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By Gary K. Elliott

Many industrial processes generate hot waste gases which contain particulate pollutants. Conventional clean-up techniques suffer limitations either because collection efficiency is low or because the gas must be cooled before treatment. thereby increasing costs and preventing energy recovery. The application of increasingly stringent environmental legislation to the non- ferrous metallurgical industry Is presently illustrating these conventional technology limitations. Low density ceramic media allow filtration to take place at high temperatures and are now rapidly becoming accepted in many industries. This paper reviews experiences with a proprietary low density ceramic filter element, Cerafill. It includes consideration of the structure, composition. typical operating and case studies with particular reference to non-ferrous metallurgical furnace applications.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. Cullaj

During a period of 15 years the metallurgical and chemical complex of Elbasan containing more than 15 principal plants, producing cast-iron, steel, coke, nickel carbonate, nickel, cobalt, chromium and other products, discharged into air, river water and soil an extensive amount of hazardous wastes containing high toxic substances. A monitoring study for the levels of heavy metals in soils nearby the former plant is carried out for the first time. Very high levels (total and extractable) of contaminants such as nickel, cobalt and chromium are found in samples taken from a relatively vast territory including the city of Elbasan, situated 8 kilometres far from the plant. The most polluted samples present a total content of 1211.8 ? 2949.6 mg/kg Ni, 97.0 ? 181.2 mg/kg Co and 1358.7 ? 4130 mg/kg Cr. These levels exceed several times the phytotoxic thresholds and present a potential hazard for the inhabitants. This study, as part of a bigger multinational project on solid decontamination, will also serve to the possible application of the new phytoremediation and phytoextraction technologies, being developed in parallel in this project.

Jan 1, 2006

By Mitsuru Tanahashi

In order to develop an effective process for the production of from metallurgical-grade one (MG-Si), the oxidation removal of boron from molten MG-Si was investigated at a solar-grade silicon (SOG-Si) 1773K by the following two CaO-saturated CaO-CaF2 flux treatment processes. I) Boron removal by flux addition onto the molten M6-8 followed by oxygen gas injection into the melt (Two-stage connecting process). II) Boron removal by simultaneous injection of flux powders and oxygen gas into the molten MG-Si (Simultaneous injection process). These processes can establish the special condition of both high basicity of the flux and the high oxygen partial pressure at the boron removal reaction sites. Through these processes, especially by the simultaneous injection Process using a flux powder injection equipment, the boron content in MG-Si can be efficiently reduced. The obtained results clarified that both processes should be conducted for a time period as short as possible by using as much flux as possible. By repeating the simultaneous injection process for 60 s three times under the optimum operating conditions determined in the present study, the boron content in MG-Si can be reduced from 14 to 4.7 mass ppm.

Jan 1, 2003

By C. Koopman

During the production of phosphoric acid from phosphate ore and sulfuric acid, large amounts of calcium sulfate are formed, in which impurities from the feedstock are incorporated. To use the calcium sulfate in, for example, the building industry, a lower concentration of impurities is desired. Mercury, copper, lead, and cadmium were extracted from clear industrial recrystallization acid (0.8-3.9 mol/kg H3PO4, 0.2-0:5 mol/kg H2SO4) by supported solvent extraction with the extracting agent Cyanex 302 in kerosene in a transverse flow hollow fiber module. The permeability for the mercury ion was 1.4.10-6 m/s, whereas that for the copper ion was calculated to be 1.5.10 m/s. Cadmium, lead, and copper were extracted during the recrystallization of calcium sulfate hemihydrate to dihydrate, an existing step within the ,phosphoric acid production process, by solvent extraction with the same extracting agent. The concentrations of cadmium and zinc in the newly formed calcium sulfate were proven to be decreased. Unfortunately, concentrations of mercury and lead were too low for analysis.

Jan 1, 1999

By J. Alberto Vázquez M.

