Extraction of Vanadium Oxide from Boiler Fuel Ash

Fuel oil used in power plants contain metal impurities like Vanadium. After combustion, this metal remains in boiler fuel ash in the form of oxide. In this research, extraction of Vanadium oxide from fuel ash has been investigated. Two processes were used for this purpose. A pyro- hydrometallurgy and a hydrometallurgy process. In the pyro-hydrometallurgy process, using sodium carbonate, salt roasting of the ash followed by water leaching was carried out. Vanadium was then precipitated as ammonium vanadates which on heating decomposed and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) was obtained. In the hydrometallurgy process, the ash was dissolved in sodium hydroxide. Vanadium oxide was then recovered from solution. Effects of various parameters in each case were investigated and the optimum condition for maximum recovery was determined.