Ruthenium Production
Ruthenium Production
Platinum processing wastes or sludge appearing after Cu/Ni electrolytic refinement may be used as ruthenium feedstock. Raw material smelted with barium or sodium peroxides Ba2O2/Na2O2 respectively are dissolved in water and treated by gaseous chlorine as a strong oxidizer. Yielded volatile ruthenium RuO4 is sublimated by heating the solution, and then dissolved in hydrochloric acid. Ammonium hexachlororuthenate (NH4)2[RuCl6] is then precipitated from the solution isolated and roasted yielding RuO2 which tjen is reduced until pure metal by hydrogen. Ruthenium and its alloys are smelted in induction furnaces using ZrO2 crucibles or in arc furnaces with Argon atmosphere.
It is also possible to extract ruthenium from used nuclear fuel; fission products of uranium, plutonium or thorium yielding 250 g per ton of wasted fuel elements.