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By Mototsugu Matsuno

A new process has been developed to treat fly ash generated from municipal incinerators, which contains not only toxic metals such as lead and cadmium, but also dioxins. The process includes the following steps; fly ash is formed into green pellets with some additives and the pellets are then roasted to eliminate or stabilize the toxic metals and to decompose dioxins. A pilot plant with a capacity of approximately 100 kg/hr was used to test the process, The tests verified that heavy metals were either volatilized or stabilized and dioxins were decomposed by high-temperature roasting. The pelletized ash was found to be non-toxic, so that it can be recycled as artificial lightweight aggregate. It was also found that volatilized metals collected as secondary ash can be recycled as smelting resources.

Jan 1, 2003

By Guoqiang Lv, Xi Yang, Wenhui Ma

Cast multicrystalline silicon ingots are widely used in photovoltaic manufacturing. A key issue to achieve high solar cell efficiencies is to attain an optimized temperature field during directional solidification (DS) process. This paper reports numerical investigation of multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) ingot production using two major types of DS furnace. Specific examination is made on thermal distribution, interface shape and stress field. Evaluation is performed for the applicability of thermal system design to reduce thermal stress, improve crystal quality and enhance energy efficiency. The effects of procedure parameters and geometric configuration on temperature distribution are discussed as well to provide the viable solutions for systems optimization.

Jan 1, 2015

By N. Y. Ma

Solid wastes produced in ironmaking and steelmaking off-gas cleaning systems often contain zinc. The zinc level in these solid wastes is generally too high to recycle the wastes for iron through blast furnaces, but too low to economically treat the wastes for zinc through zincrecovery facilities. The behavior, status, and distribution of zinc in the ironmaking and steelmaking off-gas cleaning systems have been analyzed from three aspects: thermodynamics of zinc condensation, oxidation and deposition, correlation of zinc concentration with particle size and density, and aerodynamics of dust particles in the off-gas cleaning systems. Theory and supporting data show that spontaneous separation of zinc from iron-bearing dust occurs in the ironmaking and steelmaking off-gas cleaning systems. Dry off-gas cleaning systems provide the most favorable conditions and environments for zinc to separate from the dust. If highefficiency dry separators were applied and appropriately arranged in the off-gas cleaning systems, zinc would be concentrated, and the majority of the solid wastes could be recycled for iron recovery through blast furnaces.

Jan 1, 2008

By Lan Li, Izaak Williamson

"The efficient separation and storage of CO2 from power plant flue gases can reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere and mitigate global warming. Potential candidates for industrial applications are solid sorbent materials. Crucial factors to control the efficiency of porous sorbent materials include the framework and pore structure, and the chemical and physical reactivity of CO2 within the pores. Computational modeling approaches, based on density functional theory (DFT) and van der Waals-DFT, have been applied to nanoporous solid – manganese dioxide a-MnO2. We found that the types and charges of cations as dopants in the a-MnO2 and the concentration of CO2 influence the structural features of a-MnO2, which control its CO2 selectivity performance within the flue gases.IntroductionCarbon capture and storage is a technique to separate large quantities of CO2 from power plant flue gases before being released into the atmosphere. Porous solids are a potential candidate as sorbents to “trap” CO2 through chemical or physical adsorption on their porous surfaces[1]. Such separation efficiency is determined by the size and shape of its pores and by the interaction between the porous surface and the gas adsorbates. The incorporation of cations into the pore can act as a means of structural support and alter the pore diameter to be comparable to the kinetic diameter of the gas adsorbate, such as CO2.A porous solid of particular interest for CCS is manganese dioxide a-MnO2, an octahedral molecular sieve (OMS) composed of edge-sharing MnO6 octahedra that are linked into a nanoporous framework[2]. The framework consists of (1×1) and (2×2) tunnels, referred to as OMS-2. Due to the larger tunnel size, cations and gas adsorbates prefer to reside along the (2×2) tunnel axis of the OMS-2. As seen in Figure 1, a potassium cation K+ is located in the (2×2) tunnel, known as cryptomelane-type MnO2. Its pore diameter of ~ 4.6 Å gives it a good CO2 selectivity performance, because the diameter is comparable to the kinetic diameter of 3.3 Å for CO2[3]. Alternatively, replacing potassium K+ with other cations, e.g. barium Ba2+, sodium Na+ or lithium Li+, in the OMS-2 tunnel is of great research interest, due to the effects of their concentrations, types and charges on the CO2 selectivity efficiency and sorption hysteresis phenomenon[2,4]."

