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By Bin Xu, Qian Li, Yong-bin Yang, Xiao-liang Liu, Tao Jiang, Yan Zhang

Some high sulfur and arsenic-bearing gold concentrate has a gold leaching rate less than 80% by oxidation roasting-pickling-cyanidation process. The characteristics and intensification of gold leaching were studied systemically. By combining chemical composition and phase analysis, the low gold leaching rate was found to lie in the capsulation of gold by iron-containing phases including iron oxides, arsenopyrite and pyrite. 96.66% of gold in the industrial leaching residue was capsulated and 95.88% of the capsulated turned out to be in the iron-containing phases. The results of laboratory pickling-cyanidation experiments on the calcine and industrial leaching residue presented further demonstration for the fact that gold capsulated in the iron-containing phases was hard to be leached. However, the gold cyanide leaching rate of calcine could be raised over 95% by a reduction roasting-pickling pretreatment which played such a significant role in exposing the capsulated gold that gold leaching was intensified remarkably.

Jan 1, 2015

By Antrekowitsch Jürgen

The recycling of residues from metal producing by-products has become a main field of interest in metallurgical investigations. Forced by a stricter environmental legislation and the resulting increase of landfilling costs, combined with the aim to recover as many valuable metals as possible, a lot of different processes have been developed in the last two decades. Because of the high yearly tonnage residues from the iron and steel industry like slags, dusts and sludges have moved in the center of interest. Dusts from the steel mill, containing heavy metal oxides and halides did not play a considerable role as secondary raw materials for a long time. They even contain a huge amount of leachable elements and compounds which cause noticeable problems in case of a dumping. Nevertheless, the implementation of a new landfilling regulation, including a prohibition of aboveground dumping without inertisation, caused a rising interest concerning recycling technologies for such residues. In addition, the zinc content of these dusts became higher and higher and began to play the most important role for the economy of dust recycling.

Jan 1, 2006

By John Gordon

Rare earth elements (REE) required in modern technological products are found in shale rocks above and below coal seams. Often during the process of mining coal, shale rock adjacent to the seam inadvertently is removed then diverted to landfill sites. Ecologically sound and potentially economic methods of extracting the REEs from these landfills are proposed. Methods include utilizing geomemembrane barrier beneath the landfill site, ion exchanging with moderate pH, slightly acidic, sodium chloride solutions. Sodium hydroxide is utilized to precipitate the REE-hydroxides subsequently converted to REE-chlorides with suitable amount of hydrochloric acid. All acid and base streams are co-produced with efficient membrane/electrolysis technology. Concentrated-REE chlorides are transported tocentralized solventextraction facilities for isolation and purification. Solvent extraction processes also employ the methodology of using co-produced acid/base streams. This paper details minimization of environmental impacts and maximizing economics to produce valuable REEs while increasing the economics of coal mining.

Mar 1, 2018

By Ling-yun Yi, Yuan-bo Zhang, Bing Hu, Zhu-Cheng Huang, Zhen-yuan Liao

"Nucleation and growth mechanism of iron crystal grain in coal-based shaft furnace direct reduction process by microwave heating were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and EDX. The results indicate that microwave has selectivity on various minerals which absorb microwaves. The high temperature in certain area of pellets and thermal stress on the interface of minerals are formed, results in the wustite grain smashed along the joints, and iron crystal grains turned out a spherical shape obviously. The iron crystal nucleus is formed firstly at the edge of wustite, on the interface between grains and in the holes in pellets, and grows gradually while reduction carries on from surface layer to inner core. Microwave heating promotes the rate of transportation and accumulation of the iron crystal grain, increases growth rate of iron crystal grain and contributes to formation of dense iron-jointed crystal texture eventually.IntroductionMicrowave energy as a new energy, which selectively heating materials through internal energy dissipation, has the advantages of heating uniformity, high thermal efficiency, fast heating, clean and pollution-free compared to conventional heating motheds. Microwave energy also has obvious superiority in increasing productivity. Thus, it has been widely used in many areas, including electronics, food processing, chemical, medicine, environmental protection, and family life etc [1]. As a rapidly developed green metallurgical method, microwave heating also has been widely recognized by areas of grinding, pretreatment, pre-reduction, drying, furnacing, metal extraction, and waste materials processing and utilization. Some research achievements are gradually putting into practice, showing great potential in chemical and metallurgical industry [2-3]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Brian Lightfoot

Ausmelt technology is a versatile bath smelting technology with application in many waste treatment fields at low capital and operating cost. Heavy metals extracted from wastes may be recycled to mainstream use and the slags produced will be inert and suitable for use as aggregate, shotblasting grit or other applications.

