Slavsky Priargunsky Mining and Chemical Production Association (PPGHO), Krasnokamensk, Russia

A. S. Bodrov, Chief Engineer, Central Research Laboratory, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: bodrant@gmail.com
V. G. Sheludchenko, Head of the Technological Laboratory, Central Research Laboratory, Candidate of Technical Sciences
A. V. Beydin, Director, Central Research Laboratory, Candidate of Technical Sciences
R. V. Rasskazov, Head of the Pilot Hydrometallurgical Shop, Central Research Laboratory

The article describes the conducted laboratory studies on extraction of valuable components from spent tungsten-containing catalysts of organic production (STCC). The authors determined modes of digestion of industry-related raw materials, ensuring downstream manufacturing of quality tungsten products and commercial by-products. The developed technology of two-stage percolation leaching of STCC includes leaching with water at the first stage, with sodium carbonate at the second stage, providing for deposition of cesium alum from product solutions of water leaching, calcium tungstate from sodium decarbonized solutions of digestion of cakes of cesium extraction, and production of tungsten acid from calcium tungstate by hydrochloric treatment. To test the technical solutions, the authors used an assembled pilot process flow diagram and piping and instrumentation diagram of STCC recovery, including water leaching of cesium in percolation columns; sodium leaching of tungsten from the cake of cesium extraction in similar percolation columns; precipitation of cesium alum crystals by acidifying a cesium-containing solution with aluminium sulphate in a reactor equipped with a mixer; deposition of tungstate with a calcium chloride solution in reactors equipped with heating; transfer of deposited calcium tungstate in a conditioning tank into tungsten acid with intensive air hydrochloric stirring; filtration and washing of resulting tungsten acid with hot water, using Nutsche filters. Technical characteristics of the produced calcium tungstate (CaWO₄) were determined to correspond to the KVGF grade. The analysis of tungsten acid showed that content of tungstic anhydride (WO₃) was ≥80 %. Content of a basic substance in cesium finished products (CsAl(SO₄)₂ ·12H₂O) was fixed within a range of 99 ± 0.5 %.

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