A sensor employing yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was used to determine the oxygen activity of molten copper at laboratory scale at temperatures of 1200° and 1300 dc. The reference electrode was a Ni-NiO mixture. The amount of the deoxidizing agent (CU3P) ranged from I to 3% of the mass of copper. Thermodynamic analysis of the Cu-O-P liquid system was carried out to predict the required deoxidizing agent and the final composition of the molten copper. Both results, calculated and experimental, show that the oxygen removal is more efficient at lower temperatures. The kinetics of the deoxidizing reaction is very fast in the first minutes of the treatment. A metalography analysis of rapid cooled samples show the oxygen and phosphorus distribution

Jan 1, 2003

By Alexandre Chagnes

The extraction properties of two synthesized cationic exchangers, i.e. bis (1,3-dibutoxypropan-2-yl) phosphoric acid (BiDiBoPP) and bis(1,3-diisobutoxypropan- 2-yl) phosphoric acid (IPA), have been studied for the liquid-liquid extraction of Co(II), Ni(II) and Mn(II) contained in 1 M HCl. A comparison of the extraction properties of these extractants diluted in kerosene with Cyanex® 272 shows BiDiBoPP and IPA extract advantageously at lower pH than Cyanex® 272 and a better Co(II)-Mn(II) separation is achieved using BiDiBoPP or IPA than with Cyanex® 272.

By R. David Prengaman

During the past several years a new insoluble lead anode has been developed for copper electrowinning. The new anode consists of a rolled lead-calcium-tin alloy sheet attached to a slotted copper bus bar by a soldering process which produces a complete metallurgical bond between bar and sheet. The metallurgical bond greatly reduces the resistance between the bus bar and the lead sheet and the high conductivity does not deteriorate during the life of the anode. The rolled anode thins uniformly and does not suffer preferential grain boundary or internal corrosion commonly seen in cast anodes. The lead-calcium alloy containing a high tin content corrodes slowly because the rolling process produces a uniform, fine grained structure. The wrought product is very strong and ductile; and contains no internal defects, segregation, cracks, or pores which can reduce the life of the anode. Because the anodes corrode uniformly, a high percentage of the anode thickness can be utilized thus extending the life of the wrought anodes. The anode alloy composition which is stable only in wrought form, produces exceptional resistance to passivation during current interruptions. First introduced into liberator cells, the new electrowinning anodes have been specified as the anodes of choice for every new SX-EW tankhouse constructed in the last two years. This paper describes the new anode, its method of construction, service history, and how it differs from present copper electrowinning anodes.

Jan 1, 1987

By Hartmut Rossel

VAW aluminium AG has built a "Recycling-Technikum" (Recycling Research Centre) to add a new arm to the company's Corporate Research and Development Department. The Recycling Research Centre, a pilot plant for scientific research, has been in operation since September 1993. These state-of-the-art facilities allow the investigation and optimisation of recycling techniques in 'a global way and in detail. Research is concentrated on the unit operations - processing, melting and waste-gas purification - with the available installations making it possible to compare different alternative process combinations on a 100-kg scale. One of the main targets of VAW research is the development of recycling techniques for packaging. The paper presents an approach to recover the aluminium contained in flexible packaging materials using an integrated melting and waste-gas purification system.

Jan 1, 1995

By Jose Luis Lopez Mendez

In May 1992, MEXICANA DE CANANEA, S.A. DE C.V. finalized the life of its Reverberatory Furnace which lasted 16 years. This created the need to prepare the Smelter for the next campaign.

Jan 1, 1994

By Jiang Diao, Yong Qiao, Xuan Liu, Tao Zhang, Bing Xie

The equilibrium experiments between the FeO-SiO2-MnO-TiO2-V2O3-Cr2O3-MgO slag system and solid pure iron were performed to investigate the vanadium and chromium distribution ratio under Ar atmosphere. The influence of w(FeO), w(V2O3) and w(Cr2O3) in slag on vanadium and chromium distribution ratios were studied at 1653 K. The experimental results were compared with calculated distribution ratios based on molecule and ions coexistence theory. Both of them showed that higher FeO content in slag would improve the distribution ratios of V and Cr between slag and hot metal. The distribution ratio of Cr or V increased with the increase of Cr2O3 or V2O3 content, respectively. To optimize the oxidation of V and Cr from hot metal, a high oxidizing slag and suitable content of Cr2O3 and V2O3 in the slag were recommended. The results provided reference for the further study on the extraction of V and Cr in VTi magnetite.

