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By Tim Robinson, Michael S. Moats, Masatsugu Moritmitsu, Kathryn C. Sole, Lauri Palmu, Frank K. Crundwell

"Process technology and design trends for copper, zinc, and nickel electrowinning cellhouses include focusing on energy reduction, productivity, and acid mist abatement. Larger electrodes, longer cells, automation, and higher current densities are leading to more capital-effective designs. The latest cellhouse designs include installation of automated electrode-handling systems, thereby removing more operators from the cellhouse. These technology and design trends result in lower electrowinning operating costs and improved purity of electro won cathode.INTRODUCTIONTechnology transfer between similar industries is an important process in improving product quality and productivity, and reducing operating costs. The electrowinning (EW) recovery of base metals, such as zinc, copper and nickel, is no different. The zinc industry with its larger EW product-handling requirements as compared to nickel and copper, has been driven to automation technology and the use of larger equipment. This technology has been transferred to copper. Nickel has led development and application in large-scale anode and divided-cell technologies but, due to nickel being produced in multiple forms (not just cathode) and being a small part of the whole complex nickel process route, the quantities of electrowon nickel are small compared to copper and zinc. Copper process technology in acid mist abatement was recently transferred to nickel. The focus in copper EW has been on energy reduction and productivity."

Jan 1, 2012

By Rush Kramer

A bulk compositional chemical analysis often provides incomplete information to help the mineral processor when faced with the problem of removing troublesome contaminants in low concentrations. Michigan Tech has developed a unique approach for addressing this problem. A combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). and image analysis was successfully used to characterize the species responsible for phosphorus contamination of less than .05 weight percent in iron ore. An automated routine acquired the chemical signature of each particle on a backscattered electron image. The few particles containing phosphorus were identified from the hundreds of particles examined. and the phosphate phases present were easily characterized.

Jan 1, 1991

By Julian Szekely

A review is given of the current metals processing operations, where electromagnetic forces play an important part in affecting the performance of the system. These include arc furnaces, plasmas, the Hall Cell, electromagnetic stirring and others. These considerations will be extended to discuss what new frontiers may be breached by the intelligent application of electromagnetic phenomena. The topics discussed will include magnetic flow control, levitation melting and cold crucible melting and refining.

Jan 1, 1988

By Claude Lorenson

"The Spyrometer™ imaging pyrometer brings new dimension of imaging capabilities to temperature measurement technology by combining a high temperature video camera with scanning optical pyrometry. This gives the operators the ability to observe process conditions while measuring the temperature of virtually any object or region in the field of view. Since the lens tube of the camera can be air or water cooled, it is possible to see inside furnaces giving a very good view of many different types of metallurgical processes. Specific benefits in process knowledge and maintenance tasks for furnaces in different types of metal industries are discussed.1-Principles of Imaging PyrometryLens tube, camera and processorImaging pyrometry is the combination of video imaging and computer-driven pyrometry that measures the temperature of certain zones (selected by the operator) within the image viewed on the monitor screen. To obtain a detailed image of the metallurgical process under observance, it is necessary to place the optical objective of the camera close to the process. The Spyrometer™ (which is Quadtek's tradename for its imaging pyrometer) objective is housed in a lens tube that is cooled and permits insertion inside the vessel of interest. The length of the lens tube is chosen on the basis of making sure that the tip of the tube is just beyond the refractories lining the inside of the furnace. In most pyrometallurgical processes, we have found that the most reliable system set-up uses a water cooled shroud to cool the lens tube optics. A sapphire window provides maximum protection from the environment. Even in the case of the water cooled version, there is an air purge for the lens that keeps the objective clean and protects against hot metal splashes."

