Red mud is the main by-product of the production of alumina according to the Bayer process. It is a highly alkaline, brick-red suspension. It is characterized by a diversity of chemical and mineralogical composition. The main elements in red mud are Fe, Al, Si, Ti, Na, Ca, and they account for about 90% of the mass of the mud. In addition to these, a large number of other components can be found in minor quantities. Most elements are present in the form of oxides and hydroxides in various minerals. The demand for aluminum is constantly growing, the amount of discharged red mud is continually increasing. The annual amount of red mud produced globally, is already estimated at 200 million tons, and further growth is expected. High production rates and only minimal and sporadic utilization of red mud have resulted in the accumulation of large quantities of disposed red mud, so that the global red mud stockpile is estimated at more than 5 billion tons. In addition to financial costs, the disposal of red mud also poses certain risks to the environment. For this reason, the safe disposal of red mud is one of the main concerns of all alumina producers. Reducing the amount of red mud that is disposed of, and consequently reducing the risks and costs, requires constant efforts to find procedures for its valorization. The possibilities of valorization of red mud are diverse. It has been shown that red mud can be successfully used in many areas, such as construction, metallurgy, chemical industry, environmental protection, agriculture, etc. Analyzing the patents related to the use of red mud, it can be observed that 12% of the patents refer to the wastewater and waste treatment. The heterogeneous composition of red mud indicates the possibility of its application as a composite sorbent. The application of red mud as a low-cost sorbent has been extensively investigated, and favorable results have been obtained in the sorption of metals and metalloids, radionuclides, phosphates, nitrates, fluorides, dyes and phenols, etc. In order to increase the sorption capacity of red mud and obtain a more environmentally friendly sorbent, various treatment techniques are applied. These treatment techniques can modify the physical and chemical properties, which can lead to a change in alkalinity, specific surface area and porosity, a change in the number of active sorption sites, and its surface charge can also be changed. Modifications of red mud to remove various types of pollutants have shown promising results. Many studies have shown that red mud can be used as an efficient and low-cost sorbent for removing heavy metal cations from solutions, such as Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ , Cd2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Sr2+, Cs2+, as well as for the treatment of waste water and leachate from landfills and mines. During the removal of heavy metals from solutions using red mud, various mass transfer phenomena occur: physical and chemical adsorption, surface precipitation, co-precipitation, ion exchange, precipitation, complexation, hydration, dissolution, etc. Despite the numerous possibilities of application and the benefits that arise from it, we still do not have a significant utilization of red mud.

Cobalt’s pivotal role in global development, especially in lithium-ion batteries, entails driving increased demand and strengthening global trading networks. The production of different waste solutions in metallurgical operations requires the development of an environmentally friendly research strategy. The ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and hydrogen reduction method were chosen to produce nanosized magnetic powders from waste solution based on iron and cobalt obtained during the purification process of used polycrystalline diamond blanks. With specific objectives focused on investigating the impact of reaction temperature and residence time on the morphology, chemical composition, and crystal structure of synthesized nanosized cobalt powders, our research involved 15 experimental runs using two reactors with varying residence times (7.19 s and 23 s) and distinct precursors (A, B, and C). Aerosol droplets were reduced at 600 to 900 °C with a flow rate of 3 L/min of argon and hydrogen (1:2). Characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction revealed that higher temperatures influenced the spherical particle morphology. Altering cobalt concentration in the solution impacted the particle size, with higher concentrations yielding larger particles. A short residence time (7.9 s) at 900 °C proved optimal for cobalt submicron synthesis, producing spherical particles ranging from 191.1 nm to 1222 nm. This research addresses the environmental significance of recovering magnetic particles from waste solutions, contributing to sustainable nanomaterial applications.

The influence of process parameters in the three-stage purification of aluminate solution from the Bayer process and aluminum hydroxide was considered in this paper. One of the ways of purification is treating the aluminate solution in order to reduce the concentrations in the starting raw material (solution) and then treating the aluminum hydroxide at a certain temperature and time in order to obtain an alumina precursor of adequate quality. The purification process itself is divided into three phases. The first phase involves the treatment of sodium aluminate with lime in order to primarily remove Ca2+ and (SiO3)2− impurities. Phase II aims to remove impurities of Zn2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+ by treatment with controlled precipitation using specially prepared crystallization centers. In Phase III, Na+ is removed by the process of hydrothermal washing of Al2O3 ∙ 3H2O. In this work, parameters such as temperature (T), reaction time (t), and concentration of lime (c) were studied in order to remove the mentioned impurities and obtain the purest possible product that would be an adequate precursor for special types of alumina.

Strontium (Sr) and sodium (Na) are the most used modifiers in the aluminum casting industry. Both lose their concentration (fade) during holding in the melting furnace. Three types of chemical reactions in the melt may cause modifier fading: vaporizing, oxidizing, or reacting with some other elements from the melt. Due to Na and Sr’s very low vapor pressure, their vaporization from the aluminum melt was excluded as a reason for the modifiers’ fading. Oxidation looks like the major chemical reaction that causes the fading of Na and Sr from an aluminum melt. The present paper aimed to quantify the fading of Na and Sr in an Al–Si–Cu–Mg alloy. The loss of modifiers (Na and Sr) during melt holding in a furnace can be analytically quantified using equations taken from the literature. The calculated surface reaction rate constant (ks) can estimate the modifier’s loss during melt holding in industrial and laboratory furnaces.