Jan 1, 2016

By Zhang Yongzhu

The metallogeneticy and mineralogy of three types of Chinese refractory gold deposits (Au-As; Au-As-MeS; Au-As-C) which are somewhat different from those abroad are discussed. The modes of occurrence, the distribution of grain size, and the morphological features of gold in minerals and their influences on gold recovery by direct cyanidation are also discussed. According to the mineralogy of gold and minerals, bacterial leaching, pressure leaching and roasting technology are suitable for the pretreatment of arsenopyrite-Au, pyrite-Au and carbonaceous-clay-Au refractory gold ores prior to cyanidation, respectively. The most important sulfide pyrite bearing much gold is difficult to be oxidized, its crystalline structure, conduct-types , and minor elements in different mineralizing stages are also discussed. The pyrite aggregates in different deposits are very complicated and much different. Gold grade of arsenopyrite is much higher than that of pyrite for some deposits which have a high correlation coefficient of Au vs As.

Jan 1, 1992

By Gervais Soucy

During mineral and industrial processing, contaminated wastewater can be generated such as cyanide liquors (free species or in complex form). This paper presents the treatment of cyanide solution derived from the aluminum industry, by direct contact of the solution with thermal plasma in a novel reactor. The reacation energy is provided by a plasma submerged in solution which allows direct contact between the plasma and the solution to be treated. The scope of this' study was to determine the feasibility of treating free and complex cyanides in solution through mini-pilot scale operations. An innovative reactor was designed and fabricated to provide stable: process operating conditions. Many parameters were studied. These experiments permitted the evaluation of the kinetics of complex cyanides decomposition under thermal plasma conditions. At atmospheric pressure (temperature about 100°C), the rate of cyanide decomposition by thermal plasma was 12 times greater than that of thermal hydrolysis in a plug flow reactor et the same temperature. The improvements in the decomposition rates are attributed to high thermal gradients at the plasma liquid interface and photocatalysis induced by the plasma UV radiation.

Jan 1, 1998

By Neale R. Neelameggham

"Ferrous and non-ferrous metal industries are used to handling several billion tons a year of ore bodies, fuel and fluxing agents by mineral processing techniques and varieties of extractive metallurgy ""Reduction"" processes. Metal industry know-how can be applied to meet the challenge of Reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. Processes for generating alloys of carbon and hydrogen by Reducing the CO2 and water mixture, [carbonated water or water vapor] called Soda, to easily stored fuels are normally endothermic. The processes are similar to generation of hydrogen alone from water which is also endothermic. But hydrogen is more difficult to store than compounds [or alloys] of carbon and hydrogen. This recycling of CO2 and water are possible by using other forms of energy by innovative carbon capture methods.Thermodynamic Diagrams developed for Soda [CO2 and H2O] - metal reactions provide hints for using low cost unused stored energy in un-recycled metallic waste for thermal conversion. Choices for conditions for the electrochemical approaches [using solar - wind - hydropower] are also discussed.INTRODUCTIONIn 2006, I was reading some of the arguments put forth by learned scientists on the benefits and lack of benefits of bio-fuels. I found that the arguments rose partly from the differing system boundaries that were chosen by one versus the other. Some part of the argument may have been based on political climate or atmosphere rather than the analytical science. This situation is seen when scientists discuss which came first - the chicken or the egg, the fuel or biological matter, the oxide or the element, and so on.Then I thought –[just like many of the learned persons participating in this symposium] that common fuels - regardless of them being simple hydrocarbons or oxygenated hydrocarbons or carbohydrates - can all be made from the respective oxides of carbon and hydrogen by simple chemical reductions efficiently carried out in an economical fashion. This is the systematic approach we take when designing a chemical or metallurgical process facility."

