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By Gordon Irons, Kevin Graham, Krishnakumar Krishnapisharody

Ladle or secondary metallurgy in steelmaking is an essential process step for the production of high-quality steel. Professor David Robertson was a pioneer in the modeling of these processes, in particular gas-metal fluid dynamic interactions and the rates of slag-metal reactions. This is now a highly active area of research, and some of the recent developments in this area will be reviewed.

Jan 1, 2014

By Li Kaihua, Li Liang, Miao Qingdong, Wang Cong

The current process of production of titanium sponge involves the use of TiCl4 as a feed material and a huge amount of heat is generated during the magnesiothermic reduction process. For this reason, it is possible to agglomerate into a titanium lump with the partial high temperature. And, it is difficult to obtain soft titanium sponge with low content of impurities. In order to solve the current problems in the titanium sponge production process, process optimization experiments study of TiCl4 feeding speed, vacuum distillation temperature, system pressure and time control had been conducted for obtain high quality titanium sponge. Experimental results show that lower feeding speed can improve the output capacity of titanium sponge and softer products can be obtained. The product grade rate of titanium sponge improved significantly.

Jan 1, 2015

By Rubén J. Sánchez Rodriguez, Carlos M. Fontes Vieira, Carlos E. Gomes Ribeiro

Ornamental compound stone are produced by industry for decades, however, few published studies describe these materials. Brazil has many deposits of stone wastes and a big potential to produce these materials. This work aims to evaluate the chemical resistance of ornamental compound stones produced with marble waste and unsaturated polyester. An adaptation of Annex H of ABNT NBR 13818:97 standard, with reagents commonly used in household products, was used. The results were compared with those obtained for natural stone used in composite production.

Jan 1, 2015

By Anna Franzkowiak, Dean Gregurek, Alfred Spanring, Angelika Ressler

In order to determine the most suitable refractory products and improve the lining lifetime for the diverse furnaces used in the nonferrous metal industry, corrosion tests are performed at RHI’s Technology Center. The practical facilities include the cup test, induction furnace, rotary kiln, and drip slag test described in this paper, which enable a comprehensive understanding of the chemo-thermal brick wear on a pilot scale. The corrosion trials are performed with actual slags generated during operations at a customer’s plant. To determine the highest influencing wear parameter, every single test is combined with a detailed mineralogical investigation and thermochemical calculations performed using FactSage. Based on the results, tailored refractory solutions for the nonferrous metal industry can be provided in combination with trials conducted at the customer’s site.

Jan 1, 2014

By Petrus Christiaan Pistorius, Ming Tang

Magnetite concentrate is pelletized and then hardened by elevated-temperature oxidation to hematite, to produce pellets for ironmaking. Previous work showed that the rate of oxidation is under mixed control of gaseous mass transfer of molecular oxygen through the pellet pores, and solid-state diffusion into the oxidizing grains. Because of the partially limiting role of solid-state diffusion, concentrate size distribution strongly affects pellet oxidation. Previously, a simple mixed-control model was formulated to describe isothermal oxidation. In that model, the main effect of concentrate size distribution was on the plateau level of oxidation which is reached at a given temperature. However, the extent of plateau oxidation increases with increased temperature, requiring a more complex model for non-isothermal oxidation. In this paper, predictions of the non-isothermal model confirm the strong effects of concentrate size distribution and oxygen enrichment. In particular, a greater fraction of coarse magnetite particles would be beneficial, decreasing the size of the macroscopic unoxidized pellet core.

Jan 1, 2015

By Alessandro Blasi, Massimo Morgana, Corradino Sposato, Pietro Garzone, Giuseppe Devincenzis

The rare earth elements are essential for a diverse and expanding array of high-technology applications, which constitute an important part of the industrial economy of the 21st century. As a matter of fact, rare earth has been listed in the category of strategic elements in many countries becoming a core business for international research. Experimental tests have been carried out on a bench scale battery of mixer settler composed of 24 stages, each one with a volume of 150 ml. These trials have been performed at room temperature checked by a micro-climatic control system. The battery was setted in two sections: extraction and scrubbing section. Rare earths concentrations were obtained by ICP-OES analysis made on aqueous phase and on the stripped from organic phase. We obtained a complete separation of light rare earth (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) in two sub-groups: La/Ce and Pr/Nd.

Jan 1, 2014

By Yuzhe Zhang, Xiaodi Huang, Xinli Wang, Bowen Li, Matthew Andriese, Jiann-Yang Hwang, Zhiwei Peng, Likun Li

With the development of the world, the waste tires have been a serious environmental problem. There are about 2 billion waste tires produced all over the world every year and about 500 million waste tires are produced in the United States. Most of the waste tires are land filled, which waste a lot of space. It takes hundreds of years to resolve the macromolecules of waste tire into the standard which does not pollute the environment. Microwave irradiation is a thermal processing way for waste tires decomposition. In this study, the relative dielectric loss factor of the tire at various temperatures was determined to understand the behavior of tires under microwave heating.