Jan 1, 1994

By D. E. Karvelas

Argonne National Laboratory is conducting research to develop a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable process for the separation of high-value plastics from discarded household appliances. The process under development has separated individual high purity (greater than 99.5%) acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) from corruningled plastics generated by appliance-shredding and metal-recovery operations. The process consists of size-reduction steps for the commingled plastics, followed by a series of gravity- separation techniques to separate plastic materials of different densities. Individual plastics of similar densities, such as ABS and HIPS, are further separated by using a chemical solution. By controlling the surface tension, the density, and the temperature of the chemical solution, we are able to selectively float/separate plastics that have different surface energies. This separation technique has proven to be highly effective in recovering high-purity plastics materials from discarded household appliances. A conceptual design of a continuous process to recover high-value plastics from discarded appliances is also discussed. In addition to plastics separation research, Argonne National Laboratory is conducting research to develop cost-effective techniques for improving the mechanical properties of plastics recovered from appliances.

Jan 1, 1996

By Robert A. Medower

This paper will review the operational benefits of applying contemporary control technology to balance the blast to a cupola. Reported benefits from existing installations include reduced channelling, higher pour temperature, reduced oxygen consumption, lower coke consumption & reduced emissions.

Jan 1, 2001

By I. A. Ibrahim, A. K. Ismail, A. A. I. Afifi

"Synthetic rutile for paints industry is conventionally produced by a combined smelting and leaching process. Smelting process is an energy intensive step and represents economic burden in view of the increasing energy costs. Egyptian ilmenite ore containing 40% TiO2 and 38% total Fe was thus directly leached with sulphuric acid to produce eventually synthetic rutile. The process-involves digestion of the ore with sulphuric acid whereby both TiO2 and Fe are dissolved. The solution was then treated with iron powder to convert Fe3+ to Fe2+ to avoid co-precipitation of iron during the hydrolysis step. After solid/liquid separation and clarification, Fe was crystallized as ferrous sulphate hydrate by chilling. The titanium pregnant liquor was concentrated by evaporation and then hydrolyzed to precipitate hydrated titanium dioxide which was then calcined to produce synthetic rutile containing 98.6 TiO2 and 0.58% Fe2O 3. The optimum conditions of all the processing stages were determined.IntroductionSynthetic rutile for paints, welding rods and other industries could be produced from ilmenite ore by sulfuric acid leaching process. This process is a batch process and nearly 80% of all TiO2 produced in the world is made by this process [1]. Figure l shows simple block flowsheet of the process. The process involves the following stages.Digestion: In this stage, ilmenite ore is treated with concentrated sulfuric acid where both iron and titanium are converted to their respective sulfates according to the following equations:"

Jan 1, 2000

By Dan A. Mackie

Continuous leaching of precious metals ores in a vat is possible using a jigging technique. This patented method promises to be competitive with heap leaching, particularly in northern climates, difficult terrain, high precipiptation regions, and environmentally sensitive areas. The paper discusses test work to date, plans for pilot plant testing and basic economics

Jan 1, 1990

By John ?gren, Martin Schwind, Henrik Larsson

"A new model for internal oxidation, as well as similar processes, has been implemented on computer. It is based upon a combination of random walk and cellular automata and is capable of treating 3-dimensional cases. To model diffusion, it utilises quantised units of matter. All steps of the process are included: nucleation, growth and coarsening. The effect of grain boundaries on diffusion as well as nucleation is taken into account. Further possible development is briefly discussed; especially the treatment of nucleation needs further consideration. IntroductionComplex diffusion-controlled processes may now be simulated on a routine basis when concentration varies along one co-ordinate only. One-dimensional simulations capture much of the information of interest but not all. For the case at hand, especially the spatial and the size distribution of precipitates, as well as the impact of grain boundaries, would be interesting information not accessible from 1-D simulationsSolving the full Fick-Onsager law in three dimensions does not seem feasible with the computers of today. In the model described in this article, random walk by quantised units of matter are considered. The model should be useful for a number of cases involving dispersed systems. With further development, it would indeed seem possible to simulate most types of phase transformations.Previous workWe have previously published two articles [1,2] on the new approach discussed in this work. In those articles we described the basic idea and showed, among other things, that very good agreement with an experimental concentration profile can be obtained, in a single-phase system, using independently assessed thermodynamic and kinetic data. Also, Schwind used the same random walk based concept to model coarsening [3]."

Jan 1, 2001

By S. S. Ibrahim

The left behind material after the combusion of fossel fuel in some power stations in Cairo; weighing tens of tons every years, was investigated. The material called "Fly Ashes" containing 7.5% Ni, 10.0% V and 9.50% Cr; could be considered as a promising source of such valiable elements. As well as the small grain size (050 70 "m) of the material, and besides the complexity of their formation history, hydrometallurgical methods appeared to be the effective technique to deal with. Yet, preconcentration is possible by means of magnetic and gravity separation methods. The end product is assaying 16.60% Ni and 20.2S!; V with weight recovery of about 60.15%.

