Selective removal of iron from sulfuric acid leaching solution of aerospace magnetic material scraps by jarosite process

Abstract

Aerospace magnetic material scraps are abundant in cobalt and nickel. Sulfuric acid leaching process is an efficient method for extracting them. But it is a non-selective process, a significant amount of iron dissolves in the solution. This study focuses on the selective removal of iron from this solution using the jarosite process. E_h-pH diagram of K-S-Fe-H₂O system was established. Based on thermodynamic analysis, H₂O₂ is used to oxidize Fe²⁺ into Fe³⁺, achieving efficient and selective removal of iron from the solution containing cobalt and nickel. The optimal conditions are as follows: temperature 95°C, K₂SO₄ dosage coefficient 1.5, seed dosage 10 g/L, time 90 min, pH 1.76, and endpoint pH controlled at approximately 3. Under these conditions, the iron removal efficiency is above 99%, while the loss ratios of cobalt and nickel are below 2%. The product is characterized by XRD and SEM-EDS. Results indicate that the product is jarosite ((K,H₃O)Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆), exhibiting an ellipsoid structure with the mean particle size in the range of 0.2–5.0 μm. Temperature, pH value and seed dosage significantly affect reaction rate, particle size and crystallinity, and K₂SO₄ dosage mainly affects reaction rate and the morphology of jarosite. The jarosite crystallization kinetics can be described by the Avrami equation, with an Avrami index (n) of approximately 2.5 and the apparent activation energy of 42.68 kJ/mol.