Jan 1, 2016

By Qingchun Yu, Bin Yang, Yong Deng, Heng Xiong, Fei Wang, Minxiu Chen

"Metal aluminum produced by non-electrolysis process received much attention due to its lower energy consumption. In this paper, carbothermic reduction and carbothermic-chlorination of alumina in normal pressure and vacuum were studied. The products were examined by means of XRD, EDS and SEM. During the carbothermic reduction process using carbon reductant in normal pressure, no metal aluminum was found. However, when coal was used as reductant, a mixture containing metallic aluminum, A14C3, and silicon was obtained, but metallic aluminum couldn't be separated from the mixture. During the carbothermic-chlorination process in vacuum, Al404C and Al4C3 were produced by the reaction between alumina and carbon, and Al Ch gas reacted with Al404C and Al4C3 to produce Al Cl gas. Metallic aluminum was produced due to the disproportionation of A!Cl gas and condensed on the collecting plate. Meanwhile, the initial temperature of carbothermic reduction of alumina reduced in vacuum compared with that in normal pressure.IntroductionIndustrial production of primary aluminum is carried out in alumina cell by the so-called Hall- Heroult process, necessitating the use of very high currents of low voltage. The alumina from which metallic aluminum is gained must be chemically pure, otherwise impure metal results. The main drawbacks of the electrolytic production are its very high energy consumption, the release ofperfluorocarbons, and the high specific C02 emissions [1]. During the past years, there were a lot of attempts to produce metallic aluminum by carbothermic reduction of A1203 [2, 3]. Cox [4] determined the vapor pressure over the A1203-C system and performed X-ray diffraction analysis of condensed products. It was demonstrated that an increase in the carbon content in the system leaded to the sequence of transitions: A1203~Al404C~A1zoc~A14C3 ~AI [5]. In any carbothermic reduction process for aluminum, extremely high temperatures (2000 °C ) were required [6]. In spite of considerable effort, the carbothermic reduction of alumina to aluminum remains a formidable technical challenge, due to the high temperatures required, and to the formation of aluminum carbide and oxycarbide byproducts [7]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Kang-In Rhee

A series of processes to recover the gold from electronic scrap which contains initially about 200-600 ppm Au have been developed. First, mechanical beneficiation including shredding, crushing and screening was employed. Results showed that 99 percent of gold component leaves in the fraction of under 1 mm of crushed scrap and its concentration was enriched to about 800 ppm without incineration. The scrap was leached in 50% aqua regia solution and gold was dissolved completely at 60°C within 2 hours. Other valuable metals such as silver, copper, nickel and iron were also dissolved. This resulting solution was boiled to remove nitrous compounds in the leachate. Finally, a newly designed electrolyzer was tested to recover the gold metal. More than 99% of gold and silver were recovered within an hour in electrowinning process.

Jan 1, 1995

By Takaaki Ishikawa

The distribution equilibria of lead, zinc and copper between CaO-Si02-Ah03 melts and liquid copper were measured at 1623K under a controlled H2-C02 atmosphere. The distribution ratios were plotted against the oxygen partial pressure, and reasonable oxide forms dissolved in the melts were estimated from the slopes of the plots. The activity coefficients of zinc oxide (ZnO), lead oxide (PbO) and cuprous oxide (CuOQs) increased with increasing slag basicity, defined by Xcao /XSiO, The temperature dependence of the activity coefficients was also measured.

Jan 1, 2003

By Wang Chen

COREX process is briefly introduced. A static model combining a set of mass and heat balance equations has been developed. Taking the specified inputs from the graphical user interfaces, the model is capable of calculating the consumption of raw materials and fluxes, the volume and composition of the slag and the volume and composition of the generator gas. The model enables the examination of the changes of materials and energy flows induced by the variations of operational parameters and raw materials chemical analysis. The model allows a detailed process analysis and adjustment of the plant operation and can thus be used to improve plant operation.

Jan 1, 2008

By Masatoshi Ogasawara

Saganoseki smelter & refinery operated two flash smelting furnaces, producing a combined 330,000 metric tons per year (hereinafter mtpy) of copper. In 1996, however, it successfully shifted to a single furnace operation while maintaining production at the same level. Since then, the production capacity has been further increased to the present 470,000 mtpy by technological improvements. Also, in order to reduce the converter load which represents a bottleneck in efforts to increase production, the matte grade was gradually increased and currently runs at 65 to 66% attaining the low copper content in the slag (hereinafter slag loss) of 0.7 to 0.8%. This paper introduces some improvements, recent operation results and thermodynamic analyses.

