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By Mao Chen, Baojun Zhao, Zhixiang Cui, Leonel Contreras, Chuanbing Wei

Bottom blown oxygen copper smelting process developed at Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals shows many advantages such as flexible feed requirement, high productivity, low energy consumption and high direct copper recovery. However, the weak acid generated during the process is not stable which influences the waste management and continuous operation. The amount of the weak acid is determined by SO3 formed in copper smelting process. SO3 can be formed inside copper smelting furnace and boiler at different conditions. Effects of temperature and oxygen partial pressure on the formation of SO3 during copper smelting process have been discussed thermodynamically. Understanding of the mechanisms for SO3 formation will enable the operation of bottom blown copper smelting furnace to be optimized and generation of the weak acid in the process can be managed. The fundamentals developed in this study can also be applied to other copper smelting processes.

Jan 1, 2016

By Yang Hong-ying, Yu Juan

Electrochemical behavior of natural chalcopyrite in electrolyte solution at pH value of 6.97 was studied by cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the electrochemical processes occurred on electrode surface were controlled mainly by the growth of sulfur species at lower applied potentials (<0.35Vvs.SHE), and the oxidative dissolution of sulfur species and the hydroxylation of iron at higher applied potential (>0.45V). The EIS spectra of oxide product layers could be illustrated by the equivalent circuit of Re(QdlRct(QfRf)), and the degree of hydrophilicity for chalcopyrite was higher when the value of charge transfer resistance Rct. was greater. The optimum potential range for the floatation of chalcopyrite in collectorless solution at pH value of 6.97 was between OCP (0.165V) and 0.35V.`

Jan 1, 2015

By Cynthia K. Belt

Improved energy efficiency has grown in importance within industry as energy costs have escalated. The analysis of trends and changes to a process is critical in making the best business decision in energy management. Frequently, energy use per day (Kilowatt-Hour or British Thermal Units) is used to track energy efficiency. Sometimes, the somewhat more complex method of energy per processed weight (Kilowatt-Hour per Metric Ton or BTU per Pound) is used to make this evaluation. Yet both methods ignore the effects due to throughput and weather. In this paper, different thermal processes and systems will be evaluated using statistical methods to highlight alternative methods to evaluate energy efficiency. Examples and potential problems will be discussed for both a single process and a collection of processes within a plant or corporation.

Jan 1, 2008

By Qian Li, Haiyan Leng, Kuo-Chih Chou, Haoyuan Xiao, Zhigang Yu

Magnesium borohydride and Magnesium alanate were synthesized by mechanochemical metathesis reaction. The thermal decomposition behaviors of Mg(BH4)2-nMg(AlH4)2(n=0.5,1) systems were investigated as potential hydrogen storage materials. The results showed that the systems started to desorb H2 at 120 ℃ and desorbed 3.9 wt. and 4.9 wt.% H2 below 300 ℃ when n equals 0.5 and 1, respectively, while individual Mg(BH4)2 started to desorb H2 at 250 ℃ and desorbed only 0.82 wt.% H2. Because of the exist of the Mg(AlH4)2, the isothermal desorption kinetics of Mg(BH4)2 in the Mg(BH4)2-0.5Mg(AlH4)2 systems was 50% faster than that of pristine Mg(BH4)2. In addition, the re-hydrogenation rates also increased 49.4% and 37.9%.

Jan 1, 2015

By Jing Zhan, Gui Li, Wei-feng Li, Li-Hua Jiang, Chuan-fu Zhang, Jian-yang Hwang

Thermodynamics analysis for processing the charge with lead concentrate and lead sulfate-containing materials in bottom blowing smelting furnace was conducted. The results show that the technology of large-scale processing PbSO4- containing materials with PbS concentrate in bottom blowing furnace under the condition of using high-iron slag type, batch heat supplement, high temperature and rich oxygen is thermodynamically feasible. The exploration test and industrial experiment confirm the results. When S content in mixed ore is 16~17% with coke foam content of about 5%, the lead paste amount can be increased up to 40%.

