Nepheline Syenite as an Alternative Source for Aluminum Production

The increasing demand for aluminum in conjunction with the limited available bauxite deposits in Europe results in the dire need for the evaluation of alternative raw materials for the whole value chain of alumina production. The present paper focuses on the possible use of nepheline syenite, originated as a mine byproduct, in alumina production through leaching with an azeotropic HCl solution. Previous work on nepheline syenite dissolution focused more on the extraction of potassium and sodium values. In this work, emphasis is given at the characteristics and leachability of aluminum content phases by applying a high temperature HCl leaching in untreated material. From this point of view, leaching experiments were conducted on nepheline syenite, at a temperature range of 90 °C to 150 °C and with aqueous azeotropic HCl solution. Leaching, in the aforementioned conditions, is a process, characterized by medium aluminum dissolution. The results show that the aluminum-bearing phases that withstand the dissolution process are mainly the ones of sodium and potassium feldspars.