Jan 1, 1997

By P. Barrios

Over a period of one year, an in-depth investigation was carried out in a conventional copper refinery to understand the behaviour of silver in copper electrolysis. The increase in silver content in the cathodes increases almost linearly with the duration of electrolysis, and the silver content of the electrolyte between the electrodes shows similar behaviour. The silver content of the cathode deposited daily depends directly on the silver concentration of the electrolyte and this, in turn, is strongly influenced by its internal temperature. The average temperature between the electrodes rises from the first to the second and to the third crop, because of the increase in the distance between the electrodes and the heat generated by the passage of the current. The mechanism of dissolution of silver from the anode, and its passage to the cathode, are discussed. Following the change to the Isa system, it was proved that the results and conclusions are analogous. Based on these results, a reduction of more than 20% in silver losses in the cathodes was achieved.

Jan 1, 1999

By Richard S. Dennis

Acid recovery employs ion exchange (I-X) resin as separation media for inorganic acids from dissolved metallic salts by physical adsorption and without the use of chemicals. This technology has been used for years on spent etching and plating liquors to recover acid for reuse in the bath and to reduce waste acid neutralization costs. It is also used for electrolyte treatment to facilitate valuable metal recovery via acidity reduction. TETRA's ccrxr'" I-X contactor has been used successfully for acid separation from its metallic salt counterpart in a simple, continuous operating mode using strong base anion resins. Efficient separation is enhanced by acid reconcentration to nearly its original strength or as high as 14-20%. Continuous treatment also recovers heat to the tankhouse or bath and improves metal quality due to consistent acid quality. Conventional fixed bed ion exchange (I-X) systems are impractical for acid recovery because of complex control design and large resin inventories needed to process very low liquid-to-resin treatment ratios associated with strong acid concentrations.

Jan 1, 1996

By D. R. Parker

"This paper canvasses emerging trends in public policy and law, which may influence the zinc industry's interest in recycling. There are forces at work beyond direct economic benefits that will drive recycling of zinc, including:• corporate determination to pursue sustainable practices and product stewardship.• public perceptions and pressure,• customer and investor demand,• workforce recruitment, and• protection and expansion of marketsIn this paper, these ""indirect"" forces are examined with particular focus on the zinc industry: It is concluded that, in today's world with an emerging precautionary approach to policy and law making, public perception concerning the environmental implications of metal products, and the need to conserve resources for future generation, a strong industry response is required."

Jan 1, 2000

By Patrice Chartrand, Halvor Dalaker, Philippe Ouzilleau

A size-dependant thermodynamical model for the carbon-hydrogen previously developed by Ouzilleau et al. [1] has been expanded here to include chemisorption of methyl groups. Gibbsenergy minimalisation calculations using FACTSAGE software on this model indicates that hydrogen bonding through methyl groups is energetically favoured as an intermediate between bonding as monoatomic hydrogen to edge hexagons (which is more favourable) and as monoatomic hydrogen to corner hexagons (which is less favourable). The model has also been applied to methane decomposition and oxide reduction using natural gas. A C-H solid solution as a thermodynamic description of the solid carbon phase influences calculations of carbon activity in metastable methane, and gives different results than when using graphite.

Jan 1, 2015

By Roland Kammel

In combination with various physical and chemical methods also electrochemical techniques are most frequently used to improve the recovery of metals from aqueous dilute process streams or effluents e.g. in electroplating, metal finishing, mining and metallurgical plants. To insure cathodic metal recoveries with favorable current efficiency and high throughputs per unit of cell volume seve¬ral types of electrolysis cells have been developed comprising extended electrode surface areas and/or intensive electrolyte. agitation. The practical experiences with these units indicate especially for the electrolytic recovery of metals whose values are high, that the treatment cost permits profitable operations with relativly short payback periods for the units. Anodic reactions can be utilized for the removal of undesired anion contents or buildups of impurities. Appropriate combinations of these recovery methods are used to improve the versatility and the overall economy. Industrial applications reveal their potentional as addidtive techniques for existing processes to reduce the metal content of effluents to values that meet the guide lines of environmental legislation whereas integrated in-operation recovery methods are nowadays increasingly introduced to approach nearly close-loop operations.

