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By Rina Kim

There are many factors which affect the gold cyanidation mechanism— mineral composition, free cyanide and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, heavy metal additions, etc. This study combines electrochemistry and surface analysis methods to examine the effectiveness of the above factors on gold cyanidation process. Three gold ore samples were used in this study. Sample 1 was a pyrite concentrate, contained mercury and silver. Sample 2 also contained sulfide minerals, including galena. Sample 3 contained pyrite with sphalerite and galena. In the case of samples 1 and 2, the presence of heavy metals enhanced gold cyanidation kinetics, though the addition of higher DO was not effective on improving the kinetics. Sample 3 showed an opposite behavior: the kinetics was not enhanced by galena, because of its relatively small amount, however, the use of higher DO made improvement in the gold leaching kinetics, likely caused by iron species generated by pyrite oxidation.

By Z. M. Zheng

Cyclic voltammetry, potential step, and ac impedance techniques were applied to study the electrochemical reaction of arsenopyrite in chloride solutions. The relationship between anodic current density and time in potential step measurements indicates that the oxidation of arsenopyrite is irreversible. The results of the constant potential coulometry show that the stoichiometric factor of the total electron involved in the overall reaction is 14. It is proposed that the dissolution of arsenopyrite is retarded by coverage of sulfur produced in the reaction as an intermediate product. The measured results of ac impedance strongly support the proposition. The proposed reaction mechanism also explains satisfactorily the charging current density and Tafel slopes measured in potential step measurements.

Jan 1, 1995

By Vladimiros G. Papangelakis

During the past five years, chemical modelling work at the University of Toronto has elucidated the role of soluble magnesium on the autoclave acidity and has demonstrated why feeds rich in magnesium, and other divalent metals, require more than the stoichiometric requirements in acid to produce a leaching performance comparable to that of low magnesium feeds. This understanding has allowed the calculation of acid additions to the pressure acid leach (PAL) on a less empirical basis. Optimizing acid additions to the PAL confers savings in neutralization costs, ensures high productivity and minimises corrosion problems. Hence, our picture of the solution chemistry inside the autoclave during the PAL process has been substantially improved and is reviewed here. Experimental techniques based on solubility and direct acidity measurements that support the theoretical predictions are presented. Concepts of chemical modelling of electrolyte systems at high temperature and software issues are also discussed. Finally, a better understanding of the solution chemistry at temperature has led to better kinetics models because all metal dissolution and precipitation reactions are acid driven and controlled. . Therefore, reactor modelling efforts by our group are also presented and a reactor model with very good performance, as compared to pilot-plant data, is also made here. Finally, in spite of the above success in PAL solution chemistry and reactor modelling, significant challenges lie ahead in theoretical data gaps and instrumentation; these are also discussed in this paper. Keywords: Laterites, process modelling, pressure acid leach, solution chemistry, chemical modelling, reactor simulation

Jan 1, 2004

By Chang-Young Choi

Korea Zinc commenced zinc production in 1978 with a capacity of 50,000 tpa. Since then, continuous investments have been made and resulted in Korea Zinc now being the biggest zinc and lead producer in the world. In the course of increasing zinc production capacity, the company management realized that the company needed a lead smelter to prevent the solid waste disposal problems by treating the lead containing solid waste. This paper begins by briefly stating the objectives and the roles of the lead smelter at Onsan. It describes the QSL process and the TSL process, and further extends the description of the TSL process, through which harmless inert solid waste could be produced for secure final disposal. It is also mentioned that the TSL process plays an important role in the integration of zinc and lead production. Throughout the paper, a positive attitude in handling the environmental issues in the non-ferrous smelting industry is emphasized. Finally, a solution for the solid waste disposal problem in the zinc and lead industry is proposed, with which the environmental issues can be an opportunity rather than a crisis. The current operation at Onsan suggests the future direction of the non-ferrous smelting technology that all of the zinc and lead producers should pursue.

Jan 1, 2003

By Sergey Shabala

Green leaf tissues convert solar energy into the energy of chemical bonds of sugar molecules during the process of photosynthesis. The efficiency of this conversion can be much higher than efficiency of any of the currently known silicon-based solar panels. Importantly, vast amounts of CO2 are assimilated during this process. The efficiency of photosynthesis is critically dependent on the availability of a large number of nutrients, among which metal cations such as K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Ni play a key role. In this paper I summarize basic requirements and major functions for each of these essential nutrients in plant photosynthesis, both at the whole-plant and molecular level. I will talk about how these requirements may be affected by the global climate trends and discuss the prospects of creating artificial photosynthetic “bioreactors” for efficient energy conversion and CO2 assimilation.