Jan 1, 2008

By Tracie Zoeller, G. Paul Neitzel, Jr. Sanders

"As-cast aluminum alloy microstructures are highly segregated. Coring occurs when solute is rejected during solidification resulting in a non-uniform solute distribution across the dendrite arms. Furthermore, coarse constituent phases are formed in the interdendritic channels as a result of coring. These constituents are either soluble or insoluble and can form from the major solute elements, or the impurity elements iron and silicon. The dissolution of these constituents, or precipitates, is an important consideration in determining the microstructural evolution of an alloy. The properties of an alloy are significantly affected by the morphology of the precipitates. Precipitates can be either beneficial or detrimental to the properties of the alloy. Regardless of the nature of the precipitates present, it is useful to understand the dissolution process. A diffusion-limited dissolution model for planar precipitates is presented and compared to an analytical solution and to models in the literature. Experimental data for the dissolution of AhCu precipitates in a dilute alloy are compared to the proposed model, and found to have good agreement.IntroductionDuring the processing of precipitation hardening alloys, beginning with the solidification step and ending with the final solution heat treatment step, there are a variety of particles that form. Some of these particles must be dissolved and solute redistributed and re-precipitated in a more homogeneous distribution than as it first appears in the as-cast microstructure. The particles can be classified by size as microstructure develops during processing. Coarse particles that form during solidification can either be soluble, partially soluble or insoluble. These particles can be the result of coring of the major solute elements as well as the limited solubility of elements such as iron and silicon. Iron and silicon can combine with the major solute elements such as copper in 2xxx alloys forming coarse phases often referred to as constituents. Figure l(a) shows the as cast microstructure with the constituent phases, Al2Cu and the insoluble phases containing Al-Fe-Mn-Cu-Si [7]. During preheating the soluble phases such as AhCu that were formed by eutectic decomposition must be taken back into solution, whereas the insoluble phases remain essentially unchanged by most thermal operations. Figure l(b) and (c) show some of these constituents after subsequent preheating steps. In Figure l(b), AhCu platelets are shown and in Figure l(c) the remnants of the AhCu phase are noticeable, along with Mn-bearing dispersoid phases. Reduction in the volume fraction and size of these phases improves the ductility and fracture toughness as well as reducing the inhomogeneities that occur during coring. Also adjacent to the dendrite arm boundaries are smaller AhCu phases that precipitate by a solid-state transformation on cooling to room temperature."

Jan 1, 2004

By M. Misra

The bacterium?Mvcobacterium Phlei has a demonstrated potential to be used for the flocculation of a variety of finely divided minerals. The microorganism possesses both hydrophobic surface and high negatively electrostatic charge. It can adhere to many mineral surfaces ?if the charge and hydrophobic interaction? between the microorganism and the minerals are favorable to adhesion. Experimental results showed that the dolomitic phosphate slime from Florida and fine hematite can be :readily flocculated from dilute suspension.. In the case of dolomitic phosphate slime, a consolidated sediment containing 24'-25 weight% :solids can be obtained from .a dilute slurry .in a short time. Sediments obtained from hematite flocculation are rather massive and more .consolidated than phosphate slime. Mycobacterium Phlei has a specificity for selective flocculation of hydrophobic fine coal particles from pyrite and ash containing minerals. Because of mutual hydrophobic interaction of coal and Mycobacterium Phlei, it was noticed that coal particles appear to be strongly held in the aggregate by adhesion or bridging of bacteria. However, Mycobacterium Phlei is not a good flocculant for either associated pyrite or ash present in coal.

Jan 1, 1991

By Nathaniel Arbiter

The first ammonia leaching plants, applied to copper carbonate and native copper tailings in 19 15, were followed more recently by research and development of flowsheets for ammonia leaching of sulfide concentrates. These were applied to two commercial plants. Anaconda's Arbiter Plant started up in 1974 with a design capacity of 36,000 tons/year of cathodes, to be produced by ammonia leaching with oxygen, followed by solvent extraction and electrowinning. The plant shutdown in late 1977 as a result of high maintenance and operating costs, partly due to harsh winters; to complications associated with sulfate disposal; and to changes in mineralogy. BHP's Coloso plant in Chile was designed to produce 80,000 tons/year of cathodes by leaching part of Escondida's concentrate production. Using a similar flowsheet but with air and low temperatures to avoid sulfate production, it started up in late 1994 and shutdown in mid-1998, after failing to reach cathode design capacity, and experiencing problems with its technology. The paper reviews the technologies and also alternative methods for overcoming the problems.