Jan 1, 1992

By Reinhard F. Dobner

After a short introduction about the HK's secondary smelter process and explanations concerning the anodes produced the regulation and buffering of bleed will be described and the principles of technology for processing of bleed will be presented. Modernization aspects, especially installation equipment, and the different types of evaporators used will be described in detail. Besides, experience made with acid-resistant materials - stainless steel, enamel, plastics - will be reported. Environmental aspects such as water and air pollution will be outlined briefly and in conclusion the quality of products obtained as well as quality control will be presented.

Jan 1, 1997

By Jinxing Ji

The thiosulfate lixiviant system for leaching of gold has been under extensive investigation for nearly two decades and consists of ammonium thiosulfate, copper and ammonia. There are several challenges with this system. The occurrence of ammonia must be taken into account from a health and hygiene aspect in the workplace, and also from an environmental perspective with significant levels of ammonia and copper in the tailings. Copper accelerates the leaching rate but causes excessive thiosulfate degradation. A new lixiviant system that has been investigated consists only of sodium thiosulfate without copper and ammonia. Gold leaching is carried out in an enclosed reactor with slightly elevated oxygen overpressure and temperature. Extensive leaching experiments were carried out to minimize thiosulfate degradation and polythionate formation while maximizing the gold extraction. For the preg-robbing carbonaceous ore sample tested, gold leaching was essentially complete within six hours and the thiosulfate consumption was lower than in the typical ammoniacal thiosulfate system. The gold thiosulfate complex in the pregnant leach solution was found to be quite stable under ambient conditions. This new leaching system has the advantages of being more environmentally friendly, has a shorter residence time, lower thiosulfate consumption, lower oxygen consumption, and is easier to control.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. A. Llavona

The study of the formation and components of copper patina and its conservation has assumed great importance. The changing environment has accelerated the processes of patinas degradation; thus, the exhaustive study of factors capable of affecting the patina formation, growth and durability has assumed great importance for the industrial activity of copper. The main components of the patina, oxides, chlorides, nitrates and sulfates, have been determined; the effect of physical, chemical and microbiological factors on patina formation, particularly the influence of acid rain, natural organic matter, particles and microorganisms have been defined. The effect of different electrolytic solutions that accelerate the formation of copper patinas has been determined, and a review of the state of knowledge of the formation and evolution of metal patinas has been made.

Jan 1, 1999

By S. S. Chabot, S. E. James

A recent survey of major steel companies worldwide revealed the importance of recycling zinc units from electric arc furnace (EAF) dust, mill scale, blast furnace dust and other zinc containing streams within the steel industry. Many processes have been developed and installed in response to this challenge. The most successful approach involves the production of a crude zinc oxide and its sale to primary zinc producers to recover the metal values. The problem with this process is the high concentration of halides in the crude oxide. This type of material cannot be processed directly in an electrolytic zinc plant because of the corrosion problems it will cause in electrolysis. In 1999, Big River Zinc installed a zinc oxide receiving and washing plant to minimize the impact of halides in its electrolysis circuit. A description of the washing plant and the initial operating results are presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 2000

By David A. Army

Many times, the maintenance professionals have been involved in changes to processes or systems. Often they rely on seat of the pants knowledge to determine whether or not they were successful. More often than not, once our attention has been turned to other endeavors, the initiative has floundered. This paper will describe those measures that can be most effectively used to track and manage the success of implementing an improved Work Management System. However, not only will the paper discuss traditional work indicators, it will also explain how to establish the behaviors in the work place that will ultimately ensure successful implementation. Combined with the discussion on indicators will be a discussion on how to tie them to bottom line results and display them in the form of a scorecard. Actual results will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Kaixi Jiang, Bangsheng Zhang, Lei Zhang, Haibei Wang, Xiaoping Zou

