No document available.
Abstract :
[en] Work Package 4 Char Leaching aims to demonstrate the feasibility for utilisation of the acidic leachates (biolixiviant) generated from coal wastes bioleaching (Work Package 3) as leaching agent for extraction of the base and high-value metals contained in the char originating from the pyrolysis of PCB’s (Work Package 2). The challenge of this Work Package is to find or design the suitable reactor for treating such material, which is unique compared to conventional materials treated in (bio)hydrometallurgy reactors, e.g. mineral ores, PCBs, etc.
Stirred-tank reactor (STR) is the most commonly employed since the early days of biohydrometallurgy campaigns, ranging from lab-scale to industries, treating mineral ores to electronic wastes and residues. The main advantage of this type of reactor is the achievement of the desired levels of mass transfer, mixing, and suspension, in which STR outperforms other types of reactor. Due to that, STR has been given priority during Work Package 4 of CEReS project.
Despite the advantages, STR faces the problem of char’s special physical characteristics. The disintegration of fibres followed by their suspension inside reactor needs a careful hydrodynamic design to maintain sustained mixing and mass transfer. Moreover, the high shear stress of impeller rotation may harm the presence of biofilm, risking the elimination of microorganisms from the biolixiviant. As an alternative, leaching performance on rotary-drum reactor (RDR) has also been studied in this work package.
Name of the research project :
Co-processing of coal mine and electronic wastes: Novel resources for a sustainable future (CEReS)