Hydrometallurgy: Leaching in Heap, Vat, CIL, CIP, Merrill–Crowe, SX Solvent Extraction

Hydrometallurgy: Leaching in Heap, Vat, CIL, CIP, Merrill–Crowe, SX Solvent Extraction

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Ruthenium Metal Recovery (2 replies)

S
Seeker
2 years ago
Seeker 2 years ago

I want to recover ruthenium metal from ruthenium hydroxide. Ruthenium hydroxide reaction with nitric acid gives ruthenium crystals and some part of it is dissolved in nitric acid. Would it be correct if I first completely dissolve ruthenium hydroxide in nitric acid and then displace ruthenium either with zinc or aluminium powder, and then boil it in HCl to remove the aluminum from ruthenium?

Would it be a safe process for ruthenium metal recovery or there is some other better method than this? For me it’s ok if I get ruthenium powder of 90% purity.

What are the best precipitants to recover rhodium metal from its chloride and sulfate solutions respectively?

Thanks in advance!

 

J
Jorge
2 years ago
Jorge 2 years ago

Ruthenium is highly resistant to the attack of common acids, for instance, aqua regia until 100 oC and phosphoric acid until 300 oC. The application of metallic ruthenium is minimum, and the metallurgy is some what complex. Ruthenium may react with halogens and hydroxides at high temperature.  

It is found with the platinum group metals in small contents. If the ore is leached with aqua regia, osmium and ruthenium are not dissolved. Ruthenium is separated as oxide by means of a reducing process. This oxide is reduced with hydrogen to produce metallic ruthenium as a powder.

Electrodeposition of nitric acid solution containing ruthenium from liquid waste solutions is a potential process, but the recovery is not high.

S
Seeker
2 years ago
Seeker 2 years ago

Thanks for your help!

I read somewhere that during the separation process (in certain chemical reactions) ruthenium tends to explode if not handled properly.

So, please guide me if the following ruthenium recovery method is safe and correct:

The ruthenium containing raw material is first mixed with an aqueous alkali hydroxide solution to prepare an alkaline slurry in the case of a general solid raw material. An oxidising agent such as sodium hypochlorite is added to the solution to leach ruthenium. This is done at a high temperature. And then ruthenium hydroxide is precipitated by methanol to the solution. Ruthenium hydroxide is washed either with nitric acid or hydrochloric acid to remove impurities. And finally ammonium chloride is added to the solution to obtain ruthenium crystals.


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