Institute of Solid State Chemistry of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia:

I. N. Pyagay, Senior Researcher, e-mail: igor-pya@yandex.ru

Alumina industry is the biggest in non-ferrous metallurgy, but the problem of complex bauxite use is still non-solved. This article considers the prospect ways of bauxite processing waste (red mud) recycling with alumina release. Depending on market demand, the developed block technologies allow the variation of the required products' yield or the choice of other types of products. There is given the review of the results of experimental investigations and enlarged pilot testings for scandium, yttrium and aluminium extraction with obtaining the scandium and yttrium oxides and returning the alkalines in the basic industrial cycle. The possibility of extraction of alumina (not less than 60–65%) and alkali is shown by autoclave leaching using concentrated solutions of sodium hydroxide with calcium hydroxide/oxide in the area of temperatures, close to the use in alumina production. Conditions of slime pulp carbonization by waste gases of the main alumina production were tested for scandium extraction from dump slimes on the experimental field (JSC “BAZ SUAL”). Reaching the high scandium concentration in carbonate solution with activation methods allowed the final product obtaining (scandium technical oxide with yield >95%) using simple precipitating methods (hydrolysis, desalting, precipitation). Carbonized slime was also under the autoclave processing with alumina extraction.

1. Liu Z., Li H. Metallurgical process for valuable elements recovery from red mud — A review. Hydrometallurgy. 2015. Vol. 155. pp. 29–43.
2. Klauber C., Gräfe M., Power G. Bauxite residue issues: II. Options for residue utilization. Hydrometallurgy. 2011. Vol. 108. pp. 11–32.
3. Liu W., Chen X., Li W., Yu Y., Yan K. Environmental assessment, management and utilization of red mud in China. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2014. Vol. 84. pp. 606–610.
4. Ibragimov A. T., Budon S. V. Razvitie tekhnologii proizvodstva glinozema iz boksitov Kazakhstana (Development of technology of alumina production from Kazakhstan bauxites). Pavlodar : PLC “Dom pechati”, 2010. 304 p.
5. Sharoglazova M. “RUSAL” rasshiryaet kartu shlamovykh poley v Sverdlovskoy oblasti (“RUSAL” expends the slime field map in Sverdlovsk Oblast). Pravda Uralskogo federalnogo okruga : setevoe izdanie = Pravda of Ural Federal District : electronic edition. 12.11.2015. Available at: http://pravdaurfo.ru/print/123719 (accessed: June 29, 2016).
6. Sabirzyanov N. A., Yatsenko S. P. Gidrokhimicheskie sposoby kompleksnoy pererabotki boksitov (Hydrochemical methods of complex processing of bauxites). Ekaterinburg : Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 2006. 386 p.
7. Leontev L. I., Vatolin N. A., Shavrin S. V., Shumakov N. S. Pirometallurgicheskaya pererabotka kompleksnykh rud (Pyrometallurgical processing of complex ores). Moscow : Metallurgiya, 1997. 432 p.
8. Ekologo-ekonomicheskiy indeks regionov Rossii. “Ekologicheskaya karta Rossii” (Ecological-economic index of Russian regions. “Russian ecological map”). “RIA Novosti” project, International Information Agency “Russia today”. Available at : http://ria.ru/ecorating/ (accessed: June 29, 2016). (in Russian)
9. Gosudarstvennyy doklad “O sostoyanii i ob okhrane okruzhayushchey sredy Sverdlovskoy oblasti v 2014 godu” (State Report “About the state and protection of environment in Sverdlovsk oblast in 2014”). Ministry of natural resources and ecology of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Available at : http://www.mprso.ru/gosudarstvennyedoklady (accessed: June 29, 2016). (in Russian)
10. Burkin S. P., Loginov Yu. N., Shchipanov A. A., Zhukov S. S., Loginova I. V. Pererabotka zhelezoglinozemistykh tekhnogennykh otkhodov (Processing of iron-alumina technogenic wastes). Stal = Steel in Translation. 1996. No. 6. pp. 77–80.
