Process for the purification of waste sulfuric acid containing fluoride

Claim 1

A process for purifying 65 to 95 percent strength waste sulfuric acid comprising the steps of: introducing waste sulfuric acid containing water, organic impurities and 0.02 to 5 percent by weight fluoride into an acid-resistant plastic tray of an upper section of a stripping column having 1 to 9 trays, the construction components of the tray in the upper section consisting of an acid-resistant plastic, wherein the acid-resistant plastic is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidenefluoride, polytrifluorochloroethylene, polyphenylenesulfide and polytetrafluoroethylene, on at least the surface of said components contacting acid vapors or liquid acid; permitting the waste sulfuric acid to flow to 1 to 3 high silicon cast iron trays in a lower section of the stripping column; heating and concentrating the waste acid in said stripping column; passsing the heated and concentrated waste acid into boiling concentrated sulfuric acid in a cast iron Pauling kettle at a kettle temperature of 310° to 325° C.; and condensing sulfuric acid vapors escaping from the kettle by directing the flow of the waste sulfuric acid into the kettle in a countercurrent direction to the sulfuric acid vapors, whereby a purified sulfuric acid is produced; wherein the ratio of the water content of the waste acid introduced minus the water content of the purified sulfuric acid to the content of the fluoride in the waste acid introduced is not below 10:1.