Jan 1, 2014

By J. A. Eisele

There is currently much interest in how extraction of gold and silver from ores with acidic thiourea solution compares with extraction using alkaline cyanide solution. Agitation leaching tests were performed by the Bureau of Mines on 14 precious metal ores using sodium cyanide (?NaCN) and thiourea [(NH2)2CS) as extractants. The objective was to compare the results of the two extractants. NaCN was used at a concentration of 2 g/L with and without H202 as an oxidant. (NH2)2CS was used at concentrations of 2 and 20 gjL, and the solution potential was controlled at 390 to 420 mV standard hydrogen electrode (Eh) with Fe2(S04)3. With both reagents a.t 2 g/L extractant levels, NaCN extracted more gold and silver than (NH2liCS from all of the ores. At 20 g/L (NH2)2CS compared with 2 g/L NaCN, (NH2)2CS extracted more gold than NaCN from two ores, the same amount from one ore, and more silver from one ore. NaCN extracted more gold than (NH2 )2CS from 10 ores and more silver from 4 ores.

Jan 1, 1989

By Susanne Pignolet-Brandom

Fourteen samples of crushed Duluth Complex rock were characterized by the QEM?SEM automated scanning electron microscope image analysis system to evaluate the application of the system to mining waste rock characterization. The system can reliably distinguish the iron sulfides, the copper-iron sulfides and the nickel-iron sulfides. Calcite was distinguished from all other minerals except fluorite. The volumetric abundances were verified by comparing elemental abundances calculated using the QEM"SEM volumetric percentages and appropriate mineral compositions with elemental abundances determined by standard laboratory procedure. The pH and sulfate concentrations of rinse water from laboratory leach experiments correlated well with the mineralogical data.

Jan 1, 1989

By Neng-Wen Yu, Shau-Jun Zhu, Ji-He Wei

The desulfurization process by powder injection and blowing in the RH refining of molten steel and its mechanism have been considered and analyzed. Based on the two-resistance mass transfer theory and the mass balance of sulfur in the system, a kinetic model for the process has been developed. The related parameters of the model, including the mass transfer coefficients and the effective amount of powder in the molten steel being treated for desulfurization, have been more reasonably determined. Modeling and predictions of the process of injecting and blowing the lime-based powder flux under assumed operating modes with the different initial contents of sulfur and amounts of powder injected and blown in a RH degasser of 300 t capacity have been carried out using the model. The relevant circulation rate of the liquid steel and the powder injection and blowing rate were taken to be 100 t/min and 150 kg/min, respectively. The initial contents of sulfur in the liquid steel to be treated and the amounts of powder injection and blowing were respectively assumed to be 0.007, 0.006, 0.005, 0.004, 0.003, 0.002 mass-% and 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 kg/t-steel. The total treatment time for desulfurization under each mode was set up at 24 min, equivalent to eight circulation cycles of the liquid steel to be treated. The results indicated that the predictions made with this model are in good agreement with some data of the industrial experiments and practice. Injecting and blowing the lime-based powder flux with the composition of 85 mass-% lime (CaO) + 15 mass-% fluorspar (CaF2) of 3-5 kg/t-steel, it is possible to decrease the sulfur content in the molten steel to ultralow level below (5-10)x10·4 mass-% from (60-80)x 10·4 mass-%. The total treatment time needed will appropriately be 12-20 min. Intensifying the powder injection and blowing operation and increasing the circulation rate of the liquid steel may effectively' raise the rate of the process in RH refining. The model may be expected to offer some useful information and a reliable basis for determining the reasonable process parameters and help in optimizing the technology of desulfurization by powder injection and blowing in the RH refining of molten steel.

Jan 1, 2000

By Gervais Soucy, François Quesnel, Pierre Hovington, Wen Zhu, Karim Zaghib, Jocelyn Veilleux

The properties of lithium titanates anodes in Li-ion batteries are highly dependent on their secondary constituents. While their main phase is usually constituted of Li4Ti5O12, significant quantity of lithium titanates compounds of various stoichiometry are often present, due to either the processing, usage or aging of the material. These may go underreported, as many of these spectrums overlap or display low signal in X-ray diffraction (XRD). Samples of nanosized lithium titanates synthetized by inductive plasma were characterized by XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as they provide a regular yet typical crystallite size and shape including multiple phases. A Rietveld refinement was developed to extract the composition of these samples. Mass balance through further annealing and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) enthalpy measurements from phase transformations were also used as identification and validation techniques.