11. Podgorodetskiy G. S., Shiryaeva E. V., Gorbunov V. B., Kozlova O. N. Problemy effektivnoy pererabotki krasnykh shlamov (A Problem of Efficient Red Mud Processing, Search for Solutions). Ekologiya i promyshlennost Rossii = Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2015. Vol. 19, No. 12. pp. 46–53.
12. Lipin V. A. Kompleksnoe ispolzovanie boksitov kak sposob resheniya ekologicheskikh problem polucheniya glinozema (Complex use of bauxites as a method of solving the ecological problems of alumina obtaining). Ekologiya i promyshlennost Rossii = Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2006. No. 11. pp. 12–14.
13. Panov A., Klimentenok G., Podgorodetskiy G., Gorbunov V. Directions for Large Scale Utilization of Bauxite Residue. The minerals, metals & materials society. Light Metals. Meeting & Exhibition. 2012. pp. 93–98.
14. Yatsenko S. P., Sabirzyanov N. A., Pasechnik L. A., Pyagay I. N., Skachkov V. M. Gidrokhimicheskaya pererabotka shlamov glinozemnogo proizvodstva (Hydrochemical reprocessing of alumina industry mud). Ekologiya i promyshlennost Rossii = Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2012. No. 11. pp. 10–13.
15. VNIIKhT — 50 let. Yubileynyy sbornik trudov (The 50-th anniversary of Research Institute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources. Anniversary collection of proceedings). Under the editorship of V. V. Shatalov. Moscow : TsNIIatominform, 2001. 448 p.
16. Ultrazvukovaya obrabotka dispersiy glinistykh mineralov (Ultrasonic treatment of clayey mineral dispersions). Under the editorship of N. N. Kruglitskiy. Kiev : “Naukova dumka”, 1971. 198 p.
17. Vaylert A. V., Pyagay I. N., Kozhevnikov V. L., Pasechnik L. A., Yatsenko S. P. Avtoklavno-gidrometallurgicheskaya pererabotka krasnogo shlama glinozemnogo proizvodstva (Autoclave hydrometallurgical processing of alumina production red mud). Tsvetnye Metally = Non-ferrous metals. 2014. No. 3. pp. 31–35.
18. Pasechnik L. A., Pyagay I. N., Yatsenko S. P. Sposob polucheniya oksida skandiya (Method of obtaining the scandium oxide). Patent RF, No. 2478725. Published : April 10, 2013. Bulletin No. 10.
19. Borra Ch. R., Pontikes Y., Binnemans K., Gerven T. V. Leaching of rare earths from bauxite residue (red mud). Minerals Engineering. 2015. Vol. 76. pp. 20–27.
20. Pasechnik L. A., Sabirzyanov N. A., Yatsenko S. P. Izuchenie fazovykh ravnovesiy v mnogokomponentnoy sisteme (Al, Sc)₂(SO₄)₃ – FeSO₄ – H₂SO₄ – H₂O pri 25 ^oC (Investigation of phase equillibria in multicomponent system (Al, Sc)₂(SO₄)₃ – FeSO₄ – H₂SO₄ – H₂O) at the temperature of 25 ^oC). Omskiy nauchnyy vestnik = Omsk Scientific Bulletin. 2003. No. 4 (25). pp. 219–221.
21. Shirokova A. G., Pasechnik L. A., Yatsenko S. P. Vzaimodeystvie ionov redkozemelnykh metallov s fosfororganicheskimi soedineniyami mikrokapsulirovannymi poristym polimerom (Interaction of REE ions with organophosphorous compounds microencapsulated in a porous polymer). Izvestiya Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. Seriya fizicheskaya = Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Physics. 2012. Vol. 76, No. 5. pp. 726–729.
22. Pasechnik L. A., Yatsenko A. S., Yatsenko S. P., Skryabneva L. M. Selektivnoe izvlechenie ittriya iz shlamov glinozemnogo proizvodstva (Selective extraction of yttrium from alumina industry slimes). Tsvetnye Metally = Non-ferrous metals. 2013. No. 12. pp. 39–44.