Jan 1, 2009

By Zhucheng Huang, Lingyun Yi, Bin Chai, Tao Jiang

"A high iron content manganese ore was reduced at 900~1200°C and followed by a magnetic separation process. SEM and EDS analyzes were employed to examine the transformation of microstructure and phase in reduced sample and the mechanism was revealed. Results showed that elements enriched during reduction. Iron existed in the metal iron phase and most of oxygen formed compound with manganese. Consequently a clear distinguish between iron phase and manganese minerals formed, which was beneficial to the separation of iron and manganese. But the iron phase can not be monomer dissociation in grinding process and manganese compounds turned into magnetic product as package and mechanic inclusion due to the isomorphism of iron and manganese and the small particle size. And MnO could be found partially in iron phase, which hindered the further separation of manganese and iron.IntroductionManganese is widely used in industry. The amount of manganese used in steel industry is very huge and 90% manganese is used in steel industry. Manganese ore resources are rich in China, yet with fewer rich ore but more low-grade ore which accounts for 93.6% and fine refractory ore. The constitution of the ore is very complex and more than 73% of all the manganese ore contains iron[l,2]. With the increasing of consumption of steel, the demand for manganese is becoming larger and larger and the imported ore accounts for more than 50%. Therefore, how to use the manganese ore efficiently has very significant meaning. The main method is manganese residual, which is simple and stable. However, the development of the method is limited by the quality of manganese ore, the huge amount of manganese residual, the technology of blast furnace process and economics[3,4]. Chemical benefication which may pollute environment and is difficult to recover iron is still being researched[5,6]. The paper investigated the process in which anthracite coal was the reducing agent for coal-based direct reduction and magnetic separation of the ore, and SEM with EDS measurements were employed to examine the transformation of phase in reduced sample and the mechanism was revealed[7,8]."

Jan 1, 2013

By J. Rastas

The recovery of lead, silver and gold from existing and potential zinc process residues using a sulfidization-flotation method was investigated on a laboratory scale. The following residues were tested: neutral leach residue, high acid leach residue, and hematite residues. The sulfidization of lead and silver is carried out at low pH by the addition of a stoichiometric amount of sulfide at a controlled rate. To increase the particle size of the sulfides, seeding with synthetic lead and silver sulfides -is employed. The flotation is carried out at pH 2-4 using low pH-collectors such as dithiophosphates and dithiophosphinates. Special attention must be paid to the role of oxygen in the conditioning stage. The effect of different parameters on both the sulfidization and the flotation has been evaluated. Recoveries of 85-90, 90-95 and about 80 % were obtained for lead, silver and gold, respectively. Typically, concentrates containing 50-60 % lead, 3-5 kg/t silver and 10-15 git gold were produced.

Jan 1, 1990

By N. Krishna

The utilization of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in conjunction with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a powerful surface characterization technique to study the role of sulfur formation during acidic oxidation of chalcopyrite. It has been established that the chalcopyrite dissolution kinetics is controlled by the formation of passive sulfur layer during leaching. The objective of the study was to characterize the intermediate sulfur layer formation at different oxidation conditions in acidic solution. The chalcopyrite samples were subjected to anodic oxidation and the oxidation process was analyzed using impedance spectroscopy. The sulfur growth on the chalcopyrite surface during oxidation was further analyzed using Atomic Force Microscope for sulfur roughness and grain size, peak height and sulfur growth.

