Oxygen-assisted zinc recovery from electric arc furnace dust using magnesium chloride

Electric arc furnace(EAF)dust is an important secondary resource containing metals,such as zinc(Zn)and iron(Fe).Recover-ing Zn from EAF dust can contribute to resource recycling and reduce environmental impacts.However,the high chemical stability of ZnFe_(2)O_(4)in EAF dust poses challenges to Zn recovery.To address this issue,a facile approach that involves oxygen-assisted chlorination using molten MgCl_(2)is proposed.This work focused on elucidating the role of O2 in the reaction between ZnFe_(2)O_(4)and molten MgCl_(2).The results demonstrate that MgCl_(2)effectively broke down the ZnFe_(2)O_(4)structure,and the high O2 atmosphere considerably promoted the sep-aration of Zn from other components in the form of ZnCl_(2).The presence of O2 facilitated the formation of MgFe_(2)O_(4),which stabilized Fe and prevented its chlorination.Furthermore,the excessive use of MgCl_(2)resulted in increased evaporation loss,and high temperatures pro-moted the rapid separation of Zn.Building on these findings,we successfully extracted ZnCl_(2)-enriched volatiles from practical EAF dust through oxygen-assisted chlorination.Under optimized conditions,this method achieved exceptional Zn chlorination percentage of over 97%within a short period,while Fe chlorination remained below 1%.The resulting volatiles contained 85wt%of ZnCl_(2),which can be further processed to produce metallic Zn.The findings offer guidance for the selective recovery of valuable metals,particularly from solid wastes such as EAF dust.

AN INTELLIGENT DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM （IDSS） IN THE OPERATION PROCESS OF ELECTRIC FURNACE FOR CLEANING SLAG

In this paper, the structure and function of the IDSS in the operation process of electric furnace for cleaning slag are presented and the fuzzy neural network decision model (FNNDM) in the IDSS is specially suggested. The IDSS possesses selflearning and adaptive properties, and has been used for managing and analyzing the optimal operational conditions since June 1992. Electric energy consumption has been reduced remarkably and the coefficient of recovery of cobalt and nickel has been increased.

A FUZZY NEURAL NETWORK DECISION MODEL ON THE OPERATION PROCESS OF ELECTRIC FURNACE FOR CLEANING SLAG AND ITS APPLICATION

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Modelling of blast furnace ironmaking process based on digital twin

The blast furnace ironmaking process is a crucial step in the steel industry.Effectively modelling the blast furnaces is significant in ensuring smooth operation and accelerating the digitalisation transformation of blast furnaces.The authors focus on the mechanism modelling of the blast furnace operation process,using a digital twin model development platform to simulate the main reaction processes inside the blast furnaces.Under on-site production conditions,Si,Mn and Ti contents of molten iron and the corresponding indicators for model accuracy are calculated.For Si,Mn,and Ti content,the Root Mean Square Error values are 0.0678,0.0108 and 0.0093 for dataset 1,while 0.0933,0.0120 and 0.0111 for dataset 2,respectively,indicating that the model has a small simulation error and high accuracy.By comparing the simulation results with accurate laboratory results,the model is validated to have satisfactory simulation reliability and compensates for the existing shortcomings in the blast furnace mechanism modelling field.

Burner effects on melting process of regenerative aluminum melting furnace

According to the features of melting process of regenerative aluminum melting furnaces, a three-dimensional mathematical model with user-developed melting model, burner reversing and burning capacity model was established. The numerical simulation of melting process of a regenerative aluminum melting furnace was presented using hybrid programming method of FLUENT