LAUSR

Abstract Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a kind of potential lixiviant for selective metal processing due to their versatile complexation properties. In this study, we investigated the recovery of zinc from zinc oxide dust using choline chloride−urea− ethylene glycol (ChCl−urea−EG) DESs. The zinc extraction efficiency can be up to 85.2% when the slurry concentration is 50 g/L, leaching temperature is 80 °C and stirring speed is 600 r/min. The leaching process is controlled by the diffusion and the corresponding activation energy is 32.1 kJ/mol. The resultant solution was directly used for the electrodeposition of zinc. The pure zinc deposit is obtained with a current efficiency of 82.6%. Furthermore, the ChCl−urea−EG DESs can be recycled. This approach is shown to be promising for the recycling of zinc from the zinc-containing dust.