Hydrolysis and Heat Treatment of Aluminum Dust

ABSTRACT

Aluminum dust is a toxic and hazardous byproduct of Al remelting. The present research was performed to characterize and evaluate its behavior in water. The materials obtained by hydrolysis were also characterized, and the gases generated during the process were qualitatively analyzed. The effects of hydrolysis reaction time and temperature on the dust were also explored. The hydrolysis of Al dust is an exothermic reaction that gave rise to a solid composed of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, and spinel (MgAl₂O₄). Most of the CH₄, NH₃, and SH₂ gases generated were emitted immediately upon the start of the reaction, though their production continued for a long time. This slow reaction, which was moderately accelerated by temperature, led to the formation of a material less reactive than the untreated dust. On the other hand, heat treatment of the dust gave rise to an inert material composed of spinel, alumina, and magnesium and aluminum silicates.