Scandium Recovery from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption Processes in Low-Temperature-Activated Alumina Products

Diana Daminescu; Narcis Duţeanu; Mihaela Ciopec; Adina Negrea; Petru Negrea; Nicoleta Sorina Nemeş; Adina Berbecea; Gheorghe Dobra; Sorin Iliev; Lucian Cotet; Alina Boiangiu; Laurentiu Filipescu

doi:10.3390/ijms231710142

Scandium Recovery from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption Processes in Low-Temperature-Activated Alumina Products

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Sep 4;23(17):10142. doi: 10.3390/ijms231710142.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Polytechnica University of Timişoara, Victoriei Square, no. 2, 300006 Timisoara, Romania.
² Renewable Energy Research Institute-ICER, Polytechnica University of Timişoara, Gavril Musicescu Street, no. 138, 300774 Timisoara, Romania.
³ Soil Sciences Department, Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine "King Mihai I of Romania" from Timisoara, Calea Aradului, no. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania.
⁴ Alro, S.A., Pitesti Street, no.116., 230048 Slatina, Romania.
⁵ Alum, S.A., Isaccei Street no. 83, 820228 Tulcea, Romania.
⁶ Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University Politehnica Bucharest, Polizu Street, no. 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.

Abstract

In this paper, we studied the scandium adsorption from aqueous solutions on the surface of low-temperature-activated alumina products (GDAH). The GDAH samples are industrially manufactured, coming from the Bayer production cycle of the Sierra Leone bauxite as aluminium hydroxide, and further, by drying, milling, classifying and thermally treating up to dehydroxilated alumina products at low temperature. All experiments related to hydroxide aluminium activation were conducted at temperature values of 260, 300 and 400 °C on samples having the following particle sizes: <10 µm, 20 µm, <45 µm and <150 µm, respectively. The low-temperature-activated alumina products were characterised, and the results were published in our previous papers. In this paper, we studied the scandium adsorption process on the above materials and related thermodynamic and kinetic studies.

Keywords: activated alumina; adsorption; kinetic and thermodynamic studies; scandium.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Aluminum Oxide*
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Kinetics
Scandium*
Temperature
Water

Substances

Water
Aluminum Oxide
Scandium

Grants and funding

This study was made possible by the implementation of the “Endow the Research and Development Department of SC ALUM SA Tulcea with independent and efficient research facilities to support the economic competitiveness and business development” project, which was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Program of 2014–2020. Under this project, the following were purchased and commissioned: “Independent equipment/installation for research and development of the technology for wet aluminum hydroxide classification”, “Independent equipment/installation for research and development of technology for obtaining the dried aluminum hydroxide”, and “Independent equipment/installation for research and development of the technology for grinding and screening the dried aluminum hydroxide”.