Jan 1, 2015

By Marcelo A. Martorano, Moyses L. Lima, João B. F. Neto

"Directional solidification is an essential refining step to obtain solar grade silicon from metallurgical silicon. This step can be carried out in a Bridgman furnace, where nearly constant temperature gradients and solidification velocities are imposed on the solid-liquid interface. In the present work, this directional solidification was conducted in a static furnace, in which large temperature gradients and low solidification velocities were enforced to increase macrosegregation. The resulting ingots were analyzed regarding their macrostructures, microstructures and chemical composition. Using measured cooling curves in the ingot as boundary conditions, a mathematical model based on the concept of a stagnant liquid layer at the solid-liquid interface was implemented to predict the macrosegregation profiles. The chemical analyses of the ingots show macrosegregation of several impurities to the ingots top. The mathematical model indicates that liquid convection plays an important role in stabilizing the planar solid-liquid interface, increasing the macrosegregation of impurities.IntroductionMost of silicon used for photovoltaic (PV) energy production is obtained by chemical processes, such as, Siemens and its derivations [1]. However, these chemical processes have drawbacks related to relatively high energy consumption and investment costs, and to safety and environmental problems. In order to overcome these difficulties and to fulfill the silicon demand for PV applications, several metallurgical routes are under development [2] to produce silicon of enough purity to PV applications (SoG-Si) from metallurgical grade silicon (MG-Si).Metallurgical routes involve different steps among which the directional solidification is pointed out as a fundamental one [1]. Directional solidification can cause macrosegregation of impurities to the last part of the ingot to solidify. The impurity segregation during solidification is related to the low solute partition coefficient (k0) between liquid and solid silicon. Most of the impurities in MG-Si have k0 << 1, except for boron, phosphorus and oxygen, which require specific steps of the metallurgical routes to be eliminated. The equilibrium partition coefficient and the solubility limits for the most important impurities in MG-Si are shown in table 1"

Jan 1, 2014

By O. Ryosuke Suzuki

A new metallurgical process via sulfide is proposed: a sulfide is produced at a high temperature from its metallic oxide using gaseous CS2, and this sulfide is electrochemically reduced to its metallic state using molten salt. This combined process via sulfide is effective to obtain high purity of metallic powder, even if the metal in its oxide is strongly combined with oxygen. For example, it is not easy to reduce stable oxide TiO2, and only Ca can remove oxygen to form α-Ti. However, a fairly large amount of oxygen remains as Ti–O solid solution. Because the solubility of S in Ti is very small, this proposal was examined experimentally both on the conversion of TiO2 to TiS2 and on the successive reduction of TiS2 to Ti. TiO2 powder was exposed to CS2 gas flow at 1073 K, and the conversion to TiS2 was confirmed. TiS2 could be reduced to Ti powder either by calciothermic reduction or electrolysis in a CaCl2 melt. By Ca reduction at 1133 K in CaCl2 melt, sulfur concentration decreased to 0.03 mass%S when the amount greater than twice the stoichiometric calcium amount is added. By electrochemical reduction at 1173 K in CaCl2–CaS melt, S concentration significantly decreased to 0.01 mass% S when four times larger amount of electric charge was supplied.

By Tao Jiang

Germanium is widely used in many fields, and the production of germanium is very important. The effects of initial sulfuric acid concentration, liquid to solid ratio and other parameters on the leaching rate of germanium and zinc from germanium-bearing zinc oxide has been studied. The occurrence and form of germanium and other elements in the leach feed and the leach residue were studied by EPMA, XRD and chemical analyses. The experiments showed that the leaching rate of germanium and zinc was 91% and 88%, respectively under optimal conditions. Wurtzite was the main limiting factor for the leaching rate of zinc while the leaching rate of germanium was limited by insoluble germanium compounds. Furthermore, it was found that some germanium was bound up in galena in the leach residue. These results may be helpful for further improving the leaching rate of germanium in germanium-bearing zinc oxide.

By Yoshisada Michiura, Junko Umeda, Katsuyoshi Kondoh

Rice husks or straws, one of the main agricultural wastes in South-east Asia, have a large possibility to be employed as usefully renewable resources to produce energy and high-purity silica (SiO2), because they consist of about 70% organics such as cellulose or hemi-cellulose, and 20% amorphous SiO2. The former is utilized as bio-mass energy; for example, thermal or electric energy, and bio-mass ethanol. High-purity silica can be used as raw materials in the industrial uses. It would be possible to extract silica elements from rice husks and straws by burning them in air because their main contents are organics. In the previous studies, a strong acid leaching treatment on rice husks before burning was carried out by using H2SO4, HCl and HNO3 to prepare high-purity silica materials. This was available to accelerate the hydrolysis of celluloses and hemicelluloses contained in rice husks, and remove the above metallic impurities. A strong acid leaching treatment, however, is significantly hazardous to environment and human life, and causes an increase of the process cost. In this study, the environmentally benign, harmless to human and economically effective process to produce high-purity amorphous SiO2 materials from rice husks has been established without using strong acids. From a viewpoint of the harmless influence on human body, the carboxylic acids were used in the leaching treatment on rice husks. TG-DTA measurement and GCMS analysis indicated that the leaching was effective for the hydrolysis of celluloses and hemicelluloses contained in rice husks at 473K~873K, which produced the same results in using the conventional sulfuric acid. The metallic impurities could be also removed from the husks via a chelate reaction between carboxyl groups (-COOH) and the metal elements. In particular, it was clarified that cadmium (Cd) were completely removed from rice straws by this reaction. Concerning the burning conditions of rice husks after the acid leaching, it was necessary to supply a suitable amount of air to completely combust organics; for example it required air supplement of 50 ml/min. or more. The burning temperature should be less than 1273K to obtain amorphous structured silica. High-purity amorphous silica materials with 99% or more were prepared from rich husks by applying the citric acid leaching treatment and burning process at 1073K in air.

