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2645580 
Journal Article 
SULPHURIC ACID LEACHING OF GERMANIUM FROM GERMANIUM DUST AND FUME: PROCESS OPTIMIZATION USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY 
Wang, W; Peng, J; Zhang, Z; Wang, S 
2012 
689-696 
WOS:000327405100064 
Germanium leaching from germanium dust and fume was carried out using sulphuric acid. Response surface methodology (RSM), based on a five level, four variable central composite design (CCD), was employed to obtain the best possible combination of liquid/solid ratio (X-1: 2-10), leaching time (X-2: 1-5 h), sulphuric acid concentration (X-3: 3.15-15.75mol/L) and leaching temperature (X-4: 50-90 degrees C) for germanium leaching. The obtained experimental data were fit to a one-order polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis and also analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The 3-D response surface plot and the contour plot derived from the mathematical models were applied to determine the optimal conditions. The optimum extraction conditions were: liquid/solid ratio of 10, leaching time of 1 h, sulphuric acid concentration of 15.75 mol/L, and leaching temperature of 87.8 degrees C. Under these conditions, the germanium leaching extent was 65.14%, which is in close agreement with the value predicted by the model. The samples were characterized before and after leaching using X-ray diffraction (XRD). 
Germanium; Response Surface Methodology; Sulphuric Acid Leaching; Germanium Dust and Fume