CHARACTERISTICS AND ANALYSIS OF PROCESSING OPTIONS FOR ZINC-BEARING DUST FROM ELECTRIC ARC FURNACES
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a comprehensive investigation into the physicochemical properties of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD), generated during steel production from scrap metal, with particular emphasis on its potential for zinc recovery. Dust samples collected from LI DA METAL TECHNOLOGY LLC were selected as the research material. The chemical composition, morphology, and particle size distribution of the samples were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy coupled with scanning electron microscopy (EDS/SEM), and laser diffraction particle size analysis. XRF analysis revealed that the dust mainly consists of iron oxide (40.7 wt.%) and zinc oxide (15.2 wt.%), together with sodium, calcium, silicon, potassium, sulfur, manganese, and lead oxides. EDS results confirmed the predominance of iron, zinc, and oxygen, while particle size analysis indicated a fine-grained material with median and 90th percentile particle diameters of D50=11.455 μm and D90=34.573 μm, respectively. The elevated zinc content demonstrates the significant potential of EAFD as a valuable secondary raw material for resource recovery. Among the most promising recycling technologies are pyrometallurgical processing using the Waelz process and hydrometallurgical sulfuric acid leaching. The obtained results provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management of hazardous metallurgical waste, recovery of valuable metals, and implementation of circular economy principles in the steel industry.
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Public License Terms
(For Open Journal Systems (OJS))
-
Copyright:
The copyright of the published article remains with the author(s). However, after publication, the article is distributed on the OJS platform under the Creative Commons (CC BY) license. -
License Type:
This article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This means users can utilize the article under the following conditions:- Copy and distribute: The text of the article or its parts can be freely distributed.
- Quote and analyze: Parts of the article can be used for quoting and analysis.
- Free use: The article can be freely used for research and educational purposes.
- Attribution: Users must provide proper attribution and reference to the original source.
-
Commercial use:
The article can be used for commercial purposes, provided that authorship and source are properly cited. -
Document modification:
The text or content of the article can be modified or adapted, as long as it does not harm the authorship. -
Liability disclaimer:
The author(s) are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the article. The editorial team of the platform is not liable for any damages resulting from the use of this information. -
Public usage obligations:
The content of the article must be used only in accordance with legal and ethical standards. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
Note:
These license terms are designed to ensure transparency and openness in material usage. By accepting these terms, you agree to the adaptation and distribution of the article content under the terms of the Creative Commons license.
Link: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
How to Cite
References
[1] Колисниченко, В. (2025, June 12). Доля ЭДП в мировом производстве стали за 2024 год выросла до 29,1%. GMK Center. https://gmk.center/news/dolya-edp-v-mirovom-proizvodstve-stali-za-2024-god-vyrosla-do-29-1/
[2] Rizescu, C.-Z., Bacinschi, Z., Stoian, E.-V., & Poinescu, A.-A. (2010). Characterization of steel mill electric-arc furnace dust. Advances in Waste Management: Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS International Conference on Waste Management, Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Indoor Climate (WWAI'10), 139–143.
[3] Hamann, C., Piehl, P., Weingart, E., Stolle, D., Al-Sabbagh, D., Ostermann, M., Auer, G., & Adam, C. (2024). Selective removal of zinc and lead from electric arc furnace dust by chlorination–evaporation reactions. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 465, 133421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133421 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133421
[4] Hernández Buitrago, L. J., Daza Prada, I., Amaral-Labat, G., Beneduce Neto, F., & Lenz e Silva, G. F. B. (2018). Microstructural, thermochemistry and mechanical evaluation of self-reducing pellets using electric arc furnace (EAF) dust containing zinc for Waelz process. Matéria (Rio de Janeiro), 23(2), e-12006. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-707620180002.0343 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/s1517-707620180002.0343
[5] Nair, A. T., Mathew, A., Archana, A. R., & Abdul Akbar, M. (2022). Use of hazardous electric arc furnace dust in the construction industry: A cleaner production approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 377, 134282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134282 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134282
[6] Самадов, А. У., Тошкодирова, Р. Э., & Жалолов, Б. А. (2024). Анализ цинксодержащей пыли, образующейся при производстве стали. Universum: технические науки, (3), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.32743/UniTech.2024.129.12.18967 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32743/UniTech.2024.129.12.18967
[7] Machado, J. G., Brehm, F. A., Moraes, C. A., Santos, C. A., Vilela, A. C., & Cunha, J. B. (2006). Chemical, physical, structural and morphological characterization of the electric arc furnace dust. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 136(3), 953–960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.01.044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.01.044
[8] Samadov, A. U., Jalolov, B. A., & Kamalova, I. M. (2025). Po‘lat eritish texnogen changlarining mikrostrukturaviy va elementar tarkibini TEM–EDS usullarida o‘rganish. International Journal of Advanced Technology and Natural Sciences, 6(2), 53–61.
