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Mechanical Activation of Coal Fly Ash for the Improvement of Alumina–Silica Separation During Reduction Roasting–Alkaline Leaching Process

  • Recent Developments on Metals and Energy Extraction from Waste Streams
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Abstract

Efficient removal of silica is the key to alumina extraction from coal fly ash (CFA) by the Bayer process, due to the easy formation of sodium aluminosilicate hydrates during alkaline digestion. Considering the main mineral of well-crystallized mullite in CFA, mechanical activation was used in this work to improve the silica removal during reduction roasting–alkaline leaching. The phase transformations occurring in CFA during mechanical activation, reduction roasting, and alkaline leaching were systemically investigated through MAS-NMR, XRD, and SEM-EDS analyses. The results showed that the mean particle size (d(50)) decreased from 17.98 μm in CFA to 2.03 μm in activated CFA for 10 min with prolonging mechanical activation time, with the corresponding Al(IV) content decreasing from 73.82% to 67.85%. After pre-treatment with mechanical activation, the conversion of CFA into hercynite and silica solid solutions (i.e., quartz solid solution and cristobalite solid solution) was improved during reduction roasting with hematite, and the silica leaching ratio increased from ~ 70% to ~ 90% during the alkaline leaching. The obtained leaching residue with an alumina to silica mass ratio of > 10 was a decent raw material for the Bayer process to extract alumina. This study lays the foundation for comprehensive utilization of CFA.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52004194), the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province (GXXT-2022-083) and the Scientific Research Foundation for High-level Talents of Anhui University of Science and Technology (2022yjrc25).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Hongyang Wang, Jiayao Wang, Jianjun Li, Zhanshang Li, Wenhao Li & Mengdie Yang

  2. School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Leiting Shen

  3. Anhui Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for New Materials from Coal-based Solid Wastes, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Hongyang Wang & Jianjun Li

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  1. Hongyang Wang
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Wang, H., Wang, J., Li, J. et al. Mechanical Activation of Coal Fly Ash for the Improvement of Alumina–Silica Separation During Reduction Roasting–Alkaline Leaching Process. JOM 76, 1456–1466 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-023-06229-z

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