Sulphate removal from sodium sulphate-rich brine and recovery of barium as a barium salt mixture

Abstract

Sulphate removal from sodium sulphate-rich brine using barium hydroxide and recovery of the barium salts has been investigated. The sodium sulphate-rich brine treated with different dosages of barium hydroxide to precipitate barium sulphate showed sulphate removal from 13.5 g/L to less than 400 mg/L over 60 min using a barium to sulphate molar ratio of 1.1. The thermal conversion of precipitated barium sulphate to barium sulphide achieved a conversion yield of 85% using coal as both a reducing agent and an energy source. The recovery of a pure mixture of barium salts from barium sulphide, which involved dissolution of barium sulphide and reaction with ammonium hydroxide resulted in recovery of a mixture of barium carbonate (62%) and barium hydroxide (38%), which is a critical input raw material for barium salts based acid mine drainage (AMD) desalination technologies. Under alkaline conditions of this barium salt mixture recovery process, ammonia gas is given off, while hydrogen sulfide is retained in solution as bisulfide species, and this provides basis for ammonium hydroxide separation and recovery for reuse, with hydrogen sulfide also recoverable for further industrial applications such as sulfur production by subsequent stripping.

Keywords:

• Brine
• sulphate
• thermal decomposition
• barium hydroxide
• recovery.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported under the South African Parliamentary Grant funding scheme (project number JNPPG12). Eddie Erasmus and Sabine Verryn are acknowledged for their valuable analytical support. Laboratory support provided by V. Radebe, L. Bologo, J. Germanis and M. Mathye of Pollution and Waste Research Group, CSIR is duly acknowledged.