A novel combined metallurgy-beneficiation method for the facile and low-cost comprehensive resource utilization of...

Low-grade kaolin is the largest emissions of industrial solid waste that is difficult to dispose of and pollutes the environment seriously. From the perspective of harmless and complete resource utilization, we proposed a novel strategy that combines the wet leaching under mild conditions and physical beneficiation for the facile and low-cost high-valued utilization of low-grade kaolin that involves high-efficiency recovery of aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), and titanium (Ti). The key to successful implementation of this method lies in the new discovery that the residual SiO₂ after Al extraction of kaolinite by acid leaching under specific conditions could be rapidly dissolved in dilute NaOH solution at room temperature 25 °C. This highly reactive SiO₂ challenges the conventional notions of various silica species are usually chemically stable. By adjusting the key technical parameters of the thermal activation-acid leaching process, the selective and efficient extraction of Al₂O₃ from low-grade kaolin was realized. The acid leaching residue was then subjected to selective recovery of SiO₂ by alkaline leaching at 25 °C to obtain high-quality sodium silicate. Finally, the alkali leaching residue as titanium coarse concentrate was separated by centrifugal concentrator to obtain artificial rutile (TiO₂ >91.06%). The key mechanism for the formation of the highly reactive silica was also systematically studied and confirmed.