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By Masaki Imamura

A novel hydrometallurgical process for copper concentrate treatment has been developed by Niihama Research Laboratories of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. The process has numerous advantages with respect to the operational and environmental aspects. For example, copper is leached effectively from chalcopyrite concentrates by chlorine gas under atmospheric pressure. The copper in the leach solution is then separated from iron and silver by solvent extraction and undergoes electrowinning for its recovery as a highly pure copper metal; this does not require any further purification. Moreover, iron metal can be produced from the purified raffinate by electrowinning without generating a large volume of goethite or hematite, which are solid wastes generated due to iron rejection in common hydrometallurgical processes. This process can also realize the efficient recovery of precious metals. The results of batch testing and continuous-operation testing are presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Hamamoto, S. Tanaka, K. Noda

"Tamano Smelter or Hibi Kyodo Smelting Co. Ltd. is operating with the Tamano Type Flash Smelting Furnace method which is a flash smelting furnace without slag cleaning furnace but which can discharge a slag equivalent to that from the slag cleaning furnace and with the development or coke combustion technology which is the basis of this world's only one type flash smelting furnace process, the smelter exhibits a low operation cost under high productivity operation. Utilizing this experience and improving it we have developed and put to practice an operation guide system using a general purpose computer in order to further establish s stable operation. In this paper these improvements are described. Background of System DevelopmentWith the recent rapid progress of general purpose computers and improvements in their performance an environment for the use or computer in process simulation at low cost and simple operation has been established. If an accurate operation simulation can be done with the Tamano Type Flash Smelting Furnace the merits would be very great and thus we started development of the system. The official name of this system is Computer guide system for Coke Combustion in the T-FSF and taking the initial letters we call it CCCT. We aim to achieve operation with stable mane grade, temperature and slag loss in the furnace by maintaining the most suitable combustion conditions of concentrate and coke in the flash furnace with the assistance of CCCT to the flash smelting furnace operators.Through several production expansion projects clone in the past by oxygen enrichment the copper concentrate treatment quantity and matte grade have increased step by step as shown in Figure I. Following this increase the difference between the operation calculation results al the initial stage of coke combustion and the actual behavior of furnace (matte grade. temperature in the furnace. etc.) gradually became bigger. Further operation procedures taken by different operators against the same phenomenon were sometimes different depending on each individual, which from time to time caused the operation to become unstable. Prior to the development of the system we checked out thoroughly the weak points of operation calculation procedures which were in practice until that time. The results were analyzed and study was carried out to establish a most suitahle operation calculation procedure and finally we reached this system"

Jan 1, 2000

By Shusen Cheng, Dongdong Zhou

The high temperature distribution in ironmaking and steelmaking industry is very important to control the smelting process. Although equipment is available to measure the temperature in the smelting process, in general it could just measure one certain point or only at discrete times. The real time temperature distribution in ironmaking and steelmaking is important because it could reflect reaction information and help to control the operation parameters. In this paper, a new method to detect the temperature distribution in ironmaking and steelmaking through the application of digital imaging system based on the color CCD was studied. In addition, the two-color method and partial least square method were used in the calculation model to improve the accuracy. The results agreed well with the measured temperature.

Mar 1, 2017

By Ryan Walton

The Flash Converting Furnace at Kennecott Utah Copper converted over 465kmt of high-grade matte in 2002 but was restricted due to low matte production to 395kmt in 2003. This paper presents updated operational performance data and describes improvements implemented since the mid 2001 rebuild. Matte burner feed distribution, silica and arsenic impacts on settler lime-based slag operability, blister laundering, uptake/boiler accretion control, and dust sulfation will be discussed, as well as current development requirements dictated by operational imperatives and furnace modification plans.