"China plays an important role in the global molybdenum industry; in fact, both China's molybdenum mine and smelter production ranked first in the world. The characteristics of China's molybdenum resources are quite complex, and moly-nickel ores with carbon, coppermoly ores and wulfenite can be only found in China. This paper firstly introduces China's molybdenum resource/ reserve situation. Secondly, the status of molybdenum smelting technologies, especially roasting by rotary kilns and multiple-hearth furnaces, are discussed. The practices and the development of some new technologies, such as pressure leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, carbon adsorption for moly-nickel ores and low grade molybdenite concentrates, are also introduced.IntroductionMolybdenum is widely used in special steels, aviation, alloys, chemistry, electronic and medical industries because of its excellent physical and chemical characters [1,2].In nature, molybdenum exists mainly as molybdenite associated with copper ore which are the main material for smelting. About 99% of molybdenum is produced from molybdenite. In addition, wulfenite, molybdenum oxide ore and graphite shale containing Mo-Ni have also industrial value to extract molybdenum and other metals such as Ni, Re, Pb and Zn. The reserves of molybdenum in China are about 8.4 million tons metal; China is ranked as the second largest source in the world. The output in China is more than 40 kt in 2010. Ferromolybdenum is the main product and then ammonium molybdate. The consumption in China is about 20 kt and the rest is exported to overseas.The first molybdenum smelter in China was built in 1963. Today the main producers include Jinduicheng Moly Company, Luanchuan Moly Company and Jiangxi Copper Group Company. Technologies and equipment have changed greatly. Roasting and multi-hearth furnaces are widely used. Several new processes were developed such as pressure leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange and carbon absorption [3-8]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Harrison Cooper, Stephen Pack

"Data from samples taken during rotary air blast and reverse circulation drilling are crucial to properly assessing economics of mineral deposits in the case of exploratory work, and are equally critical in accurately delineating ore and waste in execution of mine operation plans. Past studies of sampling procedures, comparing results of conventional splitting to more precise extraction of representative samples, illustrate the significant degree of error frequently encountered. Economic impact of error in mine blast hole sampling work can be shown to result in theoretical losses valued at millions of dollars annually in operating large scale mining projects. Results of past drill sampling studies are reviewed.Drill sampling technique can be improved by collecting coarse and fine particles together and extracting samples for assay from the complete flow of rock and dust simultaneously. This can be accomplished with a collection unit attached to the drill stem through which all except a small proportion of extreme fines are retained. The bulk mass can be static sampled as flow takes place through the collector when size reduction is not required. Alternately, collected mass with fines and coarse intermingled can be processed for increased accuracy through size reduction to obtain proportional samples."

Jan 1, 1999

By Tracy T. Morris, Luis G. Navaro

"Anodic copper slimes produced during the electrolytic refining of copper are routinely batch leached to remove copper. At the Amarillo Copper Refinery, an atmospheric leaching process was converted to an autoclave pressure leaching system to improve the removal of copper, reduce the consumption of oxygen, improve leaching times and enhance tellurium recovery. The benefits of pressurized versus atmospheric leaching of slimes were soon realized by obtaining the desired level of decopperization in a shorter time and with lesser quantities of reagents. The autoclave was designed and constructed with a unique oxygen injection system that enables good control of the leaching process and with no plug-ups. Other features include a mass measuring system that balances the quantity of slimes to be leached to the desired final solution concentration based on initial feed concentrations. The end result was a more efficient and controllable leaching process for removing copper from anode slimes.IntroductionThe electrolytic refining of copper consists of an electrolytic cell filled with a sulfiiric acid based electrolyte and pairs of copper anodes and cathodes. When a current is applied, copper in the anode dissolves and is plated onto the cathode. Impurities within the anode that are more noble than copper do not dissolve and end up at the bottom of the cell and are referred to as slimes. Gold and silver are the main slimes constituents of interest because of their monetary value, but there typically are significant quantities of selenium, tellurium, lead, antimony, arsenic, bismuth, nickel, silica and tin. Copper is also present, usually as a metallic or as a reactant with tellurium, selenium, oxygen or sulfur and can range from 10 to 30% of the slimes fall."

