High-Value Silicon Recovery from Coal Ash Alumina Slag (CAAS): Advances in Extraction Technologies and Environmental-Economic Benefits
摘要
Coal ash alumina slag (CAAS) is a secondary solid waste generated during the aluminum extraction process from coal fly ash. The large-scale accumulation of CAAS causes severe environmental pollution risks. However, because it is rich in silicon, the extraction of silicon from CAAS can alleviate both the issues of solid waste accumulation and silicon resource shortage, approaching dual significance for environmental protection and resource utilization. This paper introduces the physical and chemical properties of CAAS and systematically reviews the common methods for extracting and recovering silicon from CAAS, including direct, physical enhanced silicon, acid-alkali synergistic enhanced, and microbial extractions. Subsequently, an efficient silicon extraction approach was selected for environmental-economic analysis, and the results suggested that the accumulation of CAAS was reduced by 57.19%, while an economic benefit of $87.8/ton was achieved from processing CAAS. The paper provides an important reference for the efficient extraction and high-value utilization of silicon from CAAS.