Characterizing the Leaching Behavior of Red Mud at Different pH Levels Riskaviana Kurniawati, Wiwik Dahani, Subandrio Subandrio, Christin Palit, and Kisal Albrian Gheraldy S
Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Earth Technology and Energy, Universitas Trisakti
Abstract
Red mud is classified as hazardous waste due to its high alkalinity and presence of radioactive materials. The purpose of this study is to investigate the leaching properties of major metals and rare earth elements in red mud at pH levels of 2, 7, and 13. We performed XRD, XRF, and SEM analyses to determine the effect of pH on metal leaching in red mud. The findings revealed that the pH of the solution had a substantial effect on the concentration of dissolved metals. Metal dissolution increases dramatically at an acidic pH (pH 2), but metal concentration drops quickly at a neutral pH (pH 7). At alkaline pH (pH 13), Al dissolves significantly, whereas Fe remains reasonably stable. These findings indicate that the red mud processing industry can utilize pH modulation to enhance the leaching effectiveness of specific metals, a crucial step towards developing more efficient and environmentally friendly purification procedures.
