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By Jintao Gao, Zhancheng Guo, Chong Li

A new approach to enrich MFe and RO phase from the converter slag by super gravity was investigated. The samples obtained by the gravity coefficient G=600 and cooling rate V=5K/min from 1623K to 1373K appeared significant stratification and the MFe gathered at the bottom of sample. With the help of metallographic microscopy and X-ray diffraction, it is found that large quantity of white RO phase gathered at the lower part of the sample as the concentrate, with volume fraction appearing gradient distribution along the direction of super gravity, while the upper part was mainly composed of dicalcium silicate as the tailing. The mass fractions of the FeO, MgO and MnO in the concentrate are up to 40.46%, 6.9% and 3.91%, while that in the tailing are just 11.65%, 2.15% and 1.55%. The recovery ratios of FeO, MgO and MnO in the concentrate are 60.35%, 58.45% and 72.24%, respectively.

Jan 1, 2016

By Robert Matusewicz

Ausmelt Technology has been applied to the recycling of spent pot liner (SPL) generated from primary alnminum production. The process is centered on the Ausmelt furnace, in which the SPL is converted under high temperature, oxidizing conditions to an HF containing gas stream and inert slag. fluorine is recovered from the SPL as HF gas and is concentrated and used to manufacture AIF) for recycle to the aluminum smelters. Approximately 87% of the fluorine can be recovered and converted to AIF), with the remainder being effectively tied up in the by product slag. Cost projections show that the recycling process will be competitive with other processes for SPL. The production and recycling of AIF) provides available credit that significantly offsets the operating cost of the facility. Ausmelt Technology for recycling of SPL is currently being marketed in North America by Ausmelt Technology Corporation in Denver, Colorado, and in the rest of the world by Ausmelt Limited of Dandenong, Australia.

Jan 1, 1996

By Marcela C. Santini, Luiz A. Teixeira

"Surface conditioning (also referred as etching) of plastics prior to metallization is generally conducted with sulfuric I chromic acid solutions. Although these baths perform well technically, the presence of Cr (VI) imposes serious operating problems of an environmental nature. The present work reports ·the results of a study of surface conditioning o(ABS using solutions based. on sulfuric acid, with hydrogen peroxide and/or nitric acid, replacing chromic acid, as oxidants. Process performance was evaluated by SEM and by the uniformity and adherence of electroless nickel coatings applied on selected conditioned samples. The results showed that the evaluated types of solutions could be optimized to perform as well as the chromic-based baths, with a much superior environmental quality.IntroductionMetallization of plastics is normally undertaken for either decorative or functional purposes. Through metallization, the specific properties of plastics such as light weight, design flexibility, and low-cost of manufacturing are enhanced by the addition of properties usually associated with metals. These include reflectiveness, abrasion resistance, electrical conductivity, and a variety of decorative effects (1).The available processes that can be used for metallization of plastics are vacuum metallization or vapoµr deposition; indirect metallization and plating (1). Plating can be sub-divided into electroless plating and electroplating. In electroless plating, metal ions in aqueous solution are deposited on the .activated plastic surface by oxi-reduction reactions without the aid of an external electric potential, forming a thin metallic layer. This electroless deposited film has two functions: (a) it provides an electrically conductive substrate that allows further coating by electroplating; and (b) provides a secure bond between the plastic substrate and the electroplated layer (1,2). In case the electroless metallic part requires an additional layer for finishing purposes, or just an increase in thickness, the part can be additionally electroplated with a· variety of metals - in most cases those are copper, nickel or chromium (3)."

Jan 1, 2000

By Xiancong Zhao, Hao Bai, Qi Shi, Zhancheng Guo

Reducing electricity cost is important for energy intensive industries such as the iron and steel industry. With the implementation of time-of-use (TOU) electricity price, plenty of attention has been paid to the optimal management of byproduct gases. The time-of-use (TOU) electricity price is the practice of implementing different prices for different times of use. It is possible to reduce electricity cost by adjusting the amount of product gases stored or used for power generation throughout the day. In this paper, a novel mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model concerning the TOU electricity price is proposed to optimize byproduct gas use. Compared with previous models, this model considers the optimal load shift between gasholders and boilers under TOU electricity price. The case study of a steel plant demonstrates that the electricity purchase cost can be reduced by more than 30% after optimization.

