovery) were obtained for 100 kg/m 3 and the temperature of 20°C. Increase in the agitation rate had weak effect on the zinc yield. The final solutions were contaminated mainly by Fe(II, III) ions. Leaching of the material was an exothermic process with the reaction heat of about 800 kJ/kg.

Three industrial waste materials were characterized in terms of their elemental and phase compositions, leaching behaviour in 10% sulfuric acid solution as well as leaching thermal effects. Slag from melting of mixed metallic scrap contained about 50% Zn and 10% Pb. It consisted mainly of various oxides and oxy-chlorides of metals. Zinc spray metallizing dust contained about 77% Zn in form of zinc and/or zinc-iron oxides, zinc metal and Zn-Fe intermetallic. Zinc ash from hot dip galvanizing was a mixture of zinc oxide, metallic zinc and zinc hydroxide chloride and contained about 80% Zn. Dissolution efficiency of zinc from the first material was 80% (independently on the solid to liquid ratio, 50–150 kg/m3), while decrease of the efficacy from 80% to 60% with increased solid to liquid ratio for the two remaining materials was observed. Both increase in the temperature (20 °C to 35 °C) and agitation rate (300 rpm to 900 rpm) did not improve seriously the leaching results. In all cases, transfer of zinc ions to the leachate was accompanied by different levels of solution contamination, depending on the type of the waste. Leaching of the materials was exothermic with the similar reaction heats for two high oxide-type products (slag, zinc ash) and higher values for the spray metallizing dust.