23. Rysbekova A. D., Kovzalenko V. A., Edilova B. Kh., Beysembekova K. O., Suleymenov E. N. Issledovanie avtoklavnogo izvlecheniya oksida alyuminiya iz krasnogo shlama pri razlichnoy dozirovke izvestkovogo moloka (Investigation of autoclave extraction of aluminium oxide from red mud with various dosage of lime milk). Izvestiya Natsionalnoy akademii nauk Respubliki Kazakhstan. Ceriya khimicheskaya = News of National academy of sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Series of chemistry and technology. 2008. No. 4. pp. 78–82.

24. Sazhin V. S. Novye gidrokhimicheskie sposoby kompleksnoy pererabotki alyumosilikatov i vysokokremnistykh boksitov (New hydrochemical methods of complex processing of aluminosilicates and high-silicon bauxites). Moscow : Metallurgiya, 1988. 213 p.
25. Kovzalenko V. A. Gidrotermalnoe vyshchelachivanie nekonditsionnykh boksitov pri razlichnykh temperaturakh (Hydrothermal leaching of illconditioned bauxites with various temperatures). Khimicheskaya tekhnologiya = Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering. 2008. Vol. 9, No. 10. pp. 513–518.
26. Rysbekova A. D., Suleymenov E. N. Avtoklavnaya pererabotka krasnykh shlamov glinozemnogo proizvodstva (Autoclave processing of red muds of alumina production). Materialy konferentsii “Nauchnye osnovy i praktika pererabotki rud i tekhnogennogo syrya” : mezhdunarodnaya nauchno-tekhnicheskaya konferentsiya (Materials of conference “Scientific basis and practice of ore processing and anthropogenic raw materials” : international scientific-technical conference). Ekaterinburg, 22–24 April 2009. pp. 225–229.
27. Nikulin V. A., Zverev S. B., Nikitin Yu. G., Podbereznyy V. L. et al. Opyt proektirovaniya i ekspluatatsii opytnoy ustanovki vysokotemperaturnogo vyshchelachivaniya (Experience of design and exploitation of pilot unit of hightemperature leaching). Sbornik dokladov XIV Mezhdunarodnoy konferentsii “Alyuminiy Sibiri”. Razdel III. Proizvodstvo glinozema (Collection of reports of XIV International conference “Siberian Aluminium”. Part III. Alumina production). Krasnoyarsk, 2008. pp. 371–373.
28. Fedyaev A. N., Suss A. G., Vlasov E. A., Kuznetsova N. V., Paromova I. V. Izvlechenie glinozema iz alyumogetita i boksita v prisutstvii kaltsiysoderzhashchey dobavki (Extraction of alumina from alumohetite and bauxite in the presence of calcium-containing addition). Izvestiya Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnologicheskogo instituta = Proceedings of Saint-Petersburg State Techno logical Institute. 2010. No. 9 (35). pp. 25–28.
29. Sprauer J. W., Pearce D. W. Equilibria in the system Na₂O – SiO₂ – H₂O and Na₂O – Al₂O₃ – H₂O at 25 ^оC. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 1940. Vol. 44, No. 7. pp. 909–916.
30. Pulforda I. D., Hargreaves J. S. J., Durisova J., Kramulova B., Girard C., Balakrishnan M., Batra V. S., Rico J. L. Carbonised red mud — A new water treatment product made from a waste material. Journal of Environmental Management. 2012. Vol. 100, No 6. pp. 59–64.
31. Orlov S. N., Burkov K. A., Skripnik M. Yu. Adsorbtsiya ionov medi iz vodnykh rastvorov na otkhodakh glinozemnogo proizvodstva (Adsorption of copper (II) ions from aqueous solutions on alumina industrial wastes). Zhurnal prikladnoy khimii = Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry. 2011. Vol. 84, No. 12. pp. 1946–1949.
32. Pasechnik L. A., Yatsenko S. P., Skachkov V. M., Medyankina I. S., Sabirzy anov N. A. Aktivatsiya sorbtsionnoy sposobnosti krasnykh shlamov obrabotkoy dioksidom ugleroda i mineralnymi kislotami (Activation of red muds sorption ability by carbon dioxide and mineral acids processing). Problemy nedropolzovaniya : setevoe periodicheskoe nauchnoe izdanie = Subsoil use problems : electronic periodical edition. 2015. No. 4. pp. 85–93. Available at : http://www.slideshare.net/igdweb/2015-4-7 (accessed : June 29, 2016)