Research status of arsenic removal technology from copper and lead anode slime

In the process of comprehensive recovery of various rare and precious metals from copper and lead anode slime, highly toxic arsenic elements are dispersed in all production links, which seriously affect the recovery rate and product quality of rare and precious metals. The arsenic element finally enters the roasting flue gas, production waste water and waste residue along with the smelting process. If improperly disposed of, it will become a major safety hazard that pollutes the environment. Therefore, the efficient arsenic removal from copper and lead anode slime is of great significance to the prevention and control of arsenic pollution. The existing arsenic removal processes of anode slime mainly include pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy and combination of the first two. In this paper, the aforementioned processes were introduced in detail. The pros and cons of each process were analyzed and compared. Based on the problems of serious environmental pollution, low selectivity for target element and intractable treatment of three wastes in the existing process, it is the research direction of comprehensive treatment of copper and lead anode slime to develop arsenic removal technology with low cost, short process, high efficiency and environmental friendliness.