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Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering

ISSN 2095-2201

ISSN 2095-221X(Online)

CN 10-1013/X

Postal Subscription Code 80-973

2018 Impact Factor: 3.883

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.    2021, Vol. 15 Issue (6) : 116    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1408-4
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Cu/Cr co-stabilization mechanisms in a simulated Al2O3-Fe2O3-Cr2O3-CuO waste system
Fanling Meng, Yunxue Xia, Jianshuai Zhang, Dong Qiu, Yaozhu Chu, Yuanyuan Tang()
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Abstract

• Cu and Cr can be mostly incorporated into CuFexAlyCr2xyO4 with a spinel structure.

• Spinel phase is the most crucial structure for Cu and Cr co-stabilization.

• Compared to Al, Fe and Cr are easier to be incorporated into the spinel structure.

• ‘Waste-to-resource’ by thermal process at attainable temperatures can be achieved.

Chromium slag usually contains various heavy metals, making its safe treatment difficult. Glass-ceramic sintering has been applied to resolve this issue and emerged as an effective method for metal immobilization by incorporating heavy metals into stable crystal structures. Currently, there is limited knowledge about the reaction pathways adopted by multiple heavy metals and the co-stabilization functions of the crystal structure. To study the Cu/Cr co-stabilization mechanisms during thermal treatment, a simulated system was prepared using a mixture with a molar ratio of Al2O3:Fe2O3:Cr2O3:CuO= 1:1:1:3. The samples were sintered at temperatures 600–1300°C followed by intensive analysis of phase constitutions and microstructure development. A spinel phase (CuFexAlyCr2xyO4) started to generate at 700°C and the incorporation of Cu/Cr into the spinel largely complete at 900°C, although the spinel peak intensity continued increasing slightly at temperatures above 900°C. Fe2O3/Cr2O3 was more easily incorporated into the spinel at lower temperatures, while more Al2O3 was gradually incorporated into the spinel at higher temperatures. Additionally, sintered sample microstructures became more condensed and smoother with increased sintering temperature. Cu / Cr leachability substantially decreased after Cu/Cr incorporation into the spinel phase at elevated temperatures. At 600°C, the leached ratios for Cu and Cr were 6.28% and 0.65%, respectively. When sintering temperature was increased to 1300°C, the leached ratios for all metal components in the system were below 0.2%. This study proposes a sustainable method for managing Cu/Cr co-exist slag at reasonable temperatures.

Keywords Spinel structure      Copper      Chromium      Co-stabilization      Thermal treatment     
Corresponding Author(s): Yuanyuan Tang   
Issue Date: 05 March 2021
 Cite this article:   
Fanling Meng,Yunxue Xia,Jianshuai Zhang, et al. Cu/Cr co-stabilization mechanisms in a simulated Al2O3-Fe2O3-Cr2O3-CuO waste system[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(6): 116.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-021-1408-4
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2021/V15/I6/116
Fig.1  Pictures of raw mixture and 600°C–1300°C sintered tablet samples, showing color transformations as a function of sintering temperature.
Fig.2  XRD results showing phase transformations achieved during sintering between 600°C and 1300°C.
Fig.3  (a) XRD peak position and intensity comparison for 600°C–1300°C sintered samples; (b) variations in peak intensities, and (c) peak position shifts with respect to the sintering temperature for CuO-Fe2O3-Al2O3-Cr2O3 system.
Fig.4  SEM images showing morphologies of samples sintered at various temperatures: (a) 600°C; (b) 700°C; (c) 900°C; (d) 1100°C; (e) 1200°C; and (f) 1300°C.
Fig.5  SEM image of (a) 1300°C sintered sample with corresponding EDS mapping results, showing the even distribution of all elements.
Fig.6  Leachate characteristics: (a) pH values of the leachates before and after TCLP; (b) leached concentrations, and (c) leached ratios for Al, Cr, Fe and Cu in the leachates for 600°C–1300°C sintered samples.
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