Due to their remarkable magnetic properties, such as a high maximum energy product, high remanence, and high coercivity, NdFeB magnets are used in a variety of technological applications. Because of their very limited recycling, high numbers of spent NdFeB magnets are widely available in the market. In addition to China’s monopoly on the supply of most rare earth elements, there is a need for the recovery of these critical metals, as their high import price poses an economic and environmental challenge for manufacturers. This paper proposes a pyrometallurgical recycling method for end-of-life NdFeB magnets by oxidizing them in air as first required step. The main goal of this method is to oxidize rare earth elements from NdFeB magnets in order to prepare them for the carbothermic reduction. The experimental conditions, such as the oxidation temperature and time, were studied in order to establish the phase transformation during oxidation using the Factsage Database and experimental conditions. Our thermogravimetric analysis TGA analysis revealed an increased sample mass by 35% between room temperature and 1100 °C, which is very close to the total calculated theoretical value of oxygen (36.8% for all elements, and only 3.6% for rare earth elements REE), confirming the complete oxidation of the material. The obtained quantitative analysis of the oxidation product, in (%), demonstrated values of 53.41 Fe2O3, 10.37 Fe3O4; 16.45 NdFeO3; 0.45 Nd2O3, 1.28 Dy2O3, 1.07 Pr2O3, and 5.22 α-Fe.

Phosphorus is essential to the growth of living organisms, and, therefore, its pres ence is considered vital for all forms of life. Research shows that phosphate rock reserves are reducing. Phosphate rock is used as raw material for the production of phos -phate-based fertilizers, and its lack of supply could have adverse effects on the global food supply. New resources that can be a potential replacement for phosphate rock in the production of fertilizers and other phosphorus-containing substances are investigated. This paper provides an overview of technology implementations, methods, and process es, as well as the latest achievements in the field of phosphorus recovery from waste streams. Different methods of phosphorus regeneration from sewage sludge and solid waste, and forms of phosphate regeneration are described. In addition, an overview of the following methods is given: nanonucleation, adsorption and ion exchange, solar evapora tion, biological assimilation of P, and membrane technologies.

Abstract: The paper presents results of the measurements of the sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration and meteorological parameters: temperature, air pressure, relative humidity and wind speed. The data were collected from January 2019 to December 2020 at two stations, namely Center and Heating plant, in the City of Bijeljina, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. SO2 and NO2 are one of the major air pollutants that could negatively affect the human health. Levels of SO2 and NO2 in air samples and meteorological variables from urban zone of Bijeljina were determined at both localities, which represent a highly-populated area with intensive traffic. This topic has not been studied up to now in Bijeljina, although the recent research data indicates that there is a correlation between meteorological parameters and air pollutants. Statistical analysis confirms direct corelation between SO2 and NO2 and meteorological parameters, specially temperature in locality Center (r = -0.639), the wind speed in locality Heating plant (r = 0.399) and relative humidity (r = 0.162). Correlation of NO2 with temperature is not confirmed in both localities. The wind speed increase is followed by rises of the NO2 concentration values and vice versa. Correlation of NO2 with pressure is confirmed in locality Center (r = 0.128) but it is not confirmed in locality Heating plant. Correlation between NO2 and relative humidity found to be negative in locality Center (r = -0.062). These parameters are the most important meteorological factors influencing the variation in SO2 and NO2 concentration in the air during the research. Depending on the obtained correlation, meteorological parameters had a positive or negative impact on air pollution.

The suitable characteristics of fly ash from thermal power plants make it a proper adsorbent for removing various pollutants from water and aqueous solutions. Valorization and utilization of fly ash can reduce the use of conventional adsorbents. The paper presents an overview of the possibility of using raw and modified fly ash to remove fluorides from water and aqueous solutions, as well as the influence of different process parameters (sorbent dose, contact time, pH value, temperature, etc.) on the value of adsorption capacity and adsorption efficiency of used sorbent. Fly ash can be used as an effective sorbent for the removal of fluoride, both in raw and modified form, with given optimal process parameters. Raw fly ash shows better adsorption properties when performing the experiment in a column, with a higher dose of sorbent and longer contact time, in an acidic environment (pH = 2-3), compared to batch experiments. Various authors have modified fly ash by treatment with certain chemical agents (HCl, Ca (OH)2…) or by synthesis of zeolite based on fly ash. Modification of fly ash improves its adsorption properties, so in slightly acidic conditions (pH = 6), for a relatively short contact time (10-30 min), in batch conditions, significant adsorption efficiency (~ 90%) can be achieved.

ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of cadmium (Cd) concentration in the soil on its uptake by tobacco plants, and to compare the ability of diverse extraction procedures for determining Cd bioavailability and predicting soil-to-plant transfer and Cd plant concentrations. The pseudo-total digestion procedure, modified Tessier sequential extraction and six standard single-extraction tests for estimation of metal mobility and bioavailability were used for the leaching of Cd from a native soil, as well as samples artificially contaminated over a wide range of Cd concentrations. The results of various leaching tests were compared between each other, as well as with the amounts of Cd taken up by tobacco plants in pot experiments. In the native soil sample, most of the Cd was found in fractions not readily available under natural conditions, but with increasing pollution level, Cd amounts in readily available forms increased. With increasing concentrations of Cd in the soil, the quantity of pollutant taken up in tobacco also increased, while the transfer factor (TF) decreased. Linear and non-linear empirical models were developed for predicting the uptake of Cd by tobacco plants based on the results of selected leaching tests. The non-linear equations for ISO 14870 (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid extraction – DTPA), ISO/TS 21268-2 (CaCl2 leaching procedure), US EPA 1311 (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure – TCLP) single step extractions, and the sum of the first two fractions of the sequential extraction, exhibited the best correlation with the experimentally determined concentrations of Cd in plants over the entire range of pollutant concentrations. This approach can improve and facilitate the assessment of human exposure to Cd by tobacco smoking, but may also have wider applicability in predicting soil-to-plant transfer.