Jan 1, 1999

By Toshiaki Nakai, Kunihiko Takeda, Kimio Imaizumi, Hiroaki Shirasaka

"The new type of nano-porous silica particle was considered to be constructed by the spinodal decomposition-type process which was found to have narrower pores than those of conventional porous silica prepared from boron silicate or ""Shirasu"" balloon. Nano-porous silica particles were fabricated by the calcination of silica gel mixed with well-dispersed complex salts composed of phosphorous and molybdenum compounds. Both silica and inorganic salts were not perfectly dissolved in the suspension solution. After removing of the water, the silica-inorganic salts complex was volatized and successively calcinated at a temperature ranging from 650 °C to 800 °C. Then, the inorganic salts were removed by dissolving in hot water. Other inorganic salts such as potassium halides were also found to be effective as a pore-size controller.IntroductionControl of structure has an important role in the field of industry as well as in the separation and purification technology for metals and organic syntheses. Many studies on the control of material structures have been reported regarding porous materials with pores ranging from nanometer to micrometer scale. 1 ) One example is zeolite as a naturally yielded porous inorganic material. Various types of synthetic zeolites have been studied as ""molecular sieve"" materials with ordinary pore-size of less than one nanometer. In 1992, crystalline meso-porous material with a large surface area named MCM-41 was synthesized through the use of template synthesis. 2) In direct relation to our study, amorphous borate glass having 4 to 100 nm of fine pores known as Corning glass 3l or SiO2-Al2OrB2O 3-CaO porous glass having large pore dispersity ranging from 4 to 10,000 nm have been reported. 4 ) S) 6 ) Some examples of several reported studies are as follows: phase-separated porous glass consisting of B2OrAl2O3-ZrO2-RO-R2O complex oxide 7 ) glass with finer pore induced from hydrolysis of silane alkoxide, porous material attained by condensation polymerization through the use of sol-gel process 8), alumina meso-porous material 9 ) 10), silica-zirconia material 11), carbon porous material 12), etc.."

Jan 1, 2000

By Mingming Zhang, Ramana G. Reddy

"Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most common by-products produced during light metals production. It is considered to be the cause of greenhouse effects. Efficient reduction of CO2 can help minimize the rate of global warming and improving energy sufficiency. In this paper, a novel light metal production process was developed using ionic liquid electrolytes. This process has significant advantages compared to the traditional high temperature processes such as zero CO2 and CF4 emission, low energy consumption due to the low temperature operation and nonconsumable electrodes. Two types of anode materials (graphite, extruded carbon) were tested in electrolysis experiment. The results showed that both anode materials were stable (negligible weight loss). However, the extruded carbon was found to be superior to graphite in terms of current density and current efficiency. The calculated energy consumption for aluminum production was less than 10 kWh/kg at current densities up to 300 A/m2.IntroductionGlobal demand for ultra-light, ultra-strong, recyclable metals is growing as the world switches to low-emission vehicles, energy-saving devices and sustainable products. Aluminum demand is forecast to climb by 30 percent; magnesium demand by 200 percent, while for the emerging industrial light metal, titanium, the demand is expected to be at least double in the next decade. However smelting of light metals is the most energy intensive among all the steps of light metals production. For example, on an average it takes about 15.7 kWh of electricity to produce one kilogram of aluminum from alumina [1, 2, 3]. Advancements in energy efficiency have been steady, but slow, and most U.S. aluminum smelting production operates at 95% current efficiency. Besides high energy consumption, another major concern of the light metals smelting process is the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Electrolysis green house gas emissions in the Hall-Héroult process can be split into three groups: 1) reduction reaction emissions, carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO); 2) process upset perfluorocarbons emissions; and 3) hydrogen fluoride (HF) formed from the moisture (H2O) present in the raw materials [2, 3]. Hydrogen fluoride gas can be captured and returned to the cells by the alumina dry scrubbing system used in modern facilities. A total of 5.31 kilograms of CO2 is generated from the reduction process for each kilogram of aluminum produced in the average U.S. primary facility. The perfluorocarbon emissions are related to the “anode effect.” If the concentration of alumina in the bath becomes too low, other reactions between the carbon anode and the bath occur and tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6) are generated. These gases have high global warming potentials (GWP), which is a ratio developed to compare the ability of each greenhouse gas to trap heat in the atmosphere relative to carbon dioxide"

