Developing innovative processes to recover scandium and refractory metals from bauxite residue

开发从铝土矿残渣中回收钪和难熔金属的创新工艺

• 批准号: 536829-2018
• 负责人: Azimi, GiseleG
• 金额: $ 2.69万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=747210
• 关键词: Developing; innovative; processes; recover; scandium

This proposal describes the plan for developing environmentally sustainable and performant processes to valorize industrial waste to high value metals that are in increasing demand. More specifically, it will investigate the extraction of scandium from the bauxite residue produced in Rio Tinto's alumina production plant (Vaudreuil Works) located in Jonquiere, Canada. The proposed valorization process also produces refractory metals in high demand, such as titanium, niobium, and high purity pig iron, which makes the process more economical, robust, and attractive. The successful completion of the proposed research would result in process development and innovations to transform an otherwise waste stream to valuable strategic materials for the next generation of energy-efficient products. The four-year deliverable is lab-scale innovative and green processes to utilize bauxite residue to produce high value products. The process will consist of three components: 1) innovative smelting process based on carbothermic reduction to reduce the iron content of the bauxite residue, 2) leaching processes based upon acid baking water leaching to extract valuable metals from the smelting slag, and 3) green solid-liquid extraction to separate value metals from the leachate. The proposed project is highly beneficial for Canadians, as it delivers significant environmental and economic benefits by resolving the bottleneck for strategic materials supply through 1) industrial waste valorization, and 2) production of valuable metals required for the clean-energy technologies. The proposed project will further improve Canada's competitiveness in the amount of resources for strategic materials and its technical edge in extraction and processing of these materials. In addition, top high quality personnel will be trained for careers in the Canadian Minerals sector.

该提案描述了制定环境可持续和性能过程的计划，以使工业废物成为日益增长的价值金属。更具体地说，它将调查从位于加拿大琼基尔（Jonquiere）的Rio Tinto生产厂（Vaudreuil Works）中生产的铝土矿残留物中提取scandium。拟议的价值过程还产生了高需求的难治性金属，例如钛，niobium和高纯净的生铁，这使得该过程更加经济，健壮和吸引力。拟议研究的成功完成将导致过程开发和创新，以将原本废物流转换为下一代节能产品的有价值的战略材料。四年可交付的是实验室规模的创新和绿色工艺，用于利用铝土矿残留物生产高价值产品。该过程将由三个组成部分组成：1）基于碳热减少以减少铝土矿残留物的铁含量的创新冶炼过程，2）基于酸烘烤水浸出的浸出过程，以从冶炼槽中提取有价值的金属，而3）3）3）绿色的固体固定液，以从浸出的物质中分离出值。拟议的项目对加拿大人非常有益，因为它通过解决通过1）工业废物载体的战略材料供应的瓶颈来带来重大的环境和经济利益，而2）生产清洁能源技术所需的有价值的金属。拟议的项目将进一步提高加拿大在战略材料的资源数量及其在提取和处理这些材料方面的技术优势方面的竞争力。此外，将在加拿大矿业部门的职业生涯中对高质量的高质量人员进行培训。