Volatilization and cleaning recovery of Pb, Se and Hg in acid sludge of copper smelting system during vacuum distillation

The high lead acid sludge, containing a small amount of selenium and mercury, is a hazardous waste product of the copper smelting system. Improper disposal of this waste can cause serious harm to the environment. In this study, the method of vacuum distillation was proposed for treating the high lead acid sludge. The study aimed to investigate the volatilization rule of selenium, mercury, and lead in the acid sludge during vacuum distillation, as well as to purify PbSe and metallic lead. The results indicated that under 5 Pa, Hg and Se commence volatilizing at 300 ℃, the content of Hg in volatile substances remains relatively constant after reaching 400 ℃, demonstrating nearly complete volatilization at this temperature with a ratio of 92.93 %. Similarly, selenium almost completely volatilizes at 800 ℃ with a ratio of 96.74 %, while lead does so at around 1000 ℃ with a ratio of approximately 99.27 %. Mercury at 400 ℃ can be recovered as mercury selenide. Lead selenide can be achieved at 800 ℃, while lead sulfate can be decomposed and purified at 1000 ℃ to obtain metallic lead with a purity higher than 99 %. The method can properly treat and recover mercury, selenium, lead and other elements in the acid sludge with short process and no pollution, which provides a new cleaning approach for high lead acid sludge.