Jan 1, 1999

By T. R. A. Davey

The technologies of lead, zinc and tin extraction have made varying degrees of progress over the past twenty years. Producers of all metals have faced increasing demands for reduction of pollution and environmental degradation, and the level of public concern is rising rather than abating. New processing techniques must therefore be not only economically feasible, but politically acceptable, even when the demands of "conservationists" and ?environmentalists? are unreasonable. A new generation of processing techniques has come into being, which do not rely on an expensive sintering stage, nor use metallurgical coke, which is difficult to make without serious pollution. They utilise intense reactors, conveying materials from one stage to the next preferably within an enclosed space, obviating fume emissions, and avoiding heat losses as far as possible. The acceptability of the new techniques? is increased if lowgrade or complex materials can be treated, along with a variety of returns and wastes. In addition, a good selling and servicing organisation seems to be as important as good process technology in determining the spread of the new processes. In the field of pyrometallurgical refining the need is for more general application of several recently developed techniques rather than a search for alternatives to the existing process technologies. However, there is a need for fundamental work investigating the phenomenon of oxygen anode overvoltage in the electrolytic zinc process, in order to make progress in the further reduction of energy consumption. There is also scope for further development and application of vacuum distillation to up-grade thermally produced zinc. This paper presents a personal view of processes which should be developed to overcome existing problems, as we approach the turn of the century,

Jan 1, 1990

By Zhijing Zhang

A thermodynamic structure model for alkali borate melts is developed to describe the distribution of structural groups in the alkali borate melts as a function of compositions. Fractions of threefold coordinated boron atoms and fourfold coordinated boron atoms in the potassium borate melt are calculated for the entire composition range and compared with results reported in the literature. The model has been used for structural interpretation for the borate anomaly in viscosity, which regards the borate anomaly as a manifestation of the various antithetical effects caused by the introduction of alkali oxide into boric oxide. It has been found that the viscosities of alkali borate melts increase or decrease according to the changes in rigidity and spatial connectivity of the glass network structure, which is a function of temperature and composition.

Jan 1, 2001

By J. Y. Hwang

Microwave heating is an attractive alternative to conventional heating methods because heat is generated directly within the microwave absorbing materials. It has potential to be utilized for selective heating and removal of specified components from a materials mixture. This investigation was undertaken to explore the potential of selective heating and burning of binders for foundry sand reclamation. Selected raw materials and binders used in foundry operations were tested to determine their receptivity to microwave heating. Time needed to reach 600°C and/or the maximum temperature achieved for samples irradiated by microwaves for twenty minutes under 800 W microwave power are reported. The microwave heating characteristics of the selected materials are summarized and discussed. The interactions between microwaves and the raw materials used in a foundry. such as silica sand. chromite sand and bentonite (clay) binder were studied. The results showed that chromite sand coupled well with microwave energy at ambient temperature while silica sand did not. This was expected because the major component of chromite sand. iron chromite (FeCr2O4). is a good microwave absorber. while quartz, which is the major component of silica sand, is a microwave transparent material at ambient temperature. Bentonite absorbs microwaves well because it contains a hydroxyl functional group and water molecules in its structure. It was found that the structure of bentonite was changed through microwave irradiation. Microwave heating characteristics of silica sand mixed with different amounts of bentonite binders were investigated. The presence of bentonite in the mixture improved the microwave heating of silica sand significantly. and bentonite was deactivated by the microwave processing.

Jan 1, 1995

By O. Durand

The Cerro Verde Hydrometallurgical Plant, located at Arequipa in the southern part of Peru, started its operation in 1977 with a design capacity of 33,000 MT/year of copper cathodes. The plant has treated 61,055,000 MT of ore mainly oxides with a content of 1.01% total copper and 0.67% of soluble copper. The leaching plant has three pads that produce 4.0 gpl copper solution. The solvent extraction plant has four trains with three extraction stages, two stripping stages with a single mixer in all stages. The mixer-settlers are 316 stainless steel and the pumps are vertical turbines. The flowrates of 1,300 gal/mil of aqueous and 1,300 gal/min of organic at a 1/1 ratio. The electrowinning plant contains 208 commercial cells and 18 starting sheet cells. Each cell has 47 anodes and 46 cathodes. In addition to describing the hydrometallurgical plant, this paper also mentions efforts directed at reducing costs and improving operations. The initial results from leaching secondary sulfides, which started October 1985, are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1987

By Yuanbo Zhang, Bingbing Liu, Zhuyin Chen, Xiao Kang, Chen Liu

Composite agglomeration process (CAP) is an effective method to utilize the iron-bearing dusts generated in the ironmaking plants, by which the dust percentage in the sinter feed can be increased up to 20 wt %. In the current study, a comparison on behavior of iron-bearing dust in the conventional sintering process (CSP) and CAP was characterized. The results showed, in the CSP products, the scattered iron-bearing dust in the mixture was disadvantageous for the sintering indexes and consolidation of the finished sinters. In the CAP products, the main phase in the iron-bearing dust pellets was well-crystallized Fe2O3 grain particles. In the matrix parts, there were more Fe3O4 particles generated, which caused to high RDI+3.15 and low RI of the finished products. The pellets and the matrix parts were bonded by iron oxides and acicular calcium ferrite.