[9] Al Jabri, M. J., Sangeetha, B. M., & Dwivedi, P. B. (2023). Optimized zinc recovery from electric arc furnace dust (EAFD): Hydrometallurgical process and characterization. Green Chemistry & Technology Letters, 9(1), 15–21. https://doi.org/10.18510/gctl.2023.912
[10] Huang, J., & Yang, X. (2024). Oxygen-assisted zinc recovery from electric arc furnace dust using magnesium chloride. International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials, 31(10), 2300–2311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2837-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2837-4
[11] Chairaksa-Fujimoto, R., Inoue, Y., Umeda, N., Itoh, S., & Nagasaka, T. (2015). New pyrometallurgical process of EAF dust treatment with CaO addition. International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials, 22(8), 788–797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-015-1135-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-015-1135-6
[12] Guézennec, A.-G., Huber, J.-C., Patisson, F., Sessiecq, P., Birat, J.-P., & Ablitzer, D. (2005). Dust formation in electric arc furnace: Birth of the particles. Powder Technology, 157(1–3), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2005.05.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2005.05.006
[13] ZNO RECYCLE. (2024, September 11). Why pelletizing EAF dust for efficient recycling in the Waelz kiln process. https://znorecycle.com/pelletizing-eaf-dust-for-efficient-recycling-in-the-waelz-kiln-process/
[14] Saadati, M., Hosseinzadeh, Z., Zamani, A. A., & Ashabi, E. (2023). Evaluating the concentration and leachability of heavy metals in electric arc furnace dust: Implications for environmental management. Journal of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, 2(2), 117–122. https://doi.org/10.56578/jemse020203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56578/jemse020203
[15] Sunnatov, J. B., & Qarshiyev, X. K. (2021). Qora metallurgiyada hosil bo‘lgan changlardan rangli metallarni ajratib olish texnologiyalarini o‘rganish va tahlil qilish. Oriental Renaissance: Innovative, Educational, Natural and Social Sciences, 1(4), 1414–1427.
[16] Morcali, M. H., Yucel, O., Aydin, A., & Derin, B. (2012). Carbothermic reduction of electric arc furnace dust and calcination of Waelz oxide by semi-pilot scale rotary furnace. Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy, 48(2), 173–184. https://doi.org/10.2298/JMMB111219031M DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/JMMB111219031M
[17] Özcan, D., Karaoğlan, K. M., & Çelik, M. (2024). Classification of zinc recovery quality from EAF dust using machine learning: A Waelz process study. Engineering Perspective, 4(4), 171–177. https://doi.org/10.29228/eng.pers.79502 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29228/eng.pers.79502
[18] Havlik, T., Turzakova, M., Stopić, S., & Friedrich, B. (2005). Atmospheric leaching of EAF dust with diluted sulphuric acid. Hydrometallurgy, 77(1–2), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2004.10.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2004.10.008
[19] Havlík, T., Souza, B. V., Bernardes, A. M., Schneider, I. A. H., & Miškufová, A. (2006). Hydrometallurgical processing of carbon steel EAF dust. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 135, 311–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2005.11.067 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2005.11.067
[20] Duan, W., Dong, X., Gao, L., Wang, Z., Wang, J., et al. (2025). Zn recovery strategies from steelmaking dust: A comprehensive review. Separation and Purification Technology, 378, 134694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.134694 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.134694
[21] Trifunović, V., Avramović, Lj., Jonović, R., Milić, S., Đorđievski, S., & Jonović, M. (2021). Hydrometallurgical treatment of electric arc furnace dust in aim of zinc separation. In Proceedings of the 52nd International October Conference on Mining and Metallurgy (IOC 2021).
[22] Bayraktar, A. C., Avşar, E., Toröz, I., Alp, K., & Hanedar, A. (2015). Stabilization and solidification of electric arc furnace dust originating from steel industry by using low grade MgO. Archives of Environmental Protection, 41(4), 62–66. https://doi.org/10.1515/aep-2015-0040 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aep-2015-0040
[23] Xoliqulov, D. B., Xaydaraliev, X. R., & Qarshiyev, H. K. (2020). Olmaliq KMK AJ rux ishlab chiqarish zavodi sharoitida rux keklarini gidrometallurgik qayta ishlash imkoniyatlarini tahlil qilish. Journal of Advances in Engineering Technology, (2), 54–58. https://doi.org/10.24412/2181-1431-2020-2-54-58
[24] Chen, L., Liu, W., Jiao, F., Yang, C., Li, G., Liu, S., & Qin, W. (2023). Separation and recovery of zinc, lead and iron from electric arc furnace dust by low temperature smelting. Separation and Purification Technology, 312, 123355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.123355 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.123355
[25] Hoffelner, F. (2022). Kinetic aspects of the selective reduction of zinc ferrite with H₂ in the processing of electric arc furnace dust (Master's thesis). Montanuniversität Leoben.
[26] Koishina, G., Dosmukhamedov, N., Kaplan, V., Nursainov, I., & Zholdasbay, Y. (2025). Technology for producing pure lead-free zinc oxide from electric arc furnace (EAF) dust. Engineering Journal of Satbayev University, 147(2), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.51301/ejsu.2025.i2.03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51301/ejsu.2025.i2.03