Recovery of antimony and bismuth from arsenic-containing waste streams from the copper electrorefining circuit: An example of promoting critical metals circularity from secondary resources

The copper pyrometallurgical industry faces the precipitation of un-soluble slimes containing bismuth, arsenic and antimony that can reduce purity. Ion-exchange resins are used to treat electrolyte avoid their precipitation. After resin saturation, a regeneration stage with 17%(w/w) hydrochloric acid bismuth (e.g. up 10 g/L) is currently limed. In this work, selective process was developed recover both elements as pure possible from eluate, considering also high contents As(V) present. Results showed during process, forms insoluble antimony-arsenates. Therefore, eluate pre-treated Sb(V) using SO2(g) or NaHSO3(s). case, it obtain sequentially oxychloride (Sb4O5Cl2, purity> 93%) (BiOCl, 95%) under appropriate pH control sodium hydroxide, bicarbonate and/or carbonate. use calcium hydroxide carbonate resulted in sulphates (CaSO4:H2O(s) CaSO4:2H2O(s)), which reduced by-products