A PARAMETRIC STUDY ON THE SULFURIC ACID LEACHING OF VANADIUM OF AN IRANIAN THERMAL POWER PLANT ASH

Vanadium recovery of Thermal Power Plant Ash (TPPA) is an attractive process which simultaneously satisfies the pollution control standards regarding TPPA disposal and provides a valuable source of vanadium for industrial demands. In the present research work, sulfuric acid leaching route has been employed for vanadium recovery from an Iranian TPPA. Effects of acid concentration, temperature, acid/TPPA ratio, leaching time as well as TPPA particle size on the leaching efficiency of vanadium have been investigated. Experimental results showed that leaching efficiency of vanadium is significantly affected by the leaching conditions. The results revealed that with acid concentration of about 15%, temperature around 75 °C, acid/TPPA ratio~15, leaching time about 120 minutes and particle size of 75 - 150 pm, almost 92% of vanadium can be dissolved