EXTRACTION OF ZINC FROM SECONDARY SOURCES BY LEACHING AND SOLVENT EXTRACTION

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for the production of either electrolytic zinc or high purity zinc salts from secondary zinc raw materials which comprises: leaching said raw material in a slightly acid aqueous solution at controlled pH, separating the reaction mixture into a leaching liquor containing the leached zinc and a solid residue which after suitable washing is descarted; directing the zinc-bearing liquor to a solvent extraction facility where it is brought into contact with an organic solution containing organic acids as cationic extraction reagents, by means of which, an ion exchange of zinc by hydrogen ions is achieved, resulting in a zinc loaded organic solution and in an aqueous solution containing the stoichiometric acidity to the extracted zinc; recycling the acid aqueous raffinate to the previous leaching step where it is used as the slightly acid aqueous solution to carry-out the zinc leaching from the raw material; sending the zinc organic extract to a stripping facility where it is brought into contact with a strong acid solution of zinc sulphate, by means of which an ion exchange of zinc by hydrogen ions takes place, thus producing a concentrated solution of zinc sulphate and an organic solution free of zinc, containing the stoichiometric acidity to the stripped zinc, which is recycled back to the previous step to perform the zinc extraction; directing the concentrated zinc sulphate aqueous solution either to an electrowinning facility to produce electrolytic zinc, or to a crystallization plant for the production of pure zinc sulphate; recycling back to the previous step of zinc stripping either the spent electrolyte from the electrowinning facility or the mother liquors from the crystallization plant to form, after suitable sulphuric acid make-up, the strong acid solution of zinc sulphate, by means of which zinc stripping from the organic extract is achieved.