Closed-loop recovery of molybdenum and value-added reuse of tungsten from alloy waste in additive manufacturing

Yuanyuan Cai; Zuoren Nie; Liwen Ma; Xiaoli Xi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119270

Closed-loop recovery of molybdenum and value-added reuse of tungsten from alloy waste in additive manufacturing

J Environ Manage. 2023 Dec 15:348:119270. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119270. Epub 2023 Oct 16.

Authors

Yuanyuan Cai¹, Zuoren Nie², Liwen Ma³, Xiaoli Xi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Collaborative Innovation Center of Capital Resource-Recycling Material Technology, Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
² Collaborative Innovation Center of Capital Resource-Recycling Material Technology, Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Big-data Application Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
³ Collaborative Innovation Center of Capital Resource-Recycling Material Technology, Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Big-data Application Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
⁴ Collaborative Innovation Center of Capital Resource-Recycling Material Technology, Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China. Electronic address: xixiaoli@bjut.edu.cn.

PMID: 37852079
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119270

Abstract

As metal additive manufacturing (MAM) technology is booming in the aerospace sector, alternatives to the traditional production methods of metals such as mining, processing, and refining with severe emissions are urgently needed. This study proposed a closed-loop route for efficient recovery of molybdenum (Mo) and value-added reuse of tungsten (W) from Cr-Co-Ni-Mo-W alloy waste in MAM. The results showed that the leaching efficiency of Mo and W reached 99.3% and 99.9%, respectively, using the dual chemical-physical means of mixed-alkali roasting and leaching by microwave heating, while the discharge of waste liquor containing Cr⁶⁺ was reduced. Leaching kinetic studies revealed that the metal leaching process was controlled by chemical reaction mechanism. Moreover, the 10%N1923 (primary amine)-5%TRPO (tri-alkyl phosphine oxide)-kerosene extraction system exhibited a synergistic extraction effect on Mo and W. After purification, Mo was recovered as Mo powder for MAM. Simultaneously, the recovered product of W, MnWO₄, was applied as a photocatalytic material with excellent degradation of methylene blue dye. Ultimately, the proposed method obtained recovery efficiencies of 98.4% and 99.3% for Mo and W, respectively, achieving efficient and environmentally-friendly reuse of these key metals.

Keywords: Alloy waste; Extraction; Metal additive manufacturing; Molybdenum; Tungsten.

MeSH terms

Alloys*
Kinetics
Metals
Molybdenum*
Tungsten

Substances

Molybdenum
Alloys
Tungsten
Metals