Jan 1, 2016

By Hemraj Dangi, S. Murali, Bhisham Yadav, Mohini Saxena, P. Asokan

"Demonstration studies were carried on the use of fly ash as soil modifier and supplier of micronutrients to improve the agricultural productivity based on the process optimised at lab scale at Advanced Materials & Processes Research Institute, Bhopal. The field trials were conducted in Uttar Pradesh (North India) Orissa (South Eastern India) and Madhya Pradesh (Central India) under different soil and crop conditions. 100-650 tonnes of fly ash per hectare were applied depending upon the soil and fly ash characteristics. Both short and long term studies on impact of fly ash on soil and food quality were conducted. With the fly ash application, the edible yield of tomato, cabbage, potato, wheat, pea, onion, paddy, sunflower, maize etc., were increased from 12 - 46% as compared to the control soil where no fly ash was used. The crop response to various elements mainly heavy metals grown in soil and fly ash applied soil was found comparable to that of control, which are within the permissible limits and meet the food quality standards. The results of impact of fly ash on biotic and abiotic properties of soil, along with the quantity and quality of agricultural produces generated under pilot scale demonstrations in three different parts of India are discussed in this paper. The outcome of this work could act as guiding force for confidence building and to maximise the use of fly ash, generated from thermal power plants worldwide as one of the major mineral waste for agriculture purposes.IntroductionThe advantages of application of fly ash in terms of improvement of soil properties and crop yields have been published by various researchers in India and abroad. Attention is also given about the possible negative and beneficial impact of pond ash in agriculture due to presence of heavy elements, radioactive nuclides and plant nutrients in fly ash. It is evident from the analysis of Indian fly ash that the presence of heavy elements and radionuclides levels are comparable with normal soil. The positive impact that has been reported is with regard to germination, yield and crop growth. The significant impacts are: long term effect of heavy and toxic elements content of fly ash on soil and up take of these elements by plant. Pilot scale demonstration studies have been completed with varying soil crop-combination under different agro-climatic conditions showed considerable improvement in the productivity of cereals, oil seeds and vegetables."

Jan 1, 2008

By Thomas E. P. Wechsler

The limiting factor for most pyro-metallurgical processes in secondary cop- per melting is the time required to heat and melt the product. American Combustion's proprietary PYRETRON variable £uel/air/oxygen combustion system improves the throughput of existing scrap melting and heating furnaces for copper and copper alloy production by increasing the rate of heat transfer from the flame to the product. The increased productivity and energy savings obtained from this technology can result in sizable reductions in operating costs for smelting operations.

Jan 1, 1991

By R. J. Wesely

The paper describes the various methods which are currently being used or considered to refine gold and silver. These methods are then compared on a technical and economic basis. Conclusions are drawn on the factors which might influence the choice of process for different feed stocks and economic constraints

Jan 1, 1990

The viscosity of high magnesium content FeO-Fe3O4-SiO2-CaO-MgO slags at nickel flash smelting conditions was investigated using a commercial rotational viscometer. The studied parameters were compositions of slag and temperature. The viscosity of these slags was measured as a function of CaO, MgO, SiO2, FeO. Fe3O4 and Fe/SiO2 in temperature range from 1473K to 1723K. These slags contained 5.81 to 10.59 pct MgO, 0 to 10.37 pct CaO, 28.21 to 36.21 pct SiO2, 39.40 to 55.42 pct Fe and 1.1 to 1.5 Fe/SiO2.