Jan 1, 2003

By Lichao Ding, Jingbiao Fan, Yunnen Chen

"With the development of industrial production, more and more wastewater containing high concentration ammonia nitrogen was discharge into the environmemt, which caused serious harm to the environmemt. Treating the wastewater has great significance to protect water resources. Using air-stripping combined with oxidation to uptake high concentration of ammonia nitrogen wastewater. The influence of operating parameters was investigated. Experimental results revealed that pH of solution, aeration time and aeration strength showed heavy influence on ammonia nitrogen removal. Air-stripping combined with oxidation can be considered as an alternative approach for the removal of high concentration of ammonia nitrogen from practical metallurgical wastewater. When pH was 11, aeration time 20 min, aeration strength 1040 Lh-1, and oxidation with 10 % NaClO solution 10 min, the initial ammonia nitrogen 2130 mgr1 could reduce to 12 mgr1. Other items could also be removed to meet the ""Integrated wastewater discharge standard (GB8978-88)"".1. IntroductionThe rapid development of human activities has caused a worldwide increase of nitrogen in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. It leads to considerable eutrophication and an increase in the frequency of toxic algae blooms [1,2]. The concentrations of nitrogen in the water of China are pervading high [3]. The discharge of wastewater containing high concentration of ammonia nitrogen is one of the most important factors. Great efforts have been devoted to the removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater. Traditional methods include biological denitrication [ 4 ], chemical precipitation with magnesium ammonium phosphate [5], electrochemical conversion [6], air-stripping [7] and so on. Biological denitrication is the most common process in the treatment of ammonia nitrogen wastewater. But the process is only suitable for the removal of relatively low ammonia concentration due to the requirement of appropriate C/N ratio [8]. Chemical precipitation needs additional reagents, which may introduce new pollutants to water body. Electrochemical method often uses expensive metal or metal oxide as electrodes, and also consumes large quantity of energy [6].Although air-stripping makes use of stripping tower and consumes energy, it is very suitable for the removal of relatively high ammonia concentration. Different air-stripping conditions would appear different removal efficiency. And only air-stripping the effluent can not be attained the ""Integrated wastewater discharge standard (GB8978-88)"". In this study, we use air-stripping and oxidation to removal high concentration of ammonia nitrogen from simulated and real ammonia nitrogen wastewater."

Jan 1, 2011

By M. I. Novgorodova

An overview of the systems Au-Ag and Au-Cu is given. The nature and levels of concentration of various elements occurring with native gold is reviewed. The examples cited are mainly from the USSR. The lack of homogeneity within naturally occurring Au-Ag solid solutions is examined.

Jan 1, 1991

By Sevinc Yildirim, Cigdem Oruclus

"Metal-Porous Silicon (PS) based structures dipped in water show the direct hydrogen fuel cell behavior. The effect of the thickness of the cupper (Cu) film on the electrical properties of direct hydrogen fuel cell is studied by fabricating Cu/Porous Silicon/n-Silicon/Indium structures. PS samples were produced electrochemical etching of n-type single crystalline silicon with a resistivity of 1,25 Ocm and (111) orientation. The thin films of Cu with different thickness between 200 and 600 nm were deposited on PS surface by electron-beam technique. Investigation of the effect of Cu layer on the performance of the structure indicates that the performance parameters such as open circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current (Isc) strongly depend on the Cu layer thickness. It was observed that the divice with an 350 nm Cu layer exhibits the highest open circuit voltage (0,5 V), short circuit current (0,01 mA) and power density (10 W.m-2).IntroductionHydrogen is the most attractive and ultimate candidate for a future fuel and an energy carrier. Hydrogen is recognized as the environmentally desirable clean fuel of the future since it can be used directly in different types of hydrogen fuel cells [1]. In the past years, the rise in portable electronics requires the development of miniature fuel cells compatible with standard silicon micro fabrication technology. Most silicon micro-fuel cells have used the polyperfluo-rosulfonic acid membranes (Nafion R) as a proton exchange membranes (PEM) that is not really integrated with standard micro fabrication techniques [2-5]. The composite materials such as inorganicorganic hybrid materials (Nafion-silica, Nafion-borosiloxane etc) are next generation of proton conducting membrane [4-8]. But, fuel cells run on pure hydrogen gas, which can be produced with other energy resources. Hydrogen smallest atom and thus the H2 gas can leak easiliy. The application of hydrogen for power sources has been greatly restrained due to the lack of safe and convenient generation and storage methods.A kind of hydrogen fuel cells Metal-PS-Si structures used as an energy water directly. There is no need pure hydrogen. Cu-PS-Si Schottky-type fuel cells with as proton-conducting membrane and the thin-film cupper catalist and water as fuel, which are interesting for fabrication of lowcost miniature fuel cells. Generation of the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current has been observed by Cu-PS-Si structure dipping in different hydrogen-containing solution."

