Multi-stage Electrostatic Separation for Recovering of Aluminum from Fine Granules of Black Dross

Abstract

Separation of aluminum from fine granules of black dross, which is a waste by-product in secondary aluminum production, was investigated. The separation was performed by a multi-stage electrostatic separation method. There are three stages to complete the separation, including preliminary separation, pulse charging enhancement and secondary concentration. Chemical and mineralogical compositions of collection products were analyzed and determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). After multistage electrostatic separation, the Al2O3 content of the collection products increases from 50.74% to 69.77%. The mineralogical phase analysis indicates that the final recovery of metallic aluminum phase increases from 8% to 37%, and the aluminum oxide phase increases from 20% to 26%. The research results show the multi-stage electrostatic separation method is effective for recovering of aluminum from fine granules of black dross, and upgrades the black dross to a recoverable material.