Integration of CO2 Sequestration with the Resource Recovery of Red Mud and Carbide Slag

Red mud and carbide slag, strongly alkaline solid wastes, are produced during the manufacturing of alumina and acetylene gas, respectively. Improper management of these wastes can pose significant environmental hazards. This study proposed a novel method for the collaborative treatment of red mud and carbide slag, enabling the recovery of constituent elements with CO2 sequestration. During the hydrochloric acid leaching process, Si was reclaimed as Si-rich residue, whereas Ti, Al, Ga, Fe, and Sc were stepwise recovered as Ti-rich product, Al/Garich filtrate, and Fe/Sc-rich product via the subsequent hydrolysis, co-precipitation, and alkali leaching processes, respectively. Utilizing carbide slag to replace the energy-intensive NaOH for pH adjustment in the leaching solution resulted in a Ca2+ concentration of 21,922 mg/L in the filtrate after co-precipitation. Through further mineralization process, CO2 sequestration was achieved alongside the production of CaCO3 with the content reaching 98.5 % along with a whiteness of 94.4 %. Furthermore, by adjusting the experimental parameters in the mineralization process, controlled manipulation of the phase and morphology of the CaCO3 product could be achieved to meet various industry requirements. To summarize, the complete resource recovery of red mud and carbide slag was achieved in this study, demonstrating the promising potential in practical applications.