A bio-hydrometallurgical approach towards leaching of lanthanum from the spent fluid catalytic cracking catalyst using Aspergillus niger

Spent fluid catalytic cracking catalysts (SFCCC) are the wastes generated from oil refineries, which accounts for 700,000–900,000 metric ton/year worldwide. Lanthanum, a short-term near critical element is the key component of SFCCC and accounts for 8170 mg/Kg. The current research intends to recover lanthanum from SFCCC by Aspergillus niger and compare the results with strong organic and inorganic acid leaching. Batch studies of one-step bioleaching (OSB) at 1, 3 and 5% pulp densities yielded 63%, 52%, and 33% lanthanum recovery, respectively. The decrease in leaching efficiency with an increase in pulp density may be attributed to the inhibition effect of SFCCC on A. niger. Citric acid was the main lixiviant produced by A. niger, whose production was triggered by SFCCC at ≤1% pulp density. Acidic pH of the leaching medium suggested acidolysis as the key mechanism. Cell-free spent medium bioleaching (cfSMB) resulted in 30.8% leaching recovery, which was significantly less than the OSB. In chemical leaching, sulfuric and nitric acid showed 38% efficiency whereas oxalic acid showed 5% recovery. Hydrochloric, citric and gluconic acids resulted in 68%, 65%, and 64% leaching recoveries, respectively, which is nearly the same as that offered by OSB. OSB being the greener process, suggested for lanthanum leaching from SFCCC over other processes.