Development of Technology of Arsenic Removal from Acidic Waste Solutions in the Form of Arsenic Trisulfide

Abstract

During the laboratory tests the conditions of arsenic removal from acidic waste solutions of metallurgical enterprise in the form of arsenic trisulfide were determined. The technology based on the reduction of pentavalent arsenic to trivalent state with sodium pyrosulfite solution and following arsenic trisulfide precipitation from acidic solution after treatment with sodium sulfide solution was proposed. The arsenic removal proceeds with mechanical stirring, dosing the calculated amounts of reagents and collecting emissions of hydrogen sulfide. With such treatment, about 95% of arsenic, which was in the initial solution, passes into the precipitate. An enlarged laboratory experiment was carried out and the precipitate with 42.6% of arsenic and 46.9% of sulfur was obtained. The precipitate yield was ∼25.7 kg (dry weight) out of 1 m3 of the initial arsenic containing solution.