Jan 1, 2005

By Scott A. Shuey

Keywords: E-Waste, Pyrometallurgy Many might think addressing the issue of e-waste is a new area of study. Electronics disposal has been discussed in some circles for at least the past 25 years. The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) tends to be a rather complex undertaking when considering the intimate bonding of materials in the average printed circuit board. The development of a recycling process is further complicated when considering the wide variety of products being generated under the heading of ?electronics.? Focusing only on the primary constituents (polymers, Cu, Al, Fe, etc.) tends to lead one to fairly simple flowsheets. Ignoring trace elements, and the various halide species generated, will lead process engineers down a development path that is sure to cause material handling issues. Researchers at Colorado School of Mines are modeling the complex chemistry that exists within the body of e-waste?comprising 39 of the known elements. An understanding of the systems thermodynamic behavior will result in the development of a more robust, long-term process for the recovery of valuable materials from the e-waste stream.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. R. Donald

For processing copper, continuous converting has been successfully employed in a variety of locations, but for nickel, there has yet to be a successful commercial implementation of continuous converting technology. At Inco?s Copper Cliff smelter, there are specific requirements for the production of Bessemer matte relating to downstream processing that makes continuous converting for nickel mattes even more challenging. The nickel carbonyl refineries require very low iron levels in the matte, and the sulphur deficiency must be carefully controlled such that the appropriate quantity of PGM-rich metallics are produced from matte separation. The present paper outlines continuous converter technologies that have been implemented in copper, and evaluates their potential for nickel converting. The challenges of producing a Bessemer matte to the required specifications are discussed. The economic and environmental driving forces, and the challenges of justifying a novel technology in place of productive existing equipment, are discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

By Melissa L. Trapani

Keywords: Copper, Taphole, Flow Instability. ?Blister spitting? is a flow irregularity where the molten blister copper stream ? or part thereof ? sprays from the taphole exit rather than following a regular flow profile to the collection box. As well as being a general ?housekeeping? issue, the unpredictable nature of the flow is a threat to operator safety. Also, the aggressive flow pattern may contribute to the mechanical wear of the taphole refractory, compromising the integrity of the taphole. This paper brings together a collection of first-hand observations and reports from process personnel, and suggests some theories as to the causes of blister spitting.

Jan 1, 2005

Lead blast furnace water-jacket stability was investigated by examining samples from the Port Pirie Lead Smelter. The compositions of the phases formed in the samples were analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron Probe X-ray Microanalyser (EPMA). Phase equilibria analysis and thermodynamic modelling was undertaken using FactSage with latest thermodynamic database for the slag/matte/metal/speiss/solids multi-component Cu2O–PbO–ZnO– Al2O3–CaO–MgO–FeO–Fe2O3–SiO2–S major and As–Bi–Sb–Sn–Ag–Au minor elements system. Results indicated that the stability of the water-jacket steel wall without freeze-lining is influenced by formation of the complex Fe-rich speiss phase at critical As concentrations. The integrity of the furnace walls with freeze-lining is critically dependent of the stability of the oxide-based freeze-lining which is dependent on various factors including most critical one—the proportion of solids determined by the slag chemistry and fluxing. Thermodynamic modelling of the lead blast furnace operation indicated limiting thermochemical conditions for the water-jacket stability. Factors and controls critical to the water-jackets integrity are discussed.

By Pengfu Tan

Converter slag chemistry control has played an important role in optimizing converter operations. A thermodynamic model of copper P-S converter has been developed to predict the behavior of magnetite in the converter slag. Predictions of bath temperature, slag and matte compositions, and magnetite content in the slag have been validated by industrial data. The effects of fluxing strategy, returns and skim charges, oxygen enrichment, and temperature on the magnetite formation in the slag have been predicted and discussed. Some improvements of the industrial operations have been presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By Chao Li, Shuai Wang, Hongxu Li, Lifeng Zhang, Xie Yang

The method of chloride-hypochlorite leaching has the advantages of short process, low pollution and higher in reaction rate compared with the traditional leaching method. In this research, NaCl - NaClO solution is used to leaching gold from a refractory gold concentrate, and the influence of NaCl and NaClO concentration, reaction time to the leaching rate were investigated in this experiment. The raw materials and the leaching residue were characterized by a series of analysis methods such as XRD, XRF, SEM and EDS. Results indicate that the leaching rate and the desulfurization rate can be achieved at 96.26% and 98% with most optimum conditions as follows: NaCl concentration 50g/L, NaClO concentration 200g/L, Liquid-solid ratio 10:1, the best reaction time was 150 mins. And these conditions should be guaranteed pH<8.0, ORP>900mV.