Jan 1, 1999

By Srinath Viswanathan, Adrian Sabau

"In general, the occurrence of microporosity during metal casting is due to the combined effects of solidification shrinkage and gas precipitation. The governing equations for fluid flow and hydrogen evolution indicate that porosity formation and fluid flow are strongly coupled. However, in most studies on microporosity, it is considered that the porosity formation does not influence the fluid flow in the mushy zone. In this study, a computational methodology is presented for the numerical simulation of interdendritic fluid flow and microporosity evolution. The solution algorithm presented includes a fully coupled, implicit treatment of microporosity and local pressure in the mushy zone. The effects of microporosity evolution due to the local pressure drop in the mushy zone, and pore expansion in casting regions where liquid feeding alone cannot compensate for the solidification shrinkage are also considered. It is shown that neglecting the effect of porosity formation on the pressure in the mushy zone yields higher pressure drops. By its growth, microporosity partially compensates for the solidification shrinkage, reducing the feeding demand. A reduced feeding demand requires less fluid flow to compensate for solidification shrinkage, and results in smaller pressure drops in the mushy zone. Therefore, in order to accurately describe casting defects, comprehensive models of fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification must include the effect of microporosity as well.IntroductionIn the terminology commonly used by foundrymen, porosity is usually considered to be either ""hydrogen"" or ""shrinkage"" porosity. Hydrogen porosity is the term given to porosity that is generally rounded, isolated, and well distributed. Porosity that is interconnected or clustered, and of an irregular shape corresponding to the shape of the interdendritic region, is usually termed shrinkage. In general, the occurrence of microporosity in aluminum alloys is due to the combined effects of solidification shrinkage and gas precipitation [1]. Continuum models [1, 2- 7] have been used to predict the level of porosity in castings. A number of other studies have also attempted to understand the phenomena of porosity formation and pore growth [8-10] and pore morphology [11].The governing equations for fluid flow and hydrogen evolution indicate that porosity formation and fluid flow are strongly coupled. However, in most studies [4, 9, 10], it is considered that the porosity formation does not influence the fluid flow in the mushy zone. Kubo and Pehlke [3] presented a methodology for the prediction of microporosity distribution in shaped castings by considering the effects of both the hydrogen precipitation during solidification and the pressure drop in the mushy zone. In their approach, the local pressure and porosity were computed in an uncoupled manner based on a ""flux of interdendritic liquid"" criterion, i.e., either pressure or porosity was first computed using the other variable at the previous time step. Their approach has been used with little change in numerous studies [6, 12, 13]. Recently, Kuznetsov and Vafai [14] presented a fully coupled, one-dimensional model for the computation of pressure and porosity. They showed that neglecting the effect of porosity formation on the pressure in the mushy zone yields higher pressure drops and an over-prediction of final porosity. They also showed that the influence of porosity formation on the pressure is larger at lower pressures in the mushy zone."

Jan 1, 2001

By John G. Reid

When the paper "Operations at the Greenvale Nickel Project Mine and Refinery" was delivered at the 1st International Laterite Symposium in February 1979, the Yabulu Caron plant had been operating for four years and production had just stabilized. The design had been based closely on the Caron plant at Nicaro, Cuba, built in 1944, also by Freeport. Yabulu had 10 Herreshoff ore roasters and production in 1978 was 18,682 tonne nickel as impure oxide sinter and 763 tonne cobalt in a mixed sulphide with a cobalt to nickel ratio of 1 :2.5. In the 25 years since the 1st Symposium, two more roasters have been added, but dry ore processing rate has remained relatively unchanged at 2.4M Uyr to allow a lower feed rate per roaster with associated higher recovery. The ore source has changed from the domestic Greenvale mine to imports from New Caledonia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Nickel production between 1978 and 2003 has risen by 67%, cobalt has risen by 146% and the products have changed to high purity nickel compacts and "ChemGrade" cobalt salt. The plant changes that have contributed to the increased recovery, production and product value are discussed. Keywords: Caron, Yabulu, nickel, cobalt, ammonia

Jan 1, 2004

By P. Heald-Wetlaufer

Doubly polished sections (i.e., sections polished on both sides) allow insights into complex paragenetic relationships, the interpretation of which is essential to understanding ore-forming processes. Alternate viewing of these optically superior sections in transmitted and. reflected light facilitates the recognition and definition of growth zones in ore and gangue minerals and the interpretation of postdepositional changes, such as hydrothermal leaching and replacement. Many such observations would escape detection by conventional petrographic methods. Our procedure for preparing doubly polished sections has evolved during the past 20 years and incorporates many standard procedures. Studies from such diverse districts as Creede, Colorado, Hokuroku, Japan, and the Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district, southwestern Wisconsin, demonstrate the value of observations from doubly polished sections in constructing genetic models. The advent of doubly polished sections represents a major advance in the study of ore deposits and they should be a standard tool in every ore petrology laboratory.

Jan 1, 1982