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Acid Sulfation of Alunite.

PB90270042

Publication Date	1989
Personal Author	Froisland, L. J.; Wouden, M. L.; Harbuck, D. D.
Page Count	18
Abstract	The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory studies on sulfuric acid (H2SO4) digestion of alunite (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6) as a means for treating domestic deposits of this mineral. Digesting alunite ore in boiling H2SO4 at concentrations of 88-wt-pct acid or higher breaks down the alunite and permits a convenient separation of potassium and aluminum. The digestion reaction is a complex sulfation reaction occurring in two stages. In this reaction, the potassium component extracts into the H2SO4 for eventual recovery as potassium sulfate (K2SO4) in a separate unit operation. Aluminum is left as acid-insoluble aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) which can be extracted by a 95 C water leach. Additional purification of Al2(SO4)3 produced in the study is needed to meet cell-grade alumina (Al2O3) purity specifications. Extraction and separation of potassium and aluminum from the alunite ore were consistently above 90%.
Keywords	Alums Extractive metallurgy Sulfation Crystallization Materials recovery Sulfuric acid Leaching Aluminum sulfate Aluminum oxide Potassium sulfates Ore processing Alunite Batch processing Chemical reaction mechanisms
Source Agency	Bureau of Mines
NTIS Subject Category	71N - Nonferrous Metals & Alloys 99B - Industrial Chemistry & Chemical Process Engineering
Corporate Authors	Bureau of Mines, Salt Lake City, UT. Salt Lake City Research Center.
Supplemental Notes	Library of Congress catalog card no. 88-600499.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Rept. of investigations/1989.
NTIS Issue Number	199024

Acid Sulfation of Alunite.

Acid Sulfation of Alunite.
PB90270042

Publication Date	1989
Personal Author	Froisland, L. J.; Wouden, M. L.; Harbuck, D. D.
Page Count	18
Abstract	The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory studies on sulfuric acid (H2SO4) digestion of alunite (KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6) as a means for treating domestic deposits of this mineral. Digesting alunite ore in boiling H2SO4 at concentrations of 88-wt-pct acid or higher breaks down the alunite and permits a convenient separation of potassium and aluminum. The digestion reaction is a complex sulfation reaction occurring in two stages. In this reaction, the potassium component extracts into the H2SO4 for eventual recovery as potassium sulfate (K2SO4) in a separate unit operation. Aluminum is left as acid-insoluble aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) which can be extracted by a 95 C water leach. Additional purification of Al2(SO4)3 produced in the study is needed to meet cell-grade alumina (Al2O3) purity specifications. Extraction and separation of potassium and aluminum from the alunite ore were consistently above 90%.
Keywords	Alums Extractive metallurgy Sulfation Crystallization Materials recovery Sulfuric acid Leaching Aluminum sulfate Aluminum oxide Potassium sulfates Ore processing Alunite Batch processing Chemical reaction mechanisms
Source Agency	Bureau of Mines
NTIS Subject Category	71N - Nonferrous Metals & Alloys 99B - Industrial Chemistry & Chemical Process Engineering
Corporate Authors	Bureau of Mines, Salt Lake City, UT. Salt Lake City Research Center.
Supplemental Notes	Library of Congress catalog card no. 88-600499.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Rept. of investigations/1989.
NTIS Issue Number	199024