Jan 1, 2015

By M. Hochenhofer

Due to economic aspects and environmental regulations recycling of slag and waste from ferroalloy production became a very important issue for the companies during the last years. The treatment of slag depends prior on the composition, especially on their content of valuable metals and impurities. The final aim should be a total re-use of these materials in the industry e.g. cement industry, pig-iron production etc.. Therefore, to reach the required physical and chemical properties for a further use, possibilities of a metallurgical treatment have been investigated. The conditioning of slag with a high V-, Mo- and P-content via reducing metal bath showed to be one alternative. To determine the optimal process parameters, practical investigations with different slag compositions and thermodynamic calculations were carried out.

Jan 1, 2006

By Geoffrey Brooks, Ben M. Ekman, M. Akbar Rhamdhani

"Concentrated solar collectors including solar simulators have been studied to concentrate solar radiation to flux levels capable of reaching temperatures of 3000K. Currently, there are no industrial scale solar reactors used for material processing and only small research units have been tried. Various laboratory scale solar reactor designs are reviewed including their operating temperature and heat transfer efficiency. Solar reactor designs can be classed into directly or indirectly irradiated and single or double cavity construction. Thermal efficiencies of up to 40% have been achieved in experimental units while operating at 1500K. Problems are encountered that relate to the transfer of high heat flux. Hybrid reactor system should be considered in the future to overcome some of the practical issues associated with solar thermal reactors.I. INTRODUCTIONIn the high temperature processing of materials, such as the production of metals, cement, refractory or glass, the reactions are typically performed in the range of 500° to 2000°C. Metals are produced from minerals, which maybe oxides, sulphides, chlorides or silicates, and to recover the metals, these compounds have to undergo chemical reaction to liberate the metal. The thermodynamic stability of these compounds found in minerals necessitates the use of high temperatures to break down the bonds between the metals and other elements. Normally, the raw metals produced from smelting require refining, which is often carried out in the molten state. As new energy sources have been established, new furnace designs have evolved to incorporate the latest technology. Although solar energy has existed longer than all the current energy sources, it has not yet been incorporated into any industrial smelting; refining or melting processes. The solar radiation reaching the earth’s atmosphere, called the “Solar Constant” (SC), is defined as the rate at which solar energy is incident on a surface normal to the sun’s rays at the outer edge of the atmosphere when the earth is at its mean distance from the sun. The currently accepted value is 1367 W/m2 [1]. The earth intercepts only a small amount of this and 30% is reflected back into space, 47% is converted to low-temperature heat and reradiated into space and 23% powers the evaporative and precipitation cycle of the biosphere [2]. As a result, the solar energy reaching the earth’s surface is weakened considerably to about 1000 W/m2 or one sun, on a clear day and much lower on cloudy or smoggy days [3]. The thermodynamic limit for solar concentration is determined from the inverse square law [4] by the factor sin2? = 46,764 sun’s [5] where ? is the angular size of the sun and equals 0.0093 radians [7]. This would produce a steady state temperature equal to that of the sun’s surface of approximately 5800oC. In practice however much lower concentrations are achieved due to geometrical and optical imperfections, shading effects and tracking inaccuracies. Optical configurations based on parabolic-shaped mirrors are commercially available for large-scale collection and concentration of solar energy for the generation of electrical power. The most common configurations used for concentration of the sun’s energy in solar thermal applications are parabolic troughs, solar towers and parabolic dishes [8,9]."

