College
College of Engineering & Technology (Batten)
Graduate Level
Master’s
Graduate Program/Concentration
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Red mud is an industrial waste material, which is generated by alumina refineries. For every ton of aluminum, 2-2.5 tons of red mud is produced. Presently, it is being utilized as a building material, such as dams, bridges, roads, and many more. However, due to its toxicity, this cannot be considered a portable solution. Red mud contains various compounds of alumina Al, Si, Na, Fe, and Ti as well as certain rare earth elements. This is polluting both the surface as well as the groundwater bodies. This is because of the leaching of red mud by the water bodies or the rainwater. Although, red mud is a waste as well as a source of pollutants, however, it contains a group of useful elements such as Fe, Al, Si, Na and Sc. These elements are present in the form of various crystalline phases such as quartz, hematite, hercynite, zeolite and many more. Therefore, we are aiming to build a three-electrode electrochemical cell to extract iron from red mud. The products of iron and its alloys such as steel are the needs of society. However, iron production releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hence, the extraction of iron through an electrochemical route is a carbon-negative process, as well as the consumption of energy, is lesser. The process is carried out through several stages. The first stage requires the ball milling of the sample. Ball milling helps in the removal of unwanted phases. Then, the leaching of the red mud is done with 0.5M HCl solution, to intensify the hematite phase. Leaching helps in the dissolution of elements such as Al, Si and Na. Then, the leached residue along with NaOH is used as the electrolyte and TiO2-coated aluminum rod, graphite and Ag/AgCl is used as the anode, cathode and reference electrode respectively to build the electrochemical cell. This process for iron extraction can be used in industries to build materials for small-scale applications. The process can be considered to be as the most sustainable and cleaner way of iron production as well as the consumption of the red mud waste.
Keywords
Red mud, waste utilization, electrochemistry, lecahing, sustainability, carbon-free clean energy, iron-making
Electrochemical Routes For Extraction Of Iron From Acid-Activated Red Mud: A Carbon-Free Iron-Making Process
Red mud is an industrial waste material, which is generated by alumina refineries. For every ton of aluminum, 2-2.5 tons of red mud is produced. Presently, it is being utilized as a building material, such as dams, bridges, roads, and many more. However, due to its toxicity, this cannot be considered a portable solution. Red mud contains various compounds of alumina Al, Si, Na, Fe, and Ti as well as certain rare earth elements. This is polluting both the surface as well as the groundwater bodies. This is because of the leaching of red mud by the water bodies or the rainwater. Although, red mud is a waste as well as a source of pollutants, however, it contains a group of useful elements such as Fe, Al, Si, Na and Sc. These elements are present in the form of various crystalline phases such as quartz, hematite, hercynite, zeolite and many more. Therefore, we are aiming to build a three-electrode electrochemical cell to extract iron from red mud. The products of iron and its alloys such as steel are the needs of society. However, iron production releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hence, the extraction of iron through an electrochemical route is a carbon-negative process, as well as the consumption of energy, is lesser. The process is carried out through several stages. The first stage requires the ball milling of the sample. Ball milling helps in the removal of unwanted phases. Then, the leaching of the red mud is done with 0.5M HCl solution, to intensify the hematite phase. Leaching helps in the dissolution of elements such as Al, Si and Na. Then, the leached residue along with NaOH is used as the electrolyte and TiO2-coated aluminum rod, graphite and Ag/AgCl is used as the anode, cathode and reference electrode respectively to build the electrochemical cell. This process for iron extraction can be used in industries to build materials for small-scale applications. The process can be considered to be as the most sustainable and cleaner way of iron production as well as the consumption of the red mud waste.