Reclamation process for tungsten carbide/cobalt using acid digestion
First Claim
1. A method of recycling a tungsten/cobalt composition comprising oxidizing said tungsten/cobalt composition at a temperature in excess of 850°
- C. to form an oxidized composition;
digesting a portion of said oxidized composition in an aqueous acidic solution to form a slurry of dissolved cobalt composition combined with solid tungsten species;
neutralizing said slurry to a pH effective to cause cobalt hydroxide or cobalt oxychloride to precipitate, and separating liquid components from solid components of said slurry.
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Abstract
Tungsten carbide cobalt and tungsten-containing materials are recycled using a single high-temperature oxidation with standard dilution chemistry. The scrap material is ground, oxidized, and subjected to an acid digestion, preferably in hydrochloric acid. This causes the cobalt to form cobalt chloride while the tungsten remains insoluble. The pH is then increased to about 7.0 which causes the cobalt chloride to form cobalt hydroxide which precipitates out of solution. The cobalt and tungsten are separated and dissolved in a high-pH ammonia solution which can then be spray dried to form a precursor powder for subsequent carburization to form tungsten carbide-cobalt powders.
18 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of recycling a tungsten/cobalt composition comprising oxidizing said tungsten/cobalt composition at a temperature in excess of 850°
- C. to form an oxidized composition;
digesting a portion of said oxidized composition in an aqueous acidic solution to form a slurry of dissolved cobalt composition combined with solid tungsten species; neutralizing said slurry to a pH effective to cause cobalt hydroxide or cobalt oxychloride to precipitate, and separating liquid components from solid components of said slurry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- C. to form an oxidized composition;
Specification