Jan 1, 2014

By Asmo Vartiainen

Background of Direct-to-Blister Flash Smelting is discussed; especially slag chemistry relating to copper solubility, slag fluidity and impurity behavior. In December, 2000, Mini-pilot Flash Smelting test runs were carried out at Outokumpu Research Oy to produce blister copper from Chilean concentrate and white metal and from a mixture of them. Tested slag types were iron silicate slag, ferrous calcium silicate slag and calcium ferrite slag with different slag compositions and different concentrate/white metal ratios. The test runs were successful. The fluxing effect of copper oxide was clearly demonstrated and ferrous calcium silicate slags remained fluid on a very wide liquidus range. The distribution of arsenic between ferrous calcium silicate slag and blister copper is much higher than between iron silicate slag and blister copper. This successful test run with the new slag type offer new possibilities in Direct-to-Blister process design.

Jan 1, 2003

By Shenghui Guo, Ying Lei, Wei Li, Jinhui Peng, Libo Zhang, Yu Li

"In this work, the Panzhihua low grade ilmenite and graphite were milled for 1, 2, 4 and 8 h firstly, then the temperature rising behavior of milled sample in microwave field were studied. The average heating rate of samples milled for 1, 2, 4, 8 h were 1.86, 4.08, 2.82, and 2.32 K/s; Before optimize the microwave reduction process, several experiments were conducted in order to confirm the parameters range. After milled for 4 or 8 h and reduced above 930 oC, the Fe metallization are higher than 90%; Then the optimization was investigated by using response surface methodology (RSM), the significance of predict model and each terms were analyzed, and the optimization parameters were given as: milling time is 4 h; reduction temperature is 1001 or 1070oC; the holding time is 37.5 or 26.9 min. Under these conditions, the Fe metallization given by predict model is 91 or 92 %.IntroductionThere is about 9.66 billion tons of Vanadic Titan-magnetite deposits in Panzhihua, China. In this reserve, there is about 8.73×108 t of TiO2, accounting for 90.54% of the Chinese reserves, and 35.17% of the international reserves and ranking first in the world. [1] Titanium mineral deposits are classified into Rock type and Placer type. Rock type is the igneous mineral, which have high content of FeO (Relative to Fe2O3) and gangue. The Panzhihua ilmenite is a typical rock type ilmenite ore. The higher contents of MgO, CaO, SiO2 and the complex mineralogy are making its direct reduction progressively more difficult."

Jan 1, 2011

By Tuula Mäkinen

One of the latest applications of the Outokumpu Flash Smelting Technology is the direct smelting ,of nickel concentrates to metallised low-iron nickel mattes. Compared to the conventional nickel smelting, the new DON process needs a lower number of smelting vessels resulting in considerable economic and environmental benefits. Fundamentals of smelting nickel concentrates in one stage to low-iron mattes are presented. Properties of nickel. smelting slags with an emphasis of the slag fluidity at high MgO-levels are also discussed. Conditions prevailing in DON mattes at high oxidation degrees are presented as well as their influence on the behaviour of such mattes in the settler and on tapping the furnace. Distributions of elements in the direct smelting are presented and compared with the conventional process. A further comparison is made with pilot-plant data and the industrial scale.

Jan 1, 1998

By Bryce Clark

Cobalts history from the 14th Century is outlined, with a look at its various sources over that period. The present sources and quantities are given, when in 1994 it is an equal co-product of copper in Africa and nickel elsewhere (Canada, Australia, Russia). Future trends in this scene are also examined. The final section deals with cobalts uses in superalloys, magnets, colours, electronics, chemicals, and examines trends in its markets. Supply and demand in co-product cobalt are shown, based on the latest production figures.

