Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Two-way Valorization of Blast Furnace Slag: Synthesis of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate and Zeolitic Heavy Metal Adsorbent
Published on: February 21, 2017
Alkaline hydrothermal valorization of gold tailings into hydrophobic silica aerogels and FAU zeolite
Daokui Yang1, Guangshuo Wei2, Jiazheng Zhang2
1National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Green Thermal Power and Carbon Reduction, School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, China; Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, Zhejiang, China.
Abstract:
The large-scale accumulation of gold tailings (GT) poses significant threats to ecological systems and human health, while existing resource recovery strategies remain limited by low value-added outputs. This study aims to valorize GT into high-value products via an alkaline hydrothermal process, achieving comprehensive utilization of all components. The liquid-phase product, GT-derived silica source, was employed to fabricate hydrophobic GT-based silica aerogels (GTSA). Systematic characterization was conducted to elucidate the chemical structure evolution, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, pore characteristics, and microscopic morphology of GTSA under varying hydrophobic modifiers dosages. The results revealed that surface modification led to partially replaced of Si-OH groups with Si-CH3 groups in GT-based silica aerogels, facilitating the transition from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. During modification, the GT-based silica aerogels transformed from densely aggregated large particles into uniformly distributed nanoparticles, forming a well-dispersed porous network. The solid-phase hydrothermal product-GT-based FAU zeolite (GTFZ)-was applied for the adsorption of Cu2+ and Zn2+ from wastewater. GTFZ exhibited comparable adsorption behavior toward both metal ions, with adsorption mechanisms involving electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, and surface complexation. Overall, this work presents a sustainable and efficient strategy for the high-value and full-component utilization of GT, providing a feasible pathway for the green synthesis of porous materials from high-silica solid wastes.
Related Concept Videos
Silica Gel Column Chromatography: Overview
Polar components tend to bind strongly to the silica gel, causing them to move slowly through the column. In contrast, nonpolar compounds...
Tail-anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane
Colloids
What are Lipids?
The Fluid Mosaic Model
Introduction to Membrane Proteins