Jan 1, 2008

By N. El-Kaddah, V. L. Acoff, M. Arenas

"Control of the weld penetration, weld pool shape and temperature field in arc welding is critical to achieve the desired microstructure and mechanical properties in the resultant welds. This is particularly important in welding gamma titanium aluminides (y-TiAl) where the weld pool is relatively shallow and the temperature gradient in the heat-affected zone is quite steep. This paper investigates theoretically and experimentally the evolution of the shape of the weld pool for stationary gas tungsten arc welds in y-TiAl alloys. A mathematical model has been developed for predicting the electric current flow, the resultant electromagnetic forces in the metal, and the transient development of the temperature and velocity fields in the molten pool generated by a spatially variable heat flux at the arc-striking zone. The governing equations were solved numerically using the control volume technique. Welding experiments were carried out to determine the shape of the weld pool and the extent of the heat affected zone at different welding times for model validation. The numerical predictions were found to be in reasonable agreement with measurements. It is suggested that the model presented in this paper is likely to provide the information needed for predicting the microstructure and mechanical properties of y-TiAl welds. IntroductionIn recent years, there has been considerable interest in the welding of gamma titanium aluminides as a means of manufacturing high-temperature, high-performance components for turbine and automobile engines. These alloys are highly reactive, and must be welded in vacuum or inert gas atmosphere, rendering electron beam, and inert gas tungsten arc welding (GTA) to be the only suitable welding techniques for joining these materials [1-3]. The GTA welding is especially attractive because of its flexibility and relative cost-effectiveness. However, previous studies on the weldability and weld properties of these alloys using this process revealed a decrease in the mechanical properties in the fusion zone [4]. This is generally attributed to the change of the original duplex structure to a dendritic structure amplified by the shallowness of weld spot. Quantifying the effect of arc operating parameters on the geometry and temperature profile of the welding pool prior cooling is the first step for controlling the fusion zone microstructure and mechanical properties."

Jan 1, 1999

By Peter Stiaszny, Andrej Samoilov, Yuri Titovets, Gottfried Hribernig, Nikolai Zolotorevskii

"The model has been developed to simultaneously predict both transformation product portions and mean ferrite grain size from the same common · principles as a result of the austenite decomposition during any cooling path of dual phase steels. The transformation products considered are polygonal ferrite, pearlite, bainite and martensite. The model is based on the classical equations of nucleation-growth theory and also contains some empirical parameters. The chemical driving forces for nucleation and composition of elements at the phase interfaces are derived by computation thermodynamics. The empirical parameters related to the model were determined on the basis of a series of austenite transformation dilatometric curves and grain size measurements for continuous and interrupted cooling of several steel types. The model is aimed to predict phase transformation in the complex cooling conditions of the run-out table of the hot strip mill at YOEST-ALPINE STAHL LINZ GmbH as a part of the computer aided system for prediction and on-line controlling of the mechanical properties of hot-rolled strip.IntroductionThe term ""dual phase steels"" is used to refer to a steel consisting essentially of a dispersion of martensite in a fine-grained ferrite matrix. These steels are of increasing technological interest since they provide a better combination of strength and ductility than any other conventional steel sheet material. The strength is important because it offers an opportunity to produce lighter components, while good ductility is needed to permit easy forming of components. It is generally recognized that martensite plays an important role in determining the strength level of dual phase steels. A full understanding of the role played by the phases in determining such characteristics requires investigating in more detail how to optimize the martensite level of such steels, while maintaining good ductility remains the subject of continued research in the industry."

Jan 1, 2000