Abstract
A reaction model was developed to predict kinetic parameters and competition of Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions during carbonation in mild conditions, i.e. ambient temperature and up to 3 atm for the CO2 partial pressure. The experimental carbonation results at different temperatures, Mg2+/Ca2+ ratios, and atmospheric pressure were used to validate and predict the kinetic parameters of individual reactions in the aqueous phase by applying genetic algorithm and reactor modeling. This model showed a good agreement with experimental results, and satisfactorily predicted the competition between Mg2+ and Ca2+ and the formation of magnesian calcite (MgNCa(1-N)CO3). In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the validated kinetic model to maximize the precipitation rates of Mg2+ and Ca2+ . It was found that the final yield for magnesian calcite is the highest for the Mg2+/Ca2+ molar ratio of 1, referring to an equal concentration of two cations in the leachate. This suggests the strongest synergy between both cations for their co-precipitation. The optimum ammonia amount used as a pH-swing agent was found to be equal to the amount of ammonia released from the leaching stage in a closed loop leaching-carbonation. This amount of ammonia led to ~ 100% Mg2+ and Ca2+ precipitation along with the highest magnesian calcite precipitation yield.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 141-152 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Hydrometallurgy |
Volume | 167 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2017 |
Keywords
- Mineral carbonation
- Kinetic modeling
- Sensitivity analysis
- Genetic algorithm
- Magnesian calcite