In this study, the hydrolysis behavior and kinetics of AlN in aluminum dross (AD) were investigated in order to better identify the steps controlling the AlN hydrolysis reaction and the factors influencing the hydrolysis rate to enhance the removal efficiency of AlN. The hydrolysis behavior of AlN, including AlN content, phase composition, chemical composition, microstructure, and element distribution, was determined by a leaching test, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that increasing the leaching liquid-solid ratio as well as the temperature was helpful for the removal efficiency of AlN. When the liquid--solid ratio was 4:1, temperature was 90 °C, and leaching time was 300 min, the removal efficiency of AlN reached 89.05%. The kinetics were described using the unreacted core model, and when the temperature was 30-40, 50-70, and 80-90 °C, the hydrolysis reaction rate of AlN was controlled by boundary layer diffusion, chemical reaction control, and product layer diffusion control, respectively.
Keywords: AlN hydrolysis; aluminum dross; kinetics; solid waste.