Search Documents

By P. Stantke

In recent years the CollaMat process has been used successfully worldwide in a number of copper electrorefining tankhouses as an instrument for measuring the glue concentration and optimizing cathode quality. Owing to its measuring principles the CollaMat can be used not just for measuring the concentration of active glue but also the activity of other substances, which have an impact similar to glue on the copper deposition. In SX-EW plants guar is frequently used instead of glue as a levelling additive. In our laboratory the effect (activity) and the decomposition rate of guar in copper electrolyte was examined. As expected, the results show that guar has an effect similar to glue on the copper deposition. However, at the same temperature, a greater quantity of guar is required to achieve the same results. As with glue, the decomposition rate (due to hydrolysis) of guar is strongly dependent on the temperature. Therefore, in practice, its on-line monitoring is necessary to guarantee the same guar activity at any time.

Jan 1, 1999

By Renaud Metz

The DOPA process (Direct Oxidation of a Precursor Alloy) was used to prepare ceramic powders based on doped SnO2 and ZnO. The DOPA process consists essentially in the direct oxidation of a homogeneous precursor alloy. A unique advantage of this process is its rather benign environmental impact since no dangerous reactants are used and no harmful by-products are generated. Only oxygen and the alloy metals participate on the chemical reaction to produce the multi-component oxide. Homogeneous alloys of niobium, cobalt and chromium doped tin have been prepared. The molten metal alloy is atomised in air using a double fluid nozzle to produce metallic powders. A subsequent thermal treatment is carried out to fully oxidise the sprayed metal alloy powders. These raw powders are used to prepare a ceramic powder through a mill homogenisation and atomisation process. The ceramic powder is then uniaxially compacted in disc shape and sintered in an oxidising atmosphere. The resulting sintered bodies are metallised on their flat faces and the cylindrical surface is passivated using lead free glass enamel. These ceramics present excellent semiconducting properties with non-linear (non-ohmic) characteristics. The DOPA process is found to be an attractive procedure to obtain ceramic powders for the preparation of SnO2 varistors.

Jan 1, 2006

By H. Roberts, C. Hassall

The opening years of the new millennium will be characterised by the closure of many lead and zinc mines because of reserve depletion. However, weak commodity prices through the second half of the 1990s have slowed project evaluation and have made it difficult to raise finances for the development of new mines required to replace lost output and to meet increasing demand for metal in the future. Growth of lead and zinc demand will be determined by the pace of global economic activity, especially in the emerging economies. How rapidly demand grows will have a key bearing on the possible shortfall in mine output and the response of prices to the implied tightening of metal supplies early in the new millennium. These issues are the focus of a discussion of the critical lead and zinc supply developments which will unfold post 2000, taking into account project lead times and the role that recycled metal plays in meeting market demand.

Jan 1, 2000

By M. A. Llavona

The study of the formation and components of copper patina and its conservation has assumed great importance. The changing environment has accelerated the processes of patinas degradation; thus, the exhaustive study of factors capable of affecting the patina formation, growth and durability has assumed great importance for the industrial activity of copper. The main components of the patina, oxides, chlorides, nitrates and sulfates, have been determined; the effect of physical, chemical and microbiological factors on patina formation, particularly the influence of acid rain, natural organic matter, particles and microorganisms have been defined. The effect of different electrolytic solutions that accelerate the formation of copper patinas has been determined, and a review of the state of knowledge of the formation and evolution of metal patinas has been made.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. S. Jeong

Since the start-up of the Onsan Smelter in 1979, LS-Nikko Copper has grown into a competitive smelter through continuous development. Several environmental improvements have been carried out, in particular, intensive investments in reducing SOx emissions, such as de-sulfurization plants, fugitive gas capturing and TMS(Tele Metering System). In addition, in recent years LS-Nikko Copper has spent more than 10 million USD every year to improve environmental conditions. In order to be a global leading smelter in every aspect especially environmentally, LS-Nikko Copper plans to inspire environment-friendly minds, co-operate with shareholders, and participate in global conventions. This paper describes the environment improvements carried out at Onsan and briefly introduces a sustainable vision for a green smelter.

Jan 1, 2006

By R. Abel F.