Jan 1, 2015

By Michael J. Nicol

Growing environmental and occupational safety concerns about the use of cyanide in gold processing has increased the interest in more acceptable alternatives. The most likely of these is thiosulfate. However, the thiosulfate process lacks a proven in-pulp method of recovering the dissolved gold, because activated carbon is not effective for the absorption of the gold thiosulfate complex .. Anion exchange resins do offer a possible route for in-pulp recovery. This paper describes work aimed at the evaluation of the effectiveness of commercially available anion exchange resins for the recovery of gold from thiosulfate leach liquors? and pulps. It has been found that strong-base resins are superior to weak-base resins in that they have a larger capacity, which assists in reducing the competition from other anions within a leach solution. Further studies with a selected commercial strong-base resin have shown that competing polythionateanions (particularly tri-and tetrathionate). Lower the maximum possible gold loading but that gold is selectively recovered over other base metal anions in solution. Kinetic experiments found that while? competilig anibns did not affect the initial rate? of gold loading it was important to minimise the contact time of the resin in solution so to prevent displacement of loaded gold by competing anions over longer times. A small-scale resin-in-pulp plant investigation showed gold can be recovered from a leach pulp by a strong-base resin to yield gold loadings of 3000 mg/L, barren pulp containing less than 0.05 mg/L of dissolved gold and. copper loadings of 500 mg/L. Loaded copper was displaced gold and at a loading of 2000 mg/L gold the copper loading was minimal «500 mg/L). The resin was found to recover gold adsorbed on the solids that would, otherwise have. reported to tails if a solid/liquid separation method were used. A patented two-step elution process in which copper and then gold are separately eluted from the resin is also discussed.

Jan 1, 1998

By Bora Derin

This work deals with the recovery of valuable metals from the ancient copper smelting slags located in Küre-Turkey. In this process, copper and cobalt were recovered in metallic form and/or as their compounds, whereas iron was recovered as magnetic oxide or pigment. Abrasive grit material was produced using reduced final slag. The process stages involved carbothermal reduction in a DC arc furnace, granulation, leaching, chemical precipitation, selective sulfidizing roasting and product preparations. In this paper, the process stages were described as theoretically and experimentally whereas slag and products were characterized in detail.

Jan 1, 2003

By John M. Gaines

Lead concentrates from the Viburnum Trend in Southeast Missouri are sintered, prior to smelting, to bind the particles together, homogenize the feed, and reduce the sulfur content. About 20% of the sinter at some plants is classified as bad sinter. A total of 130 samples of good and bad sinters were studied by reflected light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive analysis, and electron microprobe analysis to characterize their differences in mineralogy and textures. Good sinters consist predominantly of hardysonite, franklinite, lead silicate matrix, and large crystals of calcium-magnesium-iron silicate, together with minor amounts of lead oxides, lead-zinc silicate, metallic lead, specular hematite, magnetite, lead-iron-bearing zincite, and zinc-lead-magnesium-bearing wustite in a tightly intergrown mesh of crystals and with an evenly distributed porosity of about 15-20%. Bad sinters contain larger amounts of lead silicate matrix, galena, metallic lead, and lead oxides, but smaller amounts of hardysonite, franklinite, and calcium-magnesium-iron silicate, lack intimate intergrowth of the phases, and have lower (0-5%) and unevenly distributed porosity.

Jan 1, 1992

By Richard W. Lawrence

Leaching of copper from sulfide minerals using biooxidation offers a potential route for copper recovery. Oxidation of . sulfide sulfur can proceed either; to sulfate or to elemental sulfur depending on mineralogy and process conditions. The advances in commercial application of biooxidation for sulfidic gold ores has made available operating and cost data which allow the derivation of conceptual costs for copper ore processing for comparison with conventional processing routes. Although costs for copper biooxidation generally remain high relative to conventional smelting, application might be competitive in specific cases. Biooxidation becomes more competitive in the general case if the cost ofS02 emissions in pyrometallurgical processing were to be internalized to a greater degree than currently required. This paper describes the technical aspects of biological processing of copper sulfide ores and concentrates, specifically with respect to the fate of sulfur. The environmental and economic implications of the biooxidation route are discussed in relation to conventional processing.

