Promotion of manganese extraction and flue gas desulfurization with manganese ore by iron in the anodic solution of electrolytic manganese

In this work, Mn ore was mixed with the wastewater anode solution of electrolytic Mn (ASEM, instead of water) and utilized as the desulfurizer for simultaneous SO 2 removal from flue gas and Mn extraction. The effects of Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ on Mn leaching and flue gas desulfurization were investigated. For MnO 2 and Mn 2 O 3 (mixed with ASEM), the introduction of Fe 2+ could simultaneously increase Mn extraction efficiency and flue gas desulfurization efficiency when MnO 2 and Mn 2 O 3 mixed with ASEM was used. Fe 3+ addition could improve desulfurization efficiency obviously for MnCO 3 . Fe 2+ could react with MnO 2 and H + to form Mn 2+ and Fe 3+ . This reaction further improved Mn extraction and simultaneously decreased the acidity of ASEM, thus promoting SO 2 removal. The introduced Fe 3+ could react with SO 2 , when MnO 2 was absent from the desulfurizer slurry. The resulting Fe 2+ was then oxidized by O 2 to form Fe 3+ , which underwent a Fe 3+ ↔ Fe 2+ cycle to promote flue gas desulfurization. Thus, the introduction of Fe ions, especially Fe 2+ , could promote simultaneous Mn leaching and flue gas desulfurization with Mn ore. This work provided not only a new way for effective SO 2 removal from flue gas and Mn extraction but also for recycling ASEM.