Dealkalization is
the necessary step for the multipurpose use of
red mud (RM), and acid leaching is a productive method to realize
the dealkalization of RM. Most researches focus on recovering metals
from the highly alkaline waste by pure acid leaching or stabilization
by dealkalization. In this study, according to the strong alkalinity
of RM and strong acidity of the waste acid from titanium dioxide production,
the waste acid was used for the dealkalization of RM. The effects
of leaching temperature, reaction time, the concentration of waste
acid, liquid–solid ratio (L/S), and stirring rate on the dealkalization
of RM were investigated, and the main metal ions in the dealkalization
solution were analyzed. The results show that the leaching ratio of
sodium can reach 92.3591% when the leaching temperature is 30 °C,
the reaction time is 10 min, the concentration of waste acid is 0.6238
mol/L, the L/S is 4:1, and the stirring rate is 300 rpm. The residual
alkali content in the treated RM is 0.2674%, which is a reduction
to less than 1%. The phase analysis results show that the sodalite
and cancrinite in RM are dissolved, decomposed, and transformed after
acid leaching. Therefore, RM meets the requirements of building materials
after dealkalization, which provides further development as building
material products.