Patent · US Expired

Method of recovering metallic tellurium

US4288423A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
5References
6Claims
0Family size

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Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 11, 1980
Grant dateSep 8, 1981
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 11, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
  • CPC primaryC01P2006/80
  • WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method of recovering metallic tellurium from a residue dust containing a major amount of lead oxide, a minor amount of tellurium oxide, and a minor amount of iron oxide which comprises the steps of introducing the residue into a leach tank containing water, sulphuric acid and ferric sulphate, the sulphuric acid being present in the leach tank in an amount equal to about 5% to 10% by weight in excess of that stoichiometrically required to react with the lead and tellurium, the ferric sulphate being added as an oxidizing agent, reacting the residue with the sulphuric acid and ferric sulphate to produce lead sulphate and a tellurium solution, removing the lead sulphate and tellurium solution from the leach tank and separating the lead sulphate from the tellurium solution, adding the separated tellurium solution to a tumbler containing particles of metallic iron, agitating the tumbler so that the tellurium solution reacts with the iron to produce ferrous sulphate and metallic tellurium, withdrawing the mixture of ferrous sulphate and metallic tellurium from the tumbler and separating out the ferrous sulphate to recover essentially pure metallic tellurium.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.