A novel process for Fe recovery and Zn, Pb removal from a low-grade pyrite cinder with high Zn and Pb contents

Comprehensive utilization of pyrite cinders is increasingly important because of their huge annual outputs and potential valuable metals recovery to cope with the gradual depletion of high-grade mineral resources. In this work, a new process, i.e., a high-temperature chlorination–magnetizing roasting–magnetic separation process, was proposed for recovering Fe and removing Zn, Pb from a low-grade pyrite cinder containing 49.90 wt% Fe, 1.23 wt% Zn, and 0.29 wt% Pb. Various parameters, including the chlorinating conditions(dosage of Ca Cl2, temperature, and time) and the magnetization roasting conditions(amount of coal, temperature, and time) were investigated. The results indicate that the proposed process is effective for Fe recovery and Zn, Pb removal from the pyrite cinder. Through this process, 97.06% Zn, 96.82% Pb, and approximately 90% S can be removed, and 89.74% Fe is recovered as magnetite into the final product under optimal conditions. A purified magnetite concentrate containing 63.07 wt% Fe, 0.16 wt% P, 0.26 wt% S, and trace amounts of nonferrous metals(0.005 wt% Cu, 0.013 wt% Pb, and 0.051 wt% Zn) was obtained. The concentrate can be potentially used as a high-quality feed material for producing oxidized pellets by blending with other high-grade iron ore concentrates.

Descriptions of two new record species of Scutellonema (Nematoda:Tylenchida) from China

From 2011 to 2012, we collected Scutellonema commune from the rhizosphere soil of coconut(cocos nucifera L.) and Scutellonema magniphasma from the rhizosphere soil of Rosa chinensis in Shenyang, China. S. commune was characterized by rounded scutella, which was varied from two annules anterior to the anus and five annules posterior. The lateral field was not areolated at the level of scutella. S. magniphasma was characterized by varying scutellum, about 7.0 μm in diameter, in position from four annules posterior to four annules anterior to the anus, and areolated at the level of the scutellum.

Upgrade of nickel and iron from low-grade nickel laterite by improving direct reduction-magnetic separation process

Low-grade saprolite nickel laterite,characterized by complicated minerals composition and fine-grained and complex dissemination,was commonly treated with a low recovery efficiency of Ni and Fe by conventional methods.Hence,an improved direct reduction and magnetic separation process was proposed.Meanwhile,the mechanisms on the enhanced growth of the Ni-Fe particles and the phase transformation in the nickel laterite pellets were explored.The low-nickel concentrates as a nucleating agent can obviously decrease the activation energy for growth of Ni-Fe alloy particles during the improved direct reduction process from 197.10 to 154.81 kJ/mol when the low-nickel concentrates were added from 0 to 20%.Hence,it is able to decrease nucleation barrier,induce the growth of Fe-Ni alloy particles and increase their average size.As a result,the size of Ni-Fe particles in the pellets from less than 10 lm grew to more than 20 lm,which is beneficial for the full liberation and recovery of Ni and Fe in subsequent magnetic separation process.Therefore,the preferable Ni-Fe alloy concentrates with 6.44%Ni and 82.48%Fe can be prepared with corresponding recovery rates of 96.90%and 95.92%,respectively,when adding 20%low-nickel concentrates.

A high-efficiency separation process of Fe and Zn from zinc-bearing dust by direct reduction

It is urgent to dispose of zinc-bearing dust from steel plants,and direct reduction process is an effective method to remove hazardous metals and recycle iron from the dust.The reduction behavior of carbon-containing pellets which were made from three kinds of zinc-bearing dust was investigated.When the pellets were reduced at 1200℃ for 50 min,the reduced pellets with cold compressive strength of 1164 N pellet−1 and Zn content<0.1 wt.%could be directly used as burden for improving the blast furnace operation without further agglomeration.The results of isothermal kinetic study showed that the iron oxide reduction rate was controlled by the chemical reactions.The strengthening mechanism of reduced pellets and iron oxide reduction mechanism was investigated by thermodynamic calculation besides X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectrometry,and optical microscopy analyses.It was found that higher temperatures are required for the reduction of spinel phase(zinc ferrite)and olivine phase(hedenbergite).The generation and growth of metallic iron bridges could significantly increase the compressive strength of reduced pellets.The iron oxide reduction in the carbon-containing pellets followed the uniform internal reduction model and possessed a high apparent reaction rate,which can improve energy utilization rate and production efficiency.

Significant influence of self-possessed moisture of limonitic nickel laterite on sintering performance and its action mechanism

In consideration of the abundant moisture of limonitic nickel laterite mined,it is essential to determine whether the selfpossessed moisture of limonitic nickel laterite after pre-dried is appropriate for sintering.Thus,based on the characterization of limonitic nickel laterite,the influence of its self-possessed moisture on sintering performance was expounded by sinter pot tests and the relevant mechanism was revealed by the systematical analyses of the granulation properties of sinter mixture,thermodynamic conditions during sintering and mineralogy of product sinter.The results indicate that the selfpossessed moisture of limonitic nickel laterite indeed has significant infuence on its sintering performance.At the optimum self-possessed moisture of 21 mass%,sinter indices are relatively better with tumble index,productivity and solid fuel rate of 48.87%,1.04 t m^(-2) h^(-1)and 136.52 kg t^(-1),respectively,due to the superior granulation properties of sinter mixture and thermodynamic conditions during sintering,relatively large amount of silico-ferrite of calcium and alumina and tighter sinter microstructure.However,sintering performance of limonitic nickel laterite is still much poorer than that of ordinary iron ores.It is feasible to strengthen limonitic nickel laterite sintering by inhibiting the over-fast sintering speed and improving the thermodynamic conditions during sintering.