INVESTIGATION OF GERMANIUM EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY FROM TECHNOGENIC METALLURGICAL WASTE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20374744Keywords:
germanium, technogenic waste, hydrometallurgy, oxidative roasting, acid leaching, solvent extraction, rare metalsAbstract
This study investigates the technological feasibility of extracting germanium (Ge) from
technogenic waste generated by the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. Due to the increasing industrial
demand for Ge in semiconductor devices, infrared optics, fiber-optic communication systems, and solar energy
technologies, secondary technogenic resources are becoming an important alternative source of rare metals.
The investigated waste materials contained Ge associated with sulfide, oxide, and silicate phases, together
with compounds of Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Si. Combined pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processing
technologies were applied for germanium recovery. Preliminary preparation of technogenic materials included
crushing, grinding, drying, and granulometric classification. Oxidative roasting was performed within the
temperature range of 600–900 °C to facilitate sulfur removal and the transformation of Ge-bearing minerals
into soluble oxide forms. Hydrometallurgical treatment was carried out using sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid
leaching systems under controlled technological conditions. Experimental investigations demonstrated that
acidic oxidative media provided higher Ge extraction efficiency compared with alkaline systems. The highest
recovery rates were achieved during oxygen-assisted and tartaric acid leaching processes. Solvent extraction
and sorption methods ensured the selective separation of Ge from impurity elements such as Fe, Zn, Cu, and
Pb. XRD, XRF, and AAS analyses confirmed the effectiveness of the developed processing technology and
revealed a significant improvement in Ge recovery after the thermal activation of technogenic materials. The
obtained results demonstrate that combined thermal and hydrometallurgical treatment technologies provide
efficient and environmentally sustainable recovery of germanium from secondary industrial resources while
simultaneously reducing industrial waste accumulation and expanding the utilization of technogenic raw
materials.
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