Jan 1, 2008

By Merete Tangstad, Ragnar Tronstad

Ferromanganese production in electrical furnaces is quite an old process. However, as the furnaces are getting bigger, the requirements of cost, yield, product quality, emissions and security are raised. With the increased expectations, the fundamental knowledge must follow. Within the last 25 years there has been a great effort both in the industry as well as the academic environment to push the limits of this process. This article will show some examples of improvements within fundamental data, reaction mechanisms and emissions over this time period.

Jan 1, 2014

By James O'Brien, Lyman Frost, S. Elangovan, J. Stephen Herring, Joseph Hartvigsen, Carl Stoots, Anthony Nickens

"Carbon dioxide recovered from concentrated sources, such as metallurgical reduction furnaces, cement kilns and fossil power plants can provide a valuable feedstock for a synthetic fuels industry based on energy from nuclear, solar, wind and hydropower sources. High temperature co-electrolysis of CO2 and steam to produce synthesis gas has been demonstrated using reversible solid oxide fuel cell technology. Where a source of high temperature process heat is available, such as from an advanced high temperature nuclear reactor or solar dish concentrator, the endothermic electrolysis reactions can utilize both thermal and electrical inputs in such a way that the conversion efficiency within the cell is 100%. Synthesis gas produced in a coelectrolysis cell has been further reacted over a catalyst to produce conventional hydrocarbon fuels. Widespread implementation of synfuel production from CO2 will enable a much larger reliance on intermittent renewable energy than can be accommodated by conventional electric demand profiles.IntroductionFor the past several years, Ceramatec, Inc and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have been studying the feasibility of high temperature solid oxide electrolysis for large-scale, nuclearpowered hydrogen production under the U.S. DOE’s nuclear hydrogen initiative (NHI) as an alternative to the thermochemical process. Parallel to this effort, the INL and Ceramatec have been researching high temperature co-electrolysis of mixtures of steam and CO2 to produce syngas:"

Jan 1, 2008

By Eltefat Ahmadi

Iron-free titanium oxycarbonitride (TiOxCyNz) is a promising feedstock for production of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) at low temperatures. In this study, the effects of leaching variables such as temperature, time, particle size of staring material and concentration of the leaching solutions were evaluated on iron removal from nitrided Malaysian ilmenite by Becher process. The nitrided ilmenite was prepared by isothermal reduction with graphite at 1200 °C for 3 h in H2-N2 atmosphere. The aerated leaching experiments were conducted at 50–90 °C with addition of 0.3–2.0 wt% of NH4Cl catalyst. The highest extent of iron removal (XFe) was obtained at about 96.2% for the sample leached at 90 °C for 7 h with 2.0 wt% NH4Cl. The iron concentrate and titanium oxycarbonitride product were characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, XRF and SEM-EDX analyses. The results indicated that the aeration leaching process was a successful route to prepare low-iron titanium oxycarbonitride.

By Gavin Beer

The Chelopech Copper/Gold Mine, located in west-central Bulgaria, has been in operation since 1953 producing a low-grade copper/gold concentrate containing up to six percent arsenic by weight. The penalties and restrictions imposed on smelting this concentrate, have seen the past operators of the mine strive to find a balance between achieving acceptable metal returns from the smelters and installing novel or unproven technologies in the face of changing political and economic climates. This paper documents the colourful history of the concentrate processing alternatives that have been investigated and implemented over the 45 year life of the Chelopech Mine, culminating in the high pressure oxidation option that is now the focus of a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) presently being undertaken by GRD Minproc Limited. The fundamental chemistry of the preceding alternatives is outlined followed by a discussion as to why each was ultimately not employed. A detailed description of the technology proposed in the DFS is given including: pressure oxidation, arsenic fixation, SX/EW copper recovery, CIL gold recovery and AVR/SART cyanide/copper recovery processes. Keywords: Arsenic, Scorodite, HPOX, Chelopech, Dundee

Jan 1, 2005