Recovery of vanadium pentoxide from spent catalyst used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid

Vanadium has many industrial uses and its contribution to environmental contamination is increasing all the time. Recovery of vanadium pentoxide from spent sulphuric acid catalysts was performed using a three-step process involving acid leaching, oxidation and precipitation. Several different acids were used in the leaching process. Finally, sulphuric acid was used in various concentrations, solid to liquid ratios, stirring times and temperatures. A high solid/liquid ratio in the leaching stage was used to obtain high concentration of vanadium pentoxide and low acid consumption that allowed direct precipitation without the use of extraction by rather expensive organic solvents. Sodium carbonate solution of one mole/liter concentration was used in the precipitation stage. An industrial application including material balance and operating conditions with an overall vanadium pentoxide recovery efficiency of (70%) was proposed