Sulfide recycling in manganese production
OwnerArash M. Kasaaianinventor
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Abstract
A method of producing manganese metal or EMD by leaching a source of manganese with a solution comprising sulfuric acid to form a leach solution, adding one or more sulfides generated in a sulfide recycle stage to the leach solution in order to form sulfide precipitates comprising heavy metal sulfides, removing the sulfide precipitates from the leach solution, feeding the leach solution to one or more electrolytic cells, subjecting the purified leach solution to electrolysis so as to deposit manganese metal or EMD, reacting the sulfide precipitates with an acid to generate H2S, producing one or more sulfides from the H2S for recycle. Methods of producing manganese metal and a purified manganese sulfate solution are also provided.
Claims20
A method of producing manganese metal or EMD, comprising:
- (a) leaching a source of manganese with a solution comprising sulfuric acid to form a leach solution;
- (b) adding the one or more sulfides produced in step (g) to said leach solution to form sulfide precipitates comprising one or more heavy metal sulfides;
- (c) removing said sulfide precipitates from said leach solution so as to provide a purified leach solution;
- (d) feeding said purified leach solution to one or more electrolytic cells;
- (e) subjecting the purified leach solution to electrolysis so as to deposit manganese metal or EMD;
- (f) reacting said sulfide precipitates with an acid to generate H2S;
- (g) producing one or more sulfides from said H2S;
- and
- (h) recycling said one or more sulfides produced in step (g) to step (b).
A method of producing manganese metal:
- (a) leaching a source of manganese with a solution comprising sulfuric acid to form a leach solution;
- (b) adding metal sulfite solids generated in step (g) to said leach solution to form sulfide precipitates comprising one or more metal sulfides chosen from the group consisting of sulfides of Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mo, Sb, As and Bi;
- (c) removing said sulfide precipitates from said leach solution so as to provide a purified leach solution;
- (d) feeding said purified leach solution to one or more electrolytic cells;
- (e) subjecting the purified leach solution to electrolysis so as to deposit manganese metal on one or more cathodes of said one or more electrolytic cells;
- (f) reacting said sulfide precipitates removed from the leach solution in step (c) with an acid to generate H2S;
- (g) reacting said H2S generated in step (f) with an Mn2+ solution comprising at least one of:
- (a) a portion of said purified leach solution;
- and (b) catholyte withdrawn from said one or more electrolytic cells in order to produce metal sulfide solids comprising greater than 90% by weight MnS based on the total metal sulfide solids;
- and
- (h) recycling the metal sulfide solids produced in step (g) to step (b).
A method of producing a purified manganese sulfate solution, comprising:
- (a) leaching a source of manganese with a solution comprising sulfuric acid to form a leach solution;
- (b) adding the one or more sulfides produced in steps (g) and/or (j) to said leach solution to form sulfide precipitates comprising one or more heavy metal sulfides;
- (c) removing said sulfide precipitates from said leach solution so as to provide a purified leach solution;
- (d) adding the one or more sulfides produced in steps (g) and/or (j) to said purified leach solution to form MnS;
- (e) removing said MnS from said purified leach solution;
- (f) reacting said MnS sulfide precipitates removed in step (c) with an acid to generate H2S;
- (g) producing one or more sulfides from the H2S generated in step (f);
- (h) recycling said one or more sulfides produced in step (g) to step (b) and/or (d);
- (i) reacting said MnS removed in step (e) with an acid to generate H2S;
- (j) producing one or more sulfides from the H2S generated in step (i);
- and
- (k) recycling said one or more sulfides produced in step (j) to step (b) and/or (d).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.