Jan 1, 2012

By Ajay K. Singh

The surface quality demands for galvanized and galvannealed steel sheets by the automotive and appliance industries have been getting increasingly stringent over the past few years. Intensive efforts by Hot-Dip-Galvanizers to meet these demands have resulted in substantial improvement to the hot dip coating process. However, elimination of zinc bath contaminants which directly affect the coated strip surface quality continues to remain a tough challenge. As part of our effort to improve the zinc bath cleanliness, Inland Steel Company has developed a test method to quantitatively measure the contaminants in incoming zinc spelters and establish a specification for incoming zinc quality. The test is currently being used for auditing the incoming zinc quality. The zinc suppliers are also using this test for quality control purposes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the test method and how it has improved the galvanizing operation at Inland.

Jan 1, 1992

By M. Save, N. Menad

"This paper gives the overview of different alternatives to recycle the following wastes: slag, dusts, wastes of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) and auto shredder residues (ASR). Based on modified Bogue calculations, steelmaking slags were combined in order to produce a belite-rich clinker activated with sulphoaluminate. The EAF dusts containing significant amount of metals can be recycled in different ways: The carbothermal treatment and INTECT process are reported. The results obtained from the model of Auto Shredder Residue injection into blast furnace show that ASR can be used as reducing agent in the BF process if certain conditions are met. The particle size of this material must be controlled to ensure optimal gasification of the material in raceway. The non-ferrous contents may affect the pig iron quality, which is difficult to rectify at a later point. It seems the pyrolysis is the most attractive process to handle ASR. The BRGM flow sheet of WEEE treatment is also reported.I. Introduction The activities of human been may generate wastes and by their accumulation during several years, these wastes may have an impact on the environment and on the human health. These wastes can be generated in the forms of solid, liquid and gas. A variety of industrial wastes can be recycled for use as products. There are three ways in which industrial waste recycling occurs: at the facility itself (on-site recycling), at commercial facilities that gather waste streams from several companies (off-site recycling), and at a company that uses as inputs in its production process the waste products of another company. The industries producing iron and steel may generate different solid wastes which are classified in three main categories: 1. Ferrous material (mainly dusts and sludges from gas cleaning), 2. Slags (these by-products are generated from different process stages), 3. Others by-products (including refractories and material generated from engineering activities). According to this review, the most quantity of the metallurgical wastes is deposed. Currently, the public opinion opposes the creation of new sites. This leads to the growth of the waste disposal costs. Such situation reduces the enterprise competitiveness and decreases their market share on regional and/or national and/or world scales. In these conditions, the economical activities can be decreased leading probably to social problems. The problem of wastes and/or by-products can be treated on three levels:"

Jan 1, 2008

By G. Nazari

ERAMET, through its subsidiary COMILOG, have rights to a rich niobium and rare earth deposit inGabon. The Mabounié deposit, is located 50 kmfromthe town of Lambaréné, in a fairly remote location. ERAMET has been developing a process to recover value metals for several years, and approached Hatch Ltd. to design a sizeable Demonstration Plant to help them further optimize the process, and prove the flowsheet is technically viable. The process employs concentration techniques to recover an upgraded Nb/REE feed material for processing in the subsequent leach step. Rare earths and niobium are selectively leached, and subsequently precipitated. Following precipitation, rare earths undergo bulk separation and are purified to produce LRE and mixed MRE/HRE products, which will be further processed by Third Parties. This paper provides a high-level overview of the process, summarizes the motivation for a Demonstration Plant in the vicinity of the deposit, and discusses technical challenges faced during the flowsheet definition and design phase. Key challenges are focused on and summaries of the methodologies used to address each challenge, as well as the solutions to overcome the challenges, are discussed. The paper provides motivation for further process simplification and concludes with a project update.