Research Journal of Recent Sciences ________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 434-443 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci.

Review Paper

Recovery of Nickel from Spent Ni/Al2O3 Catalysts using Acid Leaching,
Chelation and Ultrasonication
Oza R.* and Patel S.
Chemical Engineering Department, Institute Of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad–382 481, INDIA

Available online at: www.isca.in
(Received 7th November 2011, revised 13th January 2012, accepted 30th March 2012)

Abstract
Supported nickel catalysts, containing 2.5% to 20% of nickel metal, are widely used in chemical industry for hydrogenation,
hydrotreating, and steam-reforming reaction. These catalysts have specific life and are subsequently discarded due to its
deactivation owing to coke deposition on its surface. Disposal of spent catalyst is a problem as it falls under the category of
hazardous industrial waste and also it requires compliance with stringent environmental regulations. Also the cost and demand
of nickel has been rising significantly. In this context recovery of nickel can serve both of the important issues. This review cum
research work focuses on the recovery of nickel from spent nitrogenous catalyst using conventional acid leaching & chelation
route and a novel technique Ultrasonication developed & implemented successfully by the authors. Using ultrasonication
technique significantly faster recovery of nickel salt (50 minutes) was accomplished compared to chelation route (7-8 h) and
acid leaching (5-6 h). The %recovery and purity is significantly high for ultrasonication route compared to conventional acid
leaching and chelation technique. The recovered nickel salts can be recycled for the preparation of fresh catalysts and promises
to be a good industrial process for handling 1-2 t per batch of spent nickel catalyst.
Keywords: Spent catalyst, ultrasonication, chelation, leaching, nickel recovery.

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