Jan 1, 2014

By Denise C. R. Espinosa

Rechargeable lithium batteries are one of the most promISIng technology in battery development. Although Li ion batteries have been used as an alternative to the more polluting and less performing Ni-Cd batteries, Li ion batteries have limited life and their disposal is uncertain. It is imperative that valuables from wastes, such as lithium, should be recovered. The main objective of the present work was to characterize secondary lithium batteries for cellular phones. This was done using unit operations of mining processing, x-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analyses and the rmogravimetric analysis (TG). The unit operations were hammer mill grinding, knife mill grinding, size separation and magnetic separation. After the hammer grinding process, the plastic cases were almost intact, however, they have released the cylindrical lithium batteries themselves and these parts correspond to 70% of the total battery weight.

Jan 1, 2001

By Henrique Kahn

The Anitapolis alkaline massif in southern Brazil underlies a sub circular area of 6 km2. Bore-hole data show a concentric rock distribution, with mafic rocks in the central part and felsic rocks in the border zone. The rocks are covered by talus and weathered material, 30 m thick on average, and very inhomogeneous in composition. Phosphate mineralization associated mainly with two levels of the weathering mantle and with fresh rocks. A preliminary ore-type classification was based on distribution of apatite, feldspar, vermiculite, biotite-phiogopite, calcite, pyroxene, amphibole and analcime, determined by semiquantitative diffraction method. Technological tests performed on eluvial ore samples from three adits resulted in a subdivision of ore-types based on the difference in behavior due to mineral characteristics during mineral pr

Jan 1, 1991

By Claudio Parra De Lazzari

The determination of the governing step of the deoxidation rate and the effects of the hydrogen content of the mixtures (C), the diameter of the delivery orifice (4) and the Reynolds number of the orifice (Re.) on the product Av kjg were investigated. A,, is the total surface area of the interface between the bubbles and the melt and kjg is the mass transfer coefficient in the gas phase. The design of the experiments was based on a two level statistically fractionated, factorial planning. Oxygen in the melt was measured as a function of time. It was found that the governing step of the deoxidation rate was the transport of hydrogen in the gaseous phase and that {Ay kjg} increases with C, {o} and Reo.

Jan 1, 1997

By Laszlo Kadar, J. D. Lavers

"In the continuous casting of aluminum killed steel, the tundish nozzle often experiences clogging problems. Water model studies have shown that the clogging problem is dependent on the flow pattern in the nozzle entry region. In particular, the flow can separate at the entrance to the nozzle, leading to the development of a recirculation region. Although a nozzle can be designed such that no recirculation develops, even a small misalignment from the vertical positioning of the nozzle may render the design ineffective.To reduce the possibility of nozzle clogging, the recirculation zone must be reduced or eliminated. This may be achieved by moving the fluid downwards or raising the turbulence level in the separation region. In the case of a tundish nozzle, it is proposed that this can be achieved by using electromagnetic forces.To generate the required electromagnetic force, two systems are considered. The first is based on injecting a DC current; the second by using electromagnetic induction. Both methods are described in this paper. Order of magnitude calculations are provided to illustrate that both methods are essentially feasible. The performance of each method in terms of modifying the turbulent flow characteristics in the nozzle entry region is then examined using a numerical model. It is shown that both methods can greatly reduce the recirculation zone. A cylindrical nozzle was chosen for the model studies since it represents a worst case situation.On the basis of the model studies, it can be concluded that whereas both of the proposed methods have the potential to reduce the troublesome recirculation zone, the induction method appears to be simpler in terms of practical implementation."

Jan 1, 1999

By Takaaki Ishikawa

The distribution equilibria of lead, zinc and copper between CaO-Si02-Ah03 melts and liquid copper were measured at 1623K under a controlled H2-C02 atmosphere. The distribution ratios were plotted against the oxygen partial pressure, and reasonable oxide forms dissolved in the melts were estimated from the slopes of the plots. The activity coefficients of zinc oxide (ZnO), lead oxide (PbO) and cuprous oxide (CuO0.5) increased with increasing slag basicity, defined by XCao/Xsio2 The temperature dependence of the activity coefficients was also measured.

Jan 1, 2003