Jan 1, 1995

By Asmo Vartiainen

Background of Direct-to-Blister Flash Smelting is discussed; especially slag chemistry relating to copper solubility, slag fluidity and impurity behavior. In December, 2000, Mini-pilot Flash Smelting test runs were carried out at Outokumpu Research Oy to produce blister copper from Chilean concentrate and white metal and from a mixture of them. Tested slag types were iron silicate slag, ferrous calcium silicate slag and calcium ferrite slag with different slag compositions and different concentrate/white metal ratios. The test runs were successful. The fluxing effect of copper oxide was clearly demonstrated and ferrous calcium silicate slags remained fluid on a very wide liquidus range. The distribution of arsenic between ferrous calcium silicate slag and blister copper is much higher than between iron silicate slag and blister copper. This successful test run with the new slag type offer new possibilities in Direct- to-Blister process design.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. Gu, R. G. Anthony, C. V. Philip, M. E. Huckman

"In this paper, we review the equations needed to construct an ion exchange column model. These models contain three major components: 1) a differential material balance around the column, 2) a differential material balance around an ion exchange particle, and 3) a constitutive equation for diffusive flux. We then examine the ability of a fairly simple mathematical model to predict ion exchange column experimental data. This model contains the traditional absorption theory equations and is used to predict the behavior of a column filled with a hydrous crystalline silico-titanate and which is removing trace amounts of Cs+ from a high pH, complex electrolyte solution. Finally, we propose replacing Fick's law with the Nemst-Planck equation as the constitutive equation for diffusive flux. We use a NemstPlanck type model to predict batch experimental data, then evaluate it by comparing it's ability to predict experimental data to that of a more traditional Fick's law type model. The data from this comparison suggests that the Nemst-Planck type model yields better results.IntroductionMillions of gallons of strongly basic, radioactive waste are currently stored in underground storage tanks at Hanford and Savannah River and several locations within the United States. Due to the limited life expectancy of the tanks, there is a pressing need to remediate these wastes. This need has prompted the recent development of new ion-exchange materials for removing radioactive elements from aqueous solutions. A novel material called TAM-5 has been developed jointly by Texas A&M University and Sandia National Laboratories. TAM- 5, a crystalline silico-titanate, is highly selective for Cs + in the complex electrolytic solutions typical of these wastes. It is stable in very basic solutions and in radioactive environments [1, 2 ,3]. In laboratory testing to determine the selectivity of various materials, TAM-5 was superior to other candidate ion exchangers [4, 5]. The selectivities were determined by measuring a distribution coefficient, Kd, which is defined as the concentration, gig or mmols/g of Cs in the solid phase divided by the concentration, mg/L or mmols/mL, of Cs in the liquid phase. The units of Kd are ml/g or L/kg. Table 1 shows Kd values for TAM-5 compared to 9 other candidate materials in a typical waste solution [6]."

Jan 1, 1996

By Vijaya Thangavelu

Biological leaching of low-grade nickel laterite is based on a non-traditional leaching of oxide minerals using heterotrophic micro-organisms. The organisms solubilise metals by excreting organic acids; these acids then form complexes with heavy metals. High salinity of water supplies and soils in the vicinity of nickel laterite ore bodies is a major abiotic stress to fungi and represents a major challenge in the application of bioleaching process in-situ. Salinity exposes fungi cells to Na+ toxicity and osmotic stress. This study examined the salt tolerance development of Aspergillus foetidus based on gradual acclimatization of organism, its salt threshold and the salinity effect on its metabolism. The biological leaching of weathered saprolite ore with the resulting halotolerant organism under saline conditions was assessed. It was observed that salinity stress affected the organism?s growth and energy utilization

Jan 1, 2006

By Eun-young Kim

Electrogenerated chlorine leaching of waste printed circuit boards was investigated in hydrochloric acid solutions. The pulverized printed circuit board contained about 37.6% of metal component, in which copper was about 83.6%. The leaching rate of copper was greatly affected by current density and agitation speed. The leaching of copper up to 98% was achieved at 20 mA/cm2, 50?, 180 minutes, and 600 rpm in 1M HCl solution. Increasing agitation and lowering current density enhanced utilization efficiency of electrogenerated chlorine. Leaching of copper was suppressed at initial stage, while the minor metal elements, such as aluminum, lead, and tin, were dominantly leached out.

Jan 1, 2006