Lithium has become a strategic element, as it plays a crucial role in battery technology. Therefore, many efforts are being made to extract lithium from primary sources, while lithium recycling is almost nonexistent. In this paper, we report on a novel alkaline mechanochemical approach for the recycling of end-of-life glass−ceramics, which involves lithium extraction, zeolite synthesis, desilication, and lithium precipitation. Special attention has been paid to a holistic approach, with each byproduct having a designated application. Optimal parameters for lithium extraction such as sodium hydroxide concentration, rotational speed, and ball-to-powder ratio were achieved at 7 mol/L, 600 rpm, and 50:1 g/g, respectively, resulting in high yields of 83.8% (60 min) and 92.4% (120 min). Desilication of the solution resulted in a removal efficiency of 96.3% with calcium silicate as a value-added byproduct. Lithium could be recovered as phosphate with a high purity by adding phosphoric acid. Moreover, the zeolites synthesized during this investigation were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and N 2 adsorption/desorption analysis. In addition, selected zeolite samples were investigated as potential adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal ions (Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Pb 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) from aqueous solutions.
In order to deposit arsenic residues from copper production in a stable way, the trivalent arsenic must first be xidized to arsenic(V). A well-known but quite expensive method for this is oxidation with hydrogen peroxide. In order to enable the oxidation of arsenic on a large scale in the future, a potentially cheaper method has to be found, which offers the possibility of oxidizing extremely high arsenic concentrations. As a novel alternative, electrochemical oxidation using a boron-doped diamond electrode is investigated. Based on previous work, this paper concentrates on the presence of interfering ions during oxidation. Furthermore, it is shown that the electrochemically xidized arsenic(V) can be precipitated as scorodite. Finally, an economic analysis shows the potential financial benefit of oxidation via BDD electrodes compared to hydrogen peroxide.
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