A novel method for vanadium slag comprehensive utilization to synthesize Zn-Mn ferrite and Fe-V-Cr alloy

Abstract Vanadium slag is a by-product from steelmaking process of vanadium-titanium magnetite, which mainly contains FeO, MnO, V 2 O 3 , and Cr 2 O 3 , The elements Fe and Mn are major components of Mn-Zn ferrite. The elements V and Cr are major components of V-Cr alloy. In view of the potential application in these study, a Mn 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 of high saturation magnetization (Ms = 68.6 emu/g) and low coercivity (Hc = 3.3 Oe) was successfully synthesized from the leaching solutions of vanadium slag by adding appropriate chemical reagents, ZnCl 2 and MnCl 2 ·4H 2 O, via roasting at 1300 °C for 1 h. The minor components (CaO and SiO 2 ) in the leaching solution of vanadium slag segregated to the grain boundaries resulting in increasing the resistivity of ferrite. The value of DC resistivity of Mn 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 at 25 °C reached 1230.7Ω m. The residue containing Fe, V and Cr was chlorinated by AlCl 3 and the Fe 3+ , V 3+ , and Cr 3+ ions were released into the NaCl-KCl eutectic. The current-time curve for the electrolysis of molten salt was investigated. Alloy (Fe, V, and Cr) of granular shape was obtained. The residue can be used to produce the mulite. This process provided a new approach to utilize slag from steelmaking.