Jan 1, 2016

By Yosry Attia

Recent emphasis on environmental effects and costs of conventional mining processing, plus success in accelerating bacterial action, suggest that biotechnology be explored for gold ore processing. In our paper, the past experience with organisms in processing gold is reviewed. The use of microorganisms for liberation of gold from sulfide ores as a substitute for fine grinding is discussed. The possibility of accumulation of gold from solutions, such as cyanide solutions, is explored as a potential replacement for such processes, such as carbon-in-pulp or ion exchange. The improvement in engineering technology and kinetics needed to scale-up from laboratory experiments to production scale are outlined.

Jan 1, 1985

By Joseph C. Milbourne

Tetra Technologies CCIX? (continuous countercurrent ion exchange) system has been involved in a wide range of uranium concentration, separation and purification applications over the past 40 years. Uranium ion exchange applications have ranged from the treatment of copper heap leach solution containing 5 parts per million of uranium to the treatment of high strength sulfuric acid solutions containing several thousand parts per million of uranium. The flexibility and the countercurrent mode of operation and other unique features of the CCIX? have resulted in successful uranium recovery from these solutions and many others.

Jan 1, 1995

By Kang-In Rhee

Nonferrous metal recycling not only provides energy saving and environmental benefits but also is a significant factor in the supply of various types of metals used in our society. Recycling plays an important role in establishing the sustainability of materials. The total amount of recycled nonferrous metals by weight accounts for less than 5% but their value is larger than 50% compared to ferrous metal recycling which consists of about half of the total metal recycling in weight. This paper describes trends and typical achievements in nonferrous metal recycling and overviews the present and future of nonferrous metal recycling technology and business in Korea.

Jan 1, 2006

By Ted H. Eyde

Natural Zeolites are a less expensive and in certain applications a superior alternative to organic ion exchange resins. Mining and metallurgical waste streams are difficult to treat because the effluents which contain potentially valuable heavy metals such as copper, lead, and silver are often highly acidic and contain significant quantities of suspended solids. Under rigorous operational conditions, certain natural zeolites can remove the metals, which if desired can be recovered by either elution or conventional smelting techniques. There are significant differences in cation exchange rate, selectivity and capacity as well as resistance to either high or low pH, blocking cations and tolerance to elevated or depressed temperature and pressure not only between different zeolite minerals but between the same mineral from different deposits. Applying natural zeolites to the treatment of mining and metallurgical waste streams depends on matching the specific zeolite to the effluent by characterization of the zeolite minerals.

Jan 1, 1993

By Liyuan Chai, Bing Peng, Ji Peng, Di Yu

"Electric arc furnace (EAF) stainless steel dust has been classified as a hazardous waste by various government regulatory agencies as it releases heavy metals to environment. The solidification of EAF dust is to stabilize the hazardous components to the amorphous silica-alumina-based clays. The process of solidification is investigated and the softening temperatures of dust and additive clay mixtures are measured for economical thermal treatment. The results indicate that the mixture of dust and local clay with the ratio of 1:1 has the lowest softening temperature 1100 °C and it could pass the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) test for the environmental regulatory limits after thermally treated at softening temperature for 15 min. Major phases of thermal solidification product clinker are CaAl2Si2O8, (Fe, Cr)2O3, (Fe, Mg)(Cr, Al)2O4 and Al6Si2O13.IntroductionThe yield of stainless steels in China arrived to 10 million tons in 2006 and more than 0.2 million tons of stainless steel dust are produced annually. Approximately 1-2 wt.% of scrap charged to an electric arc furnace (EAF) enters the off-gases and then is converted into the dust and reported to the bag-house. The disposal or landfill of the dust becomes a serious environmental problem in China due to the increased production of stainless steels in recent years. The dust contains elements such as chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and their solubility in leaching media exceeds the environmental regulatory limits [1]. Even though easily feasible for low-grade MgO, it is not appropriate to stabilize the heavy metals from the heavily contaminated soils after the dust landfill [2]. Several dust treatment technologies have been developed and they can be divided into two types. One is to recover the metals from the dust [3, 4] and another is to stabilize hazardous components present in the dust [5, 6]. Recycling of the dust generated in EAF is a remediation option for cleaner production. Direct recycling of EAF stainless steel dust was developed to recover the metal value from the dust and protect the environment [7], but it was only suitable for the dust with high contents of Ni, Cr and Fe. As for the dust with low valuable metal content, thermal solidification is an appropriate choice for the dust treatment."