Jan 1, 1995

By Kenji Monden

A thermal solution composite is made by incorporating dense inorganic fillers with high thermal conductivity into a resin. Silica, alumina, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, and boron nitride are used for fillers of thermal solution composite. The thermal conductivities of composites are measured and the effect of inorganic fillers’ volume fraction is analyzed. The influence of percolation on thermal conductivity is considered. When percolation by random filling is assumed, the thermal conductivity of composite materials is expressed by the predictive expression using the effective thermal conductivity of filler. The relationship between the effective thermalconductivity of filler and its mean diameter is estimated by the equation. In the case of irregular AlN filler with average particle size 45 lm, the effective thermal conductivity of filler becomes 20 Wm−1 K−1. When the volume fraction of the fillers is 0.75, the thermal conductivity of the composite has been reported to 8 Wm−1 K−1. If the thickness of the interfacial region can be lowered, an effective larger thermal conductivity of the filler appears to set in and the thermal conductivity of the composite can be largely improved. The thermal conductivity of BN can approach 600 Wm−1 K−1. The BN constitutes the matrix of composite by causing percolation without interfacial region; high thermal conductivity of 55–100 Wm−1 K−1 has been achieved.

Mar 1, 2017

By Sarel Johannes Francois Gates, Ida Kero, Yan Ma, Gabriella Tranell

During the tapping and casting of manganese ferroalloys, fumes are generated and released to the working environment. The fumes are mostly composed of metallic oxides generated due to reaction between high temperature molten metal and ambient oxygen in the air. From an environment perspective, it is important to limit these emissions. However, to do so, it is important to understand fuming mechanisms and kinetics as well as fume compositions, i.e. element behavior during the oxidation process of liquid manganese ferroalloys. Silicomanganese alloys are composed of aminimum of 65 wt% Mn and 17 wt% Si, 2 wt% C as well as minor and trace elements. These elements include Fe, Mg, Al and other elements originating from ores and reductants. Trace elements behavior in fume from liquid silicomanganese generated under an impinging air jet in the temperature range of 1450–1700 °C has been investigated in this work. The thermodynamic and kinetic conditions governing the generation mechanisms are discussed.

Mar 1, 2017

By H. Sieber

Multilayer samples of tantalum and aluminum with the composition of Al-25Ta were prepared by cold rolling of elemental foils. The microstructure and phases were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEMISAED and the reactive phase formation was examined by DSC and DTA measurements in multilayer foils rolled for different deformation levels. The rolling procedure yields a decrease of the Ta particle size in the Al matrix and also results in the formation of a multilayer structure with a thickness of the elemental foils down to 200 nm in average. No phase formation is observed during the cold rolling procedure. While XRD and DSC measurements show no phase formation up to the melting of aluminum for samples rolled up to 40 F&R (fold and rolling) passes, in samples rolled for 50 or more F&R passes a first phase formation reaction yield an interfacial layer of TaAl3. Contrary to former studies in the investigated cold rolled Al- 25Ta multilayers the reaction starts at temperatures as low as about 340°C. The first stages of the reaction are associated with two exothermic maxima, that increase in amplitude and shift to lower temperatures with increasing number of F&R passes. At higher temperature the TaA13 reaction layer thickens very sluggishly and yields a third exothermic maxima at about 600°C. Isothermal DSC scans show the reaction is not finished for samples containing elemental particles larger than 1 pm after annealing at 550°C for 5h. In all the investigated samples no Al- Ta phase other than Tad3 was observed to grow for heat treatments up to 800°C. Multilayer samples heated up to 1400°C show a morphology consisting of small AITa2 particles embedded in a single phase TaA13 matrix. The multilayer microstructure and reaction product morphology are characterized by SEM and TEM investigations in cross-section and plan view geometry.

Jan 1, 1998

By Keizo Uematsu, Satoshi Tanaka, Nozomu Uchida, Ronne Hendrajaya

"The influence of microstructural defects on strength in Si3N4 is reviewed. The presence of cracks, pores and inclusions greatly affects the strength of Si3N4. The micron order crack size and distribution were quantified by micrographic technique. The observed defect size was range from 4 µm to 28 µm.The density of defect increases as the defect size decreases. The correlation between defects size and density was better represented on the logarithmic graph. The correlation was linier. IntroductionFracture in ceramics materials occurs from. In order to understand the relationship between strength and defects, it is necessary to examine the fracture process quantitatively.1In this study, the micrographic technique is used to determine the defects size and distribution in Si3N4. The observed data will be used to predict the material strength by using fracture mechanics rnodel.2Experimental ProcedureThe sintered Si3N4 specimens ( SNl, Japan Fine Ceramics Center) were sliced into 1mm thick . The both sides of specimen surface were polished into by using diamond slurries with particle size down to 2µm. The final thickness was 0.045 mm. The optical microscope (NIKON OPTIPHOT02-POL) was used to observed the internal defects with transmission mode. The reflection mode was used to determine the surface defects, so that the internal defect could be distinguished from surface defect. The measurement and counting was taken on the micrograph and the longest part of the defect was measured as the defect size. The size density distribution of internal defect is taken."

