Rudnik Ewa
Faculty of Non-Ferrous Metals, AGH University of Krakow, Mickiewicz Ave. 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Molecules. 2025 Apr 10;30(8):1695. doi: 10.3390/molecules30081695.
Germanium, a critical material for advanced technologies, is enriched in certain coal deposits and by-products, including coal combustion and gasification fly ashes. This review examines germanium concentrations and occurrence modes in coal, coal gangue, and their combustion or gasification by-products, as well as hydrometallurgical recovery methods at laboratory, pilot, and industrial scales. Fly ashes from both coal combustion and gasification are particularly promising due to their higher germanium content and recovery rates, which can exceed 90% under optimal conditions. However, the low germanium concentrations and high levels of impurities in the leachates pose challenges, necessitating the development of innovative and selective separation techniques, primarily involving solvent extraction, ion exchange, or adsorption.
锗是先进技术的关键材料,在某些煤矿床及其副产品中富集,包括煤燃烧和气化产生的粉煤灰。本文综述了煤、煤矸石及其燃烧或气化副产品中的锗含量和赋存形态,以及实验室、中试和工业规模的湿法冶金回收方法。煤燃烧和气化产生的粉煤灰因其较高的锗含量和回收率而特别有前景,在最佳条件下回收率可超过90%。然而,浸出液中锗浓度低且杂质含量高带来了挑战,因此需要开发创新的选择性分离技术,主要包括溶剂萃取、离子交换或吸附。