Jan 1, 1996

By E. C. T. Chao

Micro-optical and synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) techniques have been used to study unoxidized and oxidized samples of Carlintype sedimentar,y rock-hosted disseminated gold ore. In these samples, Where much of the gold is submicroscopic, the SXRF technique, which has a spatial resolution of about 20 ~m and a minimum detection limit (MDL) in the ppm range, is an ideal and necessary tool for precisely locating gold-rich areas in a sample. Gold-rich areas pinpointed by SXRF were later studied in detail by micro-optical methods, principally optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX). In two unoxidized and one oxidized ore samples, SXRF analyses have shown gold to be present predominantly in discrete clay-rich and silicified areas. Gold was not detected by SXRF in association with pyrite or carbonaceous materials. SEM-EDX examination of the gold-bearing areas in the unoxidized samples succeeded in identifying only two free gold particles, 0.2 and 0.5 ~m in size. In the oxidized sample, gold particles appear to be larger (but still submicroscopic) in average size and more evident in micro-optical examination after SXRF location of goldbearing areas. The findings of these studies may help to improve the efficiency of processing and recovery of gold from unoxidized ores.

Jan 1, 1987

By J. H. Meza V

La Caridad operated at only 65% of design capacity during the first five years of operation. After the first major shutdown and repairs to the furnace in mid- 1992, the smelter quickly reached 95% of design capacity. Converter operation is now more efficient; blowing times have decreased from about 1.7 to 1.2 min/ton of matte. Anode copper production is now 15000 tons/month. The increased efficiency provided by better coordination and scheduling ensures La Caridad's ability to operate at present and expanded production capacity while simultaneously meeting environmental control standards.

Jan 1, 1993

By Z. Zhang, Zongshu Zou, Nan Wang

"Thermodynamic calculation is applied to make an investigation on the equilibrium phase relations and liquids of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-FeOx system for different temperatures. The calculated results with FactSage6.1 show that the effect of temperature on the the equilibrium phase relations and liquidus of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-FeOx system and its sub-systems is appreciable. The liquid phase regions enlarge with increasing temperature from 1573K to 1873K, while the primary phase fields reduce distinctly.IntroductionThe main oxide components of vitrified bottom ash slag are CaO, Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, and Na2O, accounting for more than 90% of the bottom ash by weight[1]. During slag processing, the knowledge of thermodynamic properties and liquidus temperature in the related slag systems is highly required [2, 3], which is not yet available. Through literature survey [4-6], it is clear that the systematic information on the concerned complex slag system is scarce. So far the engineers in the field have to make assumptions of the thermodynamic properties of the simplified oxide system, without taking into consideration the interactions of the different oxide components, which hinders the development of the slag valorization and utilization. In order to provide thermodynamic properties for the application of the vitrified bottom ash, the six-component oxide system (CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-FeOx-Na2O) is highly required. A preliminary phase diagram of the CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-FeOx-Na2O system can be obtained from extrapolation of the thermodynamic functions of constituent subsystems such as CaO-SiO2-FeOx-MgO, CaO-SiO2-FeOx-Al2O3, CaO-SiO2-Na2O-MgO and CaO-SiO2-Na2O-Al2O3. In this work, the equilibrium phase relation and liquidus of CaO-SiO2-FeOx-Al2O3 system, one subsystem of the concerned complex slag system, are calculated and the effect of temperature is also discussed."

Jan 1, 2012

By Duclerc Fernandes Parra, Luis Filipe Carvalho Pedroso de Lima, Washington Luiz Oliani, Danilo Marin Fermino, Ademar Benevolo Lugao

The modified polypropylene was obtained from isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in spheres by irradiation with gamma rays in the presence of acetylene. A new morphology with distinct rheology is obtained by this process in which occurs: degradation, branching and/or crosslinking. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of thermal aging on the crystallinity and morphology of the modified polypropylene, High Melt Strength Polypropylene (HMS-PP). The thermal stability was evaluated after aging of samples using a stove at temperature of 90 °C, in presence of air at different periods of time. Aging effects were characterized by: Thermogravimetry analysis (TG), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In thermooxidative conditions, the formation of oxidation products essentially involves a hydrogen abstraction by the peroxyl radical, leading to hydroperoxides as primary products and chemical degradation in the immediate crack tips. The effect of thermal degradation (chain scission and oxygen diffusion) on iPP was a more intense crack formation. Surface cracks increased with the aging time. In comparison of iPP, the modified PP samples had a morphological barrier inhibiting the penetration of oxygen into the sample and in consequence limit the propagation of degradation

