Development of a new cleaner production process for producing chromic oxide from chromite ore

Chromic oxide (Cr2O3) is an important chemical with numerous industrial applications. The traditional process used for manufacturing chromic oxide from chromite ore has low resources and energy efficiency. Moreover, large quantities of chromium-containing toxic solid wastes are discharged, posing serious pollution concerns. To reduce the environmental impact of this procedure, a new cleaner process was developed by the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, PR China, based upon the 3Rs (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse) principles of cleaner production and industrial ecology; this new cleaner process utilizes resources more efficiently, and does not discharge emissions of chromium-containing waste residue. A demonstration plant featuring this process, as well as an Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) has been built in He'nan Province, PR China. The new cleaner process is a promising advancement for the industrial production of chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as well as other chromium compounds such as potassium chromate (K2CrO4) and potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7).