Sustainable waste-treatment procedure for the spent potlining (SPL) from aluminium production

Abstract

Some different possible solutions to the problem of industrial waste originating from primary aluminium production (also known as SPL) have been investigated. The latest techniques to treat SPL are presented, with the highlight being flotation and chemical treatment technology. Laboratory tests confirmed that the SPL treatment model is not feasible and viable within partial solutions. Only the systematically achieved solution can be in accordance with a wide range of contemporary demands. Partly, the cause is the allotropic form of the carbon cathodes produced and partly also the impurities in the waste material that prevent an effective one-phase treatment. Laboratory investigations of reactive extraction open up the possibilities for wide SPL material utilization. The preliminary inquiry confirms that the interdisciplinary approach leads to open solutions leading to possible market interest or generated value from the waste as the main goal of a circular economy.