Current Status and Prospects of the Acid Leaching Process for Zinc from Zinc-Containing Steel Metallurgical Dust

Shuo Li; Chaoyue Sun; Simiao Liu; Haibin Han

doi:10.54097/edagx447

Authors

Shuo Li
Chaoyue Sun
Simiao Liu
Haibin Han

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/edagx447

Keywords:

Steel metallurgical dust; Wet metallurgy; Leaching process; Zinc metal extraction.

Abstract

The steel industry is a cornerstone of the national economy. The entire metallurgical process generates vast quantities of dust, accounting for approximately 8% to 12% of crude steel output, with annual domestic production exceeding 100 million tonnes. As this dust is rich in valuable metals such as zinc and iron, whilst also containing harmful heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, it presents both resource value and environmental risks. Due to their high selectivity, low energy consumption and high product purity, hydrometallurgical processing technologies have become a research focus for the resource recovery of zinc-containing dust. This paper provides a systematic review of the progress in processes for the wet extraction of zinc from steel metallurgical dust. It first outlines the sources and physicochemical properties of zinc-containing dust, then introduces research developments in acid leaching for zinc extraction, and finally compares and analyses the technical characteristics and limitations of different acid leaching processes for zinc extraction, whilst offering an outlook on future technological development directions.

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