Selective Recovery of Valuable Metals (Se, Te, Cu) from the Selenium Distillation Residue by Sulfuric Acid Oxidative Leaching

Selenium distillation residue (SDR), inevitably generated in the treatment of refining selenium by vacuum distillation of crude selenium, is a kind of solid residue with low utilization yet massive recycling value. It contains a diverse and complicated component of selenide, telluride, and high-leve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sustainable metallurgy 2022-09, Vol.8 (3), p.1191-1203
Main Authors: Zhen, TianTian, Luo, Huan, Liu, Lang, Zha, GuoZheng, Yang, Bin, Jiang, WenLong, Xu, BaoQiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Copper
Copper selenides
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Flow velocity
Gold
Hydrogen peroxide
Mass transfer
Materials recovery
Metallic Materials
Oxygen
Partial pressure
Research Article
Residues
Selenium
Silver
Sustainable Development
Tellurides
Tellurium
Vacuum distillation
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Summary:Selenium distillation residue (SDR), inevitably generated in the treatment of refining selenium by vacuum distillation of crude selenium, is a kind of solid residue with low utilization yet massive recycling value. It contains a diverse and complicated component of selenide, telluride, and high-level precious metals. In this study, oxidative acid leaching at atmospheric pressure is adopted to systematically treat SDR to separate selenium, tellurium, copper, and effectively enrich gold and silver. The leaching method in H 2 SO 4 –H 2 O 2 mixed solution under an oxygen atmosphere was employed to investigate the effects of H 2 SO 4 concentration, H 2 O 2 concentration, oxygen flow rate, liquid–solid ratio, and leaching time on the recovery of Se, Te, and Cu. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of Se, Te, and Cu, respectively, achieved 87.96%, 87.02%, and 98.82% while Au, Ag, and Pb were enriched in the leaching residue, the contents were 0.42%, 16.5%, and 24.27%, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that insoluble Cu 2 Se could be oxidized to soluble H 2 SeO 3 in the pH range of − 1.5 to 0, and the potential 0.83 V. XRD and EPMA results outline that CuSe, AgSe, CuTe, and AgTe exist in leaching residue resulting in incomplete leaching of Se, Te, and Cu. Besides, the existence of core–shell grain of AgCl@AgSe is another main reason for the incomplete leaching of selenium. Oxygen partial pressure can enhance mass transfer by diffusion and open the envelope phase. The leaching percentages of Se, Te, and Cu at 0.5 MPa are measured as 93.97%, 99.83%, and 97.42%, respectively. Graphical Abstract
ISSN:2199-3823
2199-3831
DOI:10.1007/s40831-022-00547-3