Method of Utilization of the Spent Vanadium Catalyst

A spent vanadium catalyst, from the plant of metallurgical type, was leached in a potassium hydroxide solution to recover vanadium. The effect of time, temperature, concentration of basic, catalyst particle size and phase ratio was studied. The results showed that for a 160-750 μm catalyst leached for 4 h at 313.15 K in the presence of 10% potassium hydroxide solution at a liquid: solid ratio of 20:1, the extent of leaching of V was about 87%. Additionally, separation of vanadium from such a solution was investigated by the ion exchange method. Two types of polymer strongly basic ion exchangers were used. The ion exchange tests indicate that vanadium were loaded from the post-leaching solution with high effi ciency. On this basis a fl owsheet for the proposed process of a complex utilization of the spent vanadium catalyst is presented.