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Red Mud as a Secondary Resource of Low-Grade Iron: A Global Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Rita Khanna

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering (Ret.), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia)

  • Yuri Konyukhov

    (Department of Functional Nanosystems and High-Temperature Materials, National University of Science and Technology “MISiS”, 119049 Moscow, Russia)

  • Dmitry Zinoveev

    (A.A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Russian Academy of Science, 119334 Moscow, Russia)

  • Kalidoss Jayasankar

    (Materials Science & Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram 695019, India)

  • Igor Burmistrov

    (Engineering Centre, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, 117997 Moscow, Russia)

  • Maksim Kravchenko

    (Moscow Power Engineering Institute, National Research University, 111250 Moscow, Russia)

  • Partha S. Mukherjee

    (Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (Ret.), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bhubaneshwar 751013, India)

Abstract

Managing red mud (RM), a solid waste byproduct of the alumina recovery process, is a serious ecological and environmental issue. With ~150 million tons/year of RM being generated globally, nearly 4.6 billion tons of RM are presently stored in vast waste reserves. RM can be a valuable resource of metals, minor elements, and rare earth elements. The suitability of RM as a low-grade iron resource was assessed in this study. The utilization of RM as a material resource in several commercial, industrial operations was briefly reviewed. Key features of iron recovery techniques, such as magnetic separation, carbothermal reduction, smelting reduction, acid leaching, and hydrothermal techniques were presented. RMs from different parts of the globe including India, China, Greece, Italy, France, and Russia were examined for their iron recovery potential. Data on RM composition, iron recovery, techniques, and yields was presented. The composition range of RMs examined were: Fe 2 O 3 : 28.3–63.2 wt.%; Al 2 O 3 : 6.9–26.53 wt.%; SiO 2 : 2.3–22.0 wt.%; Na 2 O: 0.27–13.44 wt.%; CaO: 0.26–23.8 wt.%; Al 2 O 3 /SiO 2 : 0.3–4.6. Even with a high alumina content and high Al 2 O 3 /SiO 2 ratios, it was possible to recover iron in all cases, showing the significant potential of RM as a secondary resource of low-grade iron.

Suggested Citation

  • Rita Khanna & Yuri Konyukhov & Dmitry Zinoveev & Kalidoss Jayasankar & Igor Burmistrov & Maksim Kravchenko & Partha S. Mukherjee, 2022. "Red Mud as a Secondary Resource of Low-Grade Iron: A Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1258-:d:731406
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    Cited by:

    1. Hao Kong & Tuo Zhou & Xinhua Yang & Yingli Gong & Man Zhang & Hairui Yang, 2022. "Iron Recovery Technology of Red Mud—A review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.

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