Jan 1, 2015

By B. Erik Ydstie, Dimitrios I. Gerogiorgis, Sridhar S. Seetharaman

"Carbothermic production of aluminium is an important alternative to electrolytic processes and has in fact been identified several decades ago as a potentially feasible and profitable process. The cornerstone principle is to take advantage of the endothermic reduction reaction between carbon and alumina instead of resorting to extreme amounts of electric energy to ionize and reduce aluminium oxide to aluminium. Electric energy is necessary only for heating purposes.The present study focuses on constructing and solving a steady-state electrothermic model for obtaining the spatial distributions for electric potential, electric field intensity and temperature. The complex issues of reaction kinetics and multiphase flow are handled by an approximation and are not addressed at the present stage, due to the lack of complete validated models. Because of its inherent complexity, the reaction slag is considered a pseudohomogeneous layer.An electrothermic simulation encompasses important research challenges, due to the limited knowledge of thermophysical properties for high-temperature multi component molten slags. Therefore, thermophysical property modeling and a systematic compilation of published data is a necessary and major first step towards enhancing understanding of the process fundamentals. Models are obtained by analyzing measurement data from numerous literature references for the density, viscosity, thermal and electrical conductivity and specific heat capacity of the slag.The electric potential, field intensity and temperature distributions obtained reveal interesting maxima which indicate localized superheating and lead to important engineering conclusions. The temperature profile calculated will serve as the foundation for the flow problem solution. This computational study will form a basis for future research towards combining the scopes of microscale CFD modeling and mesoscale process modeling into a unified modeling approach."

Jan 1, 2001

The reported values of the standard reduction potentials of the Au(NH3)2+/Au(0) and Au(S2O3)23-/Au(0) couples are reviewed to emphasise the experimental difficulties associated with the measurement of reliable values for these quantities. The standard reduction potential for Ag(I)/Ag(0) in ammonia and thiosulphate solutions measured at ionic strength 0.1 and 25oCis used to predict the following relevant stability constants () for gold complexes based on the linear free energy correlations: Au(NH3)2+2 = 1013, Au(S2O3)23-2 = 1024 and Au(NH3)43+4 = 1033. The equilibrium constant ( 10-11) for the reaction Au(S2O3)23- + 2NH3 = Au(NH3)2+ + 2S2O32- based on these stability constants is in reasonable agreement with the measured value (10-9) based on potentiometric and spectroscopic data when excess ammonia was added to a solution of Na3Au(S2O3)2. This also indicates that the stability constant of Au(NH3)2+ is 9 to11 orders of magnitude less than that of Au(S2O3)23-. Relevant species distribution and Eh-pH diagrams based on the revised data are presented.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. A. R. Kay

Phase stability diagrams are used to predict the abilities of lanthanum and cerium oxides to desulfurize coal gasification products in the temperature range 800-1000 C. Results of desulfurization studies in laboratory fixed bed reactors illustrate the effects of i) sorbent preparation, ii) input gas quality and iii) temperature, on the desulfurization reaction. 2CeO(2-x)(s) + H2S(g) + (1-2x)H2 = Ce2O2S(s) + 2(1x)H2O(g) The results of desulfurization/oxidation regeneration cycles are also reported.

Jan 1, 1989

By Richard D. Hangi

Process mineralogy techniques are uniquely applicable to industrial problems related to the extractive metallurgy of nickel, cobalt, and associated metals. Reflected 1ight microscopy, together with selected determinations by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrographic analysis and electron probe microanalysis, provides the means to identify the ore minerals cobalt and nickel ores, determine the abundance of each ore mineral, assess the extent of intergrowth between the cobalt and nickel minerals and other ore and gangue minerals in the ores and concentrates, and predict the potential success of cobalt and nickel extraction by grinding, flotation, pyrometallurgical, and hydrometallurgical treatments. In addition, the extent of locking of the cobalt and nickel minerals with each other and with the gangue minerals can be directly observed by reflected light microscopy. Where ores have been treated by hydrometallurgical procedures, reflected light microscopy can serve to determine the causes of excessive leach consumption. Finally, the partitioning of cobalt and nickel between high-temperature synthetic phases produced by pyrometallurgical treatment can be precisely determined by process mineralogy techniques. Case histories from cobalt and nickel deposits illustrate the value of applied mineralogical techniques in the study of cobalt and nickel ores, beneficiation, hydrometallurgial, and pyrometallurgical products.

Jan 1, 1993