Jan 1, 2012

By L. A. Bertram, F. J. Zanner

"The goal of this paper is to present a tool to simulate transient melting of the electrode tip. This capability is needed to develop and test furnace control algorithms since experimental determination is difficult and expensive. Simulation incorporates parameters (including arc voltage, arc current, electrode gap and furnace pressure) from previous quasi steady experiments with 460 mm diameter Inconel 718 electrodes.Cathode heating rates (determined by classical as well as experimental arc models) are linked to these independent variables. After radiative loss adjustments to the heating, transient one dimensional melting is computed. IntroductionThe vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process attempts to improve the physical and chemical homogeneity of a static-cast electrode by remelting and solidification in a quasisteady manner. To achieve steadiness of furnace operation requires automatic controls based on inputs measuring physically relevant state variables of the process. Previous industrial scale VAR studies (1,2,3) involving stainless steels, superalloys, and other alloys have provided a basis on which control strategies of some generality can be proposed (4). Of these measurements, the data for Inconel 718 is the most complete, so discussion in this paper is restricted to this alloy.Studies of the In 718 alloy subjected to the VAR process have established that melt rate M (kg/hr) depends not only on the melt current 1m (kA) supplied to the furnace, but also on ambient gas pressure of CO, PCO (micron), and electrode gap ge (mm) as well (1):"

Jan 1, 1986

By H. Senoh

For the purpose of clarifying the reason caused a drastic decrease of discharge capacity for MmNi3.6Mn0.4Al0.3Co0.7 electrode at relatively low temperatures, various factors influencing the charge-discharge processes were investigated in the temperature range of 25°C to -40°C. The charge efficiency obviously decreased at low temperatures less than 0°C due to a decrease in the rate of the charge-transfer reaction on the electrode surface. Moreover, both the rate of the hydrogen diffusion from the alloy bulk to surface and the rate of the charge-transfer reaction significantly influenced the high-rate dischargeability. The addition of Mo to MmNi3.6Mn0.4Al0.3Co0.7 alloy was found to be effective for improving the electrocatalytic activity, leading to the improvements of the charge efficiency and the high-rate dischargeability at relatively low temperatures.

Jan 1, 2002

By Roberto Parra

The classic criteria of the preparation of the charge for the smelting of copper concentrates in a flash furnace considers the mass and energy balance from the chemical and mineralogy composition of the concentrates. The operation parameters fixed with this method don't assure the stability of the operation and the critical problems of the slag quality and dust formation occurs very often. This paper presents the results of a laboratory test that allows the predicition of the behavior of concentrates blends in the view of the minimization of the dust formation and the magnetite control in the slag. The combustion of different copper concentrates and blends were done in a drop tube furnace. The results show that the magnetite and dust formation don't have a linear behavior with the weight proportion of the blend and some optimal blends of 2 or 3 types of concentrates can be identified. From the reasonable hypothesis that the qualitative behavior of blends in the drop tube represents the real behavior in the burner, the preparation of the charge with this approach could help to solve those operational problems.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. Morin

A general study of gold refractory arsenopyrite-pyrite concentrate bioleaching has been carried out including two continuous bioleach testworks at different sizes, namely one at a laboratory scale with a 100 I unit at a 2 kg/d dry solid flowrate and the other at a pilot scale at a 100 kg/d dry solid flowrate. Both tests show a 80% bioleaching of arsenopyrite in about four days of treatment and with the same kinetic. Pyrrhotite is attacked at the earlier stage of the bioleaching but pyrite remains unaffected. The weak potential of oxidation associated with the decomposition of arsenopyrite and the abundance of arsenite leads to a high grade of elemental sulfur in the bioresidue which consumes the major part of the cyanide during the gold recovery. Furthermore. the arsenite and ferrous produced in solution have to be oxidized to obtain a stable precipitate in the waste products and as outlined in previous works of other authors on this subject the addition of iron to obtain a Fe/As molar ratio at least above 3 is necessary. The agitation equipment used in the pilot unit allowed an optimization study calculation for scaling-up the design and power requirements of an industrial installation. For the pretreatment of a gold refractory As high-graded concentrate the reagent cost has the greatest part in the operating cost of the biooxidation step due to the necessary retreatment of the biosolution. In that conditions the power cost is quite marginal. actually it is significant for the treatment of pure pyrite.