In 1997, Ventanas electrolytic refinery expanded its production capacity from 215,000 to 325,000 metric tons per year. This increase in capacity has involved the treatment of anodes with different impurity contents, changing the operational strategy of the plant. On the other hand, the increasing necessity to accomplish environment conservation rules and quality assuring requirements, has led the plant operation and administration to compete in an advantageous way. The present work describes the results obtained in the startup and in the operation of the ENAMI Ventanas electrolytic refinery expansion, and shows the difficulties which have been faced in the processing of anodes of increasing complexity, in a competitive market and with environment and quality restrictions.

Jan 1, 1999

By Romeo U. Pagador

After privatization in 1999, PASAR Corporation initiated a plant modernization program to optimize the performance of the smelter by increasing plant availability. This initiative required operational adjustments to the converting and anode furnace procedures, to support the higher throughput in the flash furnace, while continuing to meet government environmental regulations. The major shift in production direction was to eliminate the 30-35 day maintenance shutdown every two years, and replace it with a 15-day shutdown. This paper discusses the changes implemented in the converter and anode operation that have resulted in an increase of 10% in flash furnace throughput, an 18% increase in blister output, to 170 tonnes per cycle, and a converter campaign tonnage increase of 10%. Since privatization, PASAR has instituted a series of ?management of change? programs that have facilitated an industrial cultural change needed to achieve the company?s vision, mission and strategic goals.

Jan 1, 2005

By Morimasa Ichida

One of the key factors of stabilized blast furnace operation under the conditions of high productivity and high pulverized coal rate is to enlarge the raceway to reduce the dead man area. With a reduced dead man area, the descent area is enlarged and the central gas flow is maintained at the same time. In this study, raceway furnace experiments were conducted with tuyere velocity and coke strength changed both in hot and cold conditions to measure the coke degradation rate. Using the coke degradation rate measurements, we examined the equivalent relation between the coke strength and tuyere velocity for coke degradation in the raceway. In addition, in this paper, we discuss the increase in tuyere velocity in relation to an increase in coke strength.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. D. Bishop

Loss of organic solvent extraction circuits occurs through several accepted methods. Losses are commonly attributed to entrainment of the plant organic and evaporative loss of diluent. Evaporative losses of diluent have been estimated using various models or by considering all losses over and above entrainment to be due to evaporation. Other possible loss mechanisms are discussed and data on losses during weather conditions are presented. Accurate estimation of evaporative loss is vitally important to the industry due to both cost factors and environmental concerns. Data for and description of the Diffusive Flux Model are presented as an improved-method of estimating evaporative losses:

Jan 1, 1999

By Jin Liu

In the early 1990?s, Inco successfully installed two new flash furnaces as part of their SO2abatement project to reduce SO2 emissions from the Copper Cliff Smelter by 60%. The flash furnace off-gas is cooled and cleaned through two new Monsanto Dynawave gas cleaning systems that replaced the traditional venturi scrubbing system. It was discovered that the flash furnace production capacity is often limited by the capacity of the gas cleaning system. The key task is to eliminate pressure drop from the system. The froth column is responsible for by far the largest pressure drop in the gas cleaning system. Initially, the column was fitted with 22 plates. In 1994, both #1 and #2 froth columns were modified by reducing the number of plates in each column from 22 to 18 and increasing the interplate spacing on lower plates. With increasing demand for more throughput in the flash furnaces, further modifications on the froth columns were made in 2005. This paper describes these modifications and results together with some fundamental analysis of the froth column characteristics.

Jan 1, 2006

By Shaolong Chen

Feeding dry sulfide concentrate into smelting furnaces enhances process performance and reduces the energy consumption and exhaust gas flow. Direct heated rotary dryers and flash dryers have being replaced by rotary steam dryers featured by very low wear rate of the pipe heating elements and long maintenance interval. Impact of the drying processes on the environment receives more and more attention as the emission legislation tightens. In this regard, environmental factors such as SO2, CO2, dust and gas flow among rotary dryers, flash dryers and steam dryers were compared. Selection of a rotary steam dryer for copper and nickel concentrate drying would be an ideal solution to reduce the pollution of exhaust gas, as drying is achieved by indirect contact to the steam at relatively low drying temperature and as the off-gas contains almost only water vapor and air. The emissions can be significantly reduced and only small and simple off-gas handling units are needed.

