Investigation of the enrichment-purification process and electrochemical performance of kish graphite in dust from blast furnace tapping yard

Kish graphite is a typical byproduct of steel production, and its enrichment and purification are essential prerequisites for its high value and comprehensive utilization. To solve the problem of recovery and application of difficult-to-treat kish graphite with a small particle size obtained from metallurgical dust, kish graphite in blast furnace tapping yard dust was effectively enriched and purified by a comprehensive flotation-acid leaching treatment process in this study. The influence of the flotation agents on the flotation process was explored. The results showed that the optimized flotation agent dosage was 500.0 g·t^-1 (collector) and 120.0 g·t^-1 (frother), respectively. Based on the optimized flotation scheme, a graphite concentrate (FG) with 79.12 % carbon content and 93.5 % carbon recovery was obtained. After the leaching treatment with a HCl-HF mixed acid solution, the carbon content of the graphite concentrate increased to 95.55 %. The I_D/I_G value of the graphite concentrate was 0.145, and the average lattice spacing was approximately 0.3354 nm. The SEM results showed that the leaching-treated graphite concentrate (AFG) had a loose, fragment-like structure. When used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, The AFG still provided a high reversible capacity of ∼370 mAh·g^-1 and excellent coulombic efficiency of 99.6 % after 350 cycles. In addition, an industrial-grade recycling and utilization path for kish graphite based on a circular supply chain strategy was proposed. The results of this study may serve as a conceptual basis for the recovery and application of kish graphite from metallurgical dust.