Harmless treatment of electrolytic manganese residue: Ammonia nitrogen recovery, preparation of struvite and nonsintered bricks

The ammonia nitrogen in electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is easily transferred to water source, polluting the environment and endangering biological health. In this study, the ammonia nitrogen in EMR is removed by slaked lime, carbide slag (CS) and red mud (RM). The removal of ammonia nitrogen is influenced by the liq-uid-solid ratio, stirring time, and additives dosage. The removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen of EMR pre-treated with 7.4 % fresh CS for 15 min can reach 98.5 % when the liquid-solid ratio is 1.50. Under the synergistic effect of CS and RM, the ammonia nitrogen in EMR is quickly removed within 15 min, and the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen reaches 98.2 %. It is feasible to replace slaked lime with CS and RM to achieve the removal of ammonia nitrogen in EMR. Struvite has high quantity and good purity when the molar ratio of N, P and Mg is 1:1.6:1.6 and pH = 8.0. The remaining EMR after removal of ammonia nitrogen, blast furnace slag, Portland cement and aggregates was used as raw materials to prepare nonsintered bricks (NSB). The NSB according to the optimal formula after curing for 7 days had no free ammonia nitrogen detected. This study provided a new way to remove ammonium nitrogen in EMR by CS and RM, and demonstrated a solution to prepare struvite and nonsintered bricks.