Jan 1, 1991

By Rodney J. Ishak

The reduction of Mn3O4 to MnO has been investigated in a thermobalance apparatus, The charge was composed of manganese ore (decomposed by heating/calcination or pre-reduction to mainly Mn3O4) and coke. The material was charged to a crucible, which was suspended in the balance. CO-gas was distributed through a grid in the bottom of the crucible. Two sizes of ores were used; 2.4-4.8 mm and 6,7-9.5 mm. Coke particles were in the size range 4.8-6.7 mm. Experiments were conducted in the 900-1100°C temperature range. The composition of the product gas was monitored continuously. External mass transport between bulk gas and particle surface does not seem to limit the rate of reduction. Assuming that both diffusion through product layer and chemical reaction at the interface between MnO and Mn)04 are rate controlling, the data was tried both in a shrinking core model and in a grain model using regression. The grain model gives the best physical description of the process, because the reactant is in fact a porous medium. With this model the effective diffusivity was calculated to be in the 1.5-6.10.5 m2/s range. The pore size was mainly between 0.1 and 10 um,

Jan 1, 2003

By Ann M. Hagni

Microscopic and sub-microscopic gold commonly occurs in the sulfides pyrite (FeS2) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS). To recover refractory gold from pyrite and arsenopyrite, these sulfides are roasted to create porosity and permeability prior to cyanide leaching. A new technique of adding Ca(OH)2 and roasting. lime roasting. is being tested for retention of contaminant sulfur and arsenic and effectiveness of gold extraction. The lime roasting of pyrite at 500°C contains anhydrite (CaS04). oldhamite (CaS). calcium sulfite (CaS03). hematite (Fe2O:J), magnetite (Fe304). and minor amounts of pyrrhotite (Fe1.xS) and pyrite. At 600°C. 650°C and 700°C. the main constituents are anhydrite. oldhamite. and hematite. At 750°C. 800°C. and 850°C. anhydrite and hematite are the predominant phases with minor oldhamite. The roasted arsenopyrite at 450°C contains arsenic sulfides. calcium sulfite. hematite. and minor oldhamite. magnetite. and pyrrhotite. At 650°C. 700°C, 750°C. and 800°C, anhydrite, oldhamite. arsenic sulfides, and hematite are present. At 850°C. the same minerals are present with only minor oldhamite. The textures indicate excellent porosity and permeability at high temperatures. At lower temperatures, rims of low porosity and permeability surround many of the pyrite and arsenopyrite particles, and the complete oxidation process from pyrite to pyrrhotite to magnetite to hematite can be observed in individual particles. Additional process mineralogy techniques employed in this study are electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and cathodoluminescence microscopy (CIM) in the determination of the calcium-sulfur-oxygen phases. Automated scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy was utilized to analyze particles for gold content. Reflected light microscopy (RIM) revealed arsenopyrite and pyrite encapsulated in quartz particles of the gold-bearing concentrate, gold roast calcine, and cyanide leach residue.

Jan 1, 1991

By Ronald Erdmann

Today the BOF filter dusts and sludges are mainly dumped due to their zinc contents. By typically ranging from 2 to 5 % they prevent the filter dusts and sludges from beeing recycled via the blast furnace route. Based on the different discharge kinetics of Iron and zinc during the main blowing period In a bottom stirred BOF a simple and efficient system for recovery allow zinc fractions has been developed. The obtained material Is suitable for recycling without nsc of shell formation In the blast furnace. Different subsequent development steps have been performed. By starling with a very simple lime dependent model the sludge from the BOF off gas cleaning system was collected in two different sludge channel systems. This model based an the fact that most of the scrap based zinc Is discharged from the melt within the first eight to ten minutes of the BOF process. To Improve the system a spectroscope zinc sensor was Installed at the hot section of the off gas cleaning system to get more reliable informations on the actual zinc concentation of the BOF dust. By use of the system up to 50 % of the BOF sludge can be recycled.

Jan 1, 1995

By Noriaki Kurita, Norihiko Fulcatsu, Teruo Ohashi

"An electrochemical sensing device for hydrogen in molten metal has now been available owing to the development of the proton conducting solid electrolyte made of ceramics of metal oxide. The structure of the sensor and the theoretical limitations of its applications are discussed based on the electrochemical properties of the electrolyte used. The practical performance of the sensor is reviewed from the results of test measurements at the plants of aluminum and copper melting industries. The effectiveness of the sensor to the process control of continuous casting of copper is also discussed.IntroductionSince the in-line monitoring of the amount of oxygen dissolved in molten metal was realized by using the oxygen concentration cell based on zirconia solid electrolyte a similar method has been expected to be developed for sensing of hydrogen, which is a very important element of gas species in liquid metals, especially, in aluminum and copper. In 1981; Iwahara and coworkers found the dominant proton conduction at a high temperature in some perovskite-type oxide (1). Since then, the effort has been made to apply this proton conducting material as the electrolyte of the hydrogen concentration cell for high temperature use. The hydrogen sensor for liquid aluminum of this kind was first produced in 1991 (2) and released commercially from TYK Co., Ltd. Recently, we have developed the mother one usable at higher temperature such as copper and silver melting processes (3). In this note we discuss their structure, design and applicable limitations based on the electrochemical properties of this new type electrolyte. The performance of the sensor and benefit to use it to control the melting process is also discussed"