Jan 1, 2000

By H. Walqui

Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC) are currently modernizing the Ilo copper smelter. A single ISASMELT furnace will start smelting 1,200,000 tonnes per year of concentrate during the second half of 2006. The existing Peirce Smith converters are being upgraded for converting the matte to blister copper and a new acid plant and oxygen plant are being installed. Two new anode furnaces and a twin anode casting wheel have been installed in 2005 and commissioned in January 2006. The modernization project will ensure the smelter satisfies new environmental regulations due to come into force in January 2007. This paper summarises the background to the modernization project, describes the main design features of the new copper smelter and summarises progress on the smelter construction as of early 2006. This paper describes the genesis of the Ilo Smelter Modernization Project and describes in details the scope and current status of the project.

Jan 1, 2006

By Yuzuru Sato

Viscosity has been measured for various molten binary alloys of nickel with iron, cobalt and chromium in order to clarify the behavior of viscous flow of molten nickel alloys. The entire concentration range for iron and cobalt and 0-67at% of chromium content were studied. The measurement method was an oscillating cup viscometry using an alumina crucible that was precisely machined. The temperature was up to about 1880K for all the measurements. The results represented good Arrhenian relationship although some measurements included overcooled temperatures. The isothermal viscosities increased monotonously with an addition of iron and chromium into nickel. The addition of cobalt increased after stationariness. The isothermal viscosities showed concave curves. Activation energies increased monotonously by adding all the elements into nickel. These phenomena were considered to be related to the thermodynamic properties such as the heat of mixing and the structures of mixture melts.

Jan 1, 2003

By Michael J. McGuire

Rostoker, Inc. has developed a process to smelt solid hazardous/non-hazardous inorganic wastes. Near seven hundred experiments were performed. Actual industrial wastes as well as reagent grade chemicals were used. By mixing a multiplicity of these wastes to proper formulations, then furnacing them, it was determined that saleable end products could be reclaimed; metal, fume and slag. The slag, due to its siliceous structure was tested to be leach resistant (40 CFR). This formed the essence of our patent, #5,180,421 "Method and Apparatus for Recovering Useful Products from Waste Streams". What is unique is that a HTMR (High Temperature Metal Recovery) process has been developed that can treat a multiplicity of wastes within the same furnace. The discussion will include a list of waste streams we have treated, details of proper waste formulation and experimental results.

Jan 1, 1994

By Shiju Zhang, Yongnian Dai, Songli Liu, Wenhui Ma

The BaZrO3 and CaO-doped BaZrO3 ceramics were fabricated at 1750 °C for melting the Ti2Ni alloys, respectively. Employing XRD, OM and SEM, the influence of CaO on the composition of BaZrO3 and the interaction between the BaZrO3 ceramic and titanium alloy was investigated. The results showed that the CaO doped BaZrO3 was consisted of CaO and Ba 1−xCaxZrO3. The grain on the surface of BaZrO3 ceramic was loose after melting, and the thermodynamic analysis indicated that the dissolution-erosion was responsible for the interaction mechanism. An amount of BaZrO 3 refractory was attached to the Ti2Ni alloy bottom after the alloy was cooled. However, no refractory was found on the bottom of Ti2Ni alloy, which was cooled down on the CaO doped BaZrO3 ceramic. CaO additive can effectively reduce the interaction between the BaZrO3 refractory and the titanium melt, indicating that it was a very promising refractory for preparing the titanium alloy.

Mar 1, 2018

By Ronald H. Church

Dewatering of mine waste slurries has been successfully accomplished by the proper use of polymers in flocculating the fine particulate matter suspended in the slurry streams. Conventional treatment of fine waste slurries usually involves some form of impoundment treatment or storage. These impoundments present unique environmental problems. When filled to capacity, the impoundments are usually unloaded with a dragline and transported to a separate disposal area. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has conducted dewatering studies utilizing polymer technology in combination with a mobile field test unit designed by the Bureau. The purpose of these studies was to determine if the fine waste slurry from the mining operation could be successfully dewatered. Results of the investigation have shown that the slurry can be dewatered successfully. The dewatered products obtained from the tests ranged from 45 to 50pct solids. This material continued to dewater, approaching 70 pct solids within 24 h, and could be easily handled using conventional transportation equipment including conveyor belts.

Jan 1, 1994