Jan 1, 2006

By N. Lohja

Metallurgical industries are generally big producers of solid residues of various kinds. In contrast with the past where environmental sensibilities were not so elevated and the accumulated mass of these residues were not considerable, these days the solid residues are everywhere scrutinized among others in term of their harmful environmental impact and as possible materials for valuable elements extraction or secondary utilisation. As a case study, the present paper gives an overview of the solid residues discharged by the metallurgical industry in Albania for the last tens of years. The results of two monitoring study on the solid residues of copper, iron and ferrochromium producing industries are also summarized. The first deals with the origin, quantities and chemical composition of these residues and the second one with the impact of harmful ingredients of these residues in the environment. Some methods for the processing of these solid residues are also proposed in order to ensure a clean environment and to make not just possible but also economically viable their secondary utilisation. This work is part of a bigger cooperation project among local institutions and foreign expert companies such as Flogen Technologies Inc and other in various countries that will not only monitor the situation but will also develop appropriate technologies for treatment of these specific residues.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jason Eric Sallee

Ongoing operations at the Cyprus Miami Smelter involve the use of an electric furnace for settling of copper matte from discard slag. Proper operation of the electric settling furnace is a major factor in minimizing losses of copper to the discard slag. Recent test work at the smelter has shown improvement in the operation of the electric furnace with a subsequent improvement with regard to the copper losses. This paper presents a general discussion of the Cyprus Miami Smelter operation, past results with respect to copper losses, recent operational changes and test work, and the subsequent results.

Jan 1, 1999

Most of the world's zinc metal is produced via the roast- leach-electrowinning (RLE) process. The process is well established, but most of the sulphur in the sphalerite concentrates reports in the acid, which has to be stored and/or sold. There are significant incentives to develop a simpler process with much reduced acid generation. Ferric ion is a well known oxidant for most sulphides, in particular sphalerite, and it converts the sulphide to elemental sulphur. Based on stoichiometry, however, the amount of ferric ion needed to achieve acceptable zinc extractions is prohibitive for downstream zinc recovery from the leach solutions. The process suggested here makes use of less-than-stoichiometric ferric sulphate additions because the ferric ion is regenerated by sparging SO2/O2 mixtures. This regeneration can be effected in-situ in the leach vessel or outside the leach vessel. An example of the application of this new process is presented for a Canadian sphalerite concentrate assaying 60% Zn. The effects of temperature, ferric concentration and ferric ion regeneration are presented. Options to recover zinc from the leach solution are also briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 2000

By Ying-Chu Hoh

The extraction of cerium(IV) by valence change with two-phase electrolysis was studied experimentally. The results show that the electro-oxidation extraction depends mainly on the distribution of the solute between the two phases, the reaction on the electrode surface and the diffusion of the reactant and product between the electrode and aqueous interphases. The effects of various parameters on cerium extraction were also studied. The selected parameters were background current, catholyte acidity, agitation speed, operation current and voltage and surfactant addition. The electro-oxidation extraction mechanism can be divided into eight steps. In addition, Wee the rate of extraction is quite fast, the percentage extraction Ce+4 can be taken as an index to show the conversion rate of Ce+3 J to Ce+4.

Jan 1, 1989

By C. M. Acuña

Copper losses in slags are of great concern, specially in smelting and slag cleaning processes. It is widely accepted that the suspension of metallic copper and matte droplets is strongly affected by the viscosity of the slag. The Chuquicamata Division of Codelco- Chile produces concentrates high in zinc, an element which reports mainly to the slag phase. The ZnO may affect the viscosity and therefore the copper losses. This work aimed to investigate the effect of lime to control the viscosity of slags, and in turn to control the copper losses. By using the experimental viscosity data and the Stoke's law, the settling rate of matte prills in various slags was estimated. The results indicate the possibility of increasing the recovery of copper and/or decrease the process time.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. J. Sellmyer

This paper is Intended to review recent developments in the application of rare earth-transition metal alloys as high density, rewritable data-storage media. First generation magneto-optic media are based on amorphous Tb-FeCo or GdTb-Fe alloys which are adequate but could use improvements In certain respects. A very difficult materials-design problem is encountered because of the following requirements: a sufficiently large Intrinsic uniaxial anisotropy, a Curie temperature in the range 100-300°C, a sufficiently high coercivity, a sufficiently high optical absorption, a high Kerr rotation, reflectivity and high carrier-to-noise ratio, a high storage density, a very fine and homogeneous nanostructure, long-term stability, and inexpensive production. , Fundamental issues such as the relationships between the nanostructure and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and electronic structure and Kerr rotation are discussed. Attempts to tailor the properties by rare-earth alloying and by preparing compositionally-modulated, nanostructured multilayers are outlined. Challenges and opportunities in competitive materials such as garnets, ferrites and Co/Pt multilayers are briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By K. Rajani Kanth

Environmental problem is the major concern for any industry and there is a great need to that along green lines. Sangam Dairy being one of the most famous and wide spread Dairies in India, produces wide spectrum of milk products. The BOD levels of effluent water of this industry with MIF treatment were found to be around 100 ppm. Lot of research has been expended in the past to bring down the BOD levels to bare minimum. The main objective of the present study is to minimize the BOD level to the required level stipulated by environmental standards by employing various seeding materials. For this purpose microbes like Bacillus Subtiles, Pseudomonas, Aspergillas, Staphylococcus, and Pencilium have been employed and BOD levels were analyzed. Various Reagents, solutions with different dilution levels have been successfully prepared. Initial and final Dissolved Oxygen levels were determined before and after incubation. From the DO data, BOD was evaluated for all samples and comparison analysis of various seeding material was carried to suggest the efficient seeding material for the ETP plant. In the process, solutions of different dilutions have been prepared using difficult reagents. These samples are treated with above mentioned microbes and BOD levels are estimated. It has been observed that staphylococcus and Pseudomonas proved to be the best seeding materials. When there microbes have employed BOD levels fall to less than 10 and 20 ppm respectively

Jan 1, 2006

By Fumiatsu Sato

In recent years, an increasing number of urban soil contamination cases have been found during redevelopment of former factory sites. Hydroclassification technique, separating heavily contaminated fine soil particles from contaminated sites, is one of the economical remediation techniques for contaminated soil by heavy metals, but the separated fine soil particles are generally landfilled because of the difficulty in removing strongly adsorbed heavy metals on them. In the previous study, the authors have investigated the mechanism and the optimum condition of chlorination-volatilization technique to eliminate heavy metals from inorganic waste and found it was needed to heat up around 1273K. In this paper, a new remediation technique for lead contaminated fine soil particles is proposed. This technique is composed of chlorination and subsequent warm water extraction. In the chlorination step, water-insoluble lead complex is chlorinated to be water-soluble lead chloride without volatilization, by heating the soils with MgCl2-CaCl2-KCl salt mixture at relatively low temperature. By subsequent warm water extraction, lead chloride is leached out. Effects of chlorination conditions, such as time, temperature, composition of the salt and added salt ratio, on lead behavior were investigated. It was proved that lead concentration could be reduced below Japanese environmental standard.

Jan 1, 2006

By C. G. Anderson, L. G. Twidwell

"Throughout the world, there are many orebodies or materials which have significant value but also contain arsenic, antimony, and mercury. As regulations on the transport, exposure, disposition and emission of these elements have become more stringent; it has become increasingly more difficult to derive the values from the resources. This paper outlines the fundamentals of alkaline sulfide hydrometallurgy and its successful application to arsenic, antimony and mercury bearing ores, concentrates, by-products, and other materials.Fundamental Alkaline Sulfide HydrometallurgyHydrometallurgical methods can be employed for treatment of gold, arsenic, antimony, tin and mercury containing materials, concentrates and ores as well as complex ones containing any number of metals. The alkaline sulfide system is one of these and is essentially a mixture of sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide. This is a unique hydrometallurgical system as it is a very selective lixiviant for the distinct leaching of tin, gold, antimony, arsenic and mercury [1-7]. Worldwide, it is employed industrially in the CIS, China and the United States for the production of antimony [8-15].As an example, when the system is applied to an arsenic containing material like orpiment, As2S3, a solution of sodium thioarsenite is formed. This is illustrated as:"

Jan 1, 2008