Recovery of zinc and silver from zinc acid-leaching residues with reduction of their environmental impact using a novel water leaching-flotation process

Abstract

Zinc-leaching residue (ZLR) is a strongly acidic hazardous waste; it has poor stability, high heavy metal levels, and releases toxic elements into the environment. ZLR has potential as a valuable resource, because it contains elevated levels of zinc and silver. In this paper, the recovery of zinc (Zn) and silver (Ag) from ZLR wastes from zinc hydrometallurgy workshops using water leaching followed by flotation was studied. During water leaching experiments, the zinc and copper recovery rates were 38% and 61%, respectively. Thereafter, various flotation testing parameters were optimized and included grinding time, reagent dosages, pulp density, flotation time, and type of adjuster. Experimental results demonstrated this flotation method successfully recycled Ag and Zn. A froth product containing more than 9256.41 g/t Ag and 12.26% Zn was produced from the ZLR with approximately 80.32% Ag and 42.88% Zn recoveries. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results indicated the water-leaching flotation process not only recycled valuable metals such as zinc and silver in zinc-containing hazardous wastes but lowered the hazardous waste levels to those of general wastes and recycled wastes in an efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly way.