Jan 1, 2000

Mineralogical and metallurgical scoping testwork were carried out to investigate the production of separate, marketable gold and platinum concentrates. The study utilized a flotation concentrate assaying approximately 5 wt% gold and 5 grams per tonne platinum. The gold-platinum mineralization was recovered from a placer deposit. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis identified gold as zoned Au- Ag and Au-Ag-Cu alloys. Platinum primarily occurred as weakly zoned, variably magnetic Pt- Pd-Fe alloys. A combination of gravity and magnetic separations resulted in a gold concentrate grading 86.9 wt% Au (and 9.lwt% Ag) and a separate platinum concentrate grading 400 g/t Pt with recoveries of 94.5% and 96.7%, respectively. Magnetohydrostatic separation (MHS) using the Magstream 200 Separator indicated promising results.

Jan 1, 1994

By B. Thompson

"1. AbstractMagnesium alloys have been successfully recycled for decades and have won acceptance for use by die casters and most of the automotive industry. As the supply chain for magnesium and magnesium alloys continues to change, due to the consolidation of producers, it is essential that quality control methods be closely examined with each new supplier added. An examination of the various process steps that are needed to assure quality in the final product will be discussed thus giving a basis for the auditing of new magnesium suppliers.2. IntroductionMagnesium recycling in the past has been somewhat limited due to its use more as an alloying agent for aluminum based alloys and as a desulfurization agent in iron and steel than in more readily recycled structural products. Recycling efforts continue to improve as more production is finding its way into automotive structural components, hand tools, and a variety of computer and cellular telephone applications.With the closure of several large North American primary magnesium production facilities over the past decade we have only recently witnessed a tightness in supply that is driving magnesium prices significantly higher, nearly doubling the price in the last year alone. The rapid escalation in pricing will provide additional economic incentives to fully utilize recycling for the recovery of an even greater percentage of both old and new sources of magnesium scrap. Political pressure continues to intensify towards the secondary recovery of any and all recoverable resources of which magnesium recycling readily applies.Economics will also likely drive the development of new sources of magnesium production, both from primary and secondary production. As new sources of magnesium are offered to the marketplace the potential for product quality issues may increase. When considering any new raw material supplier a decision must be made as to the impact of defective material on the intermediate or finished product. Quality defects in magnesium ingot can result in a variety of appearance, corrosion, and even adverse structural effects in the finished product. The potential severity of the impact of defective raw materials on the finished product will determine and often justify a close look at any new supplier. An on-site audit of a new supplier of a critical raw material is often justified to ensure that an adequate quality assurance system is in place. We will now look at a number of key production points that should be examined during an on-site audit that have can have an impact on the overall quality of the finished product."

Jan 1, 2008

By A. González

Arsenic is one of the main contaminants present in Chilean copper concentrates and its abatement represents a challenge for the process metallurgy, particularly under the strong environmental requirements in the global community. The possibility to form ferric arsenate directly from a gas phase by means of a heterogeneous reaction between an arsenic gas bearing and iron oxide was studied at laboratory scale. A thermodynamical analysis for the system Fe-As-O-S has been initially made, in order to obtain the stability conditions for the ferric arsenate or other FeAsyO2 type compounds. Experiments were made using an hematite sample suspended in a thermogravimetric device. AS4O6 gas generated from solid AS2O3 that was passed through the iron oxide sample and its instantaneous weight change was recorded directly. A kinetic study for the AS4O6 volatilization was made to control the gas composition. A chemical control between 300 and 600°C with an apparent activation energy of around 14 Kcal/mol As2O3 was determined. The samples after the reactions were chemically and XRD analysed. Arsenates detected corresponds to complex compounds. Results shows a dependence on temperature and oxygen content in the gas phase. The kinetics for iron arsenates formation is slow, reaching an arsenic capture of 6% after 80 minutes of reaction when an oxygen content of 50% is fed continuously at 800°C and 3,56% As in the gas. Experiences made at the same temperature but under higher oxygen content in a closed reactor, allowed arsenic capture close to 60%. For higher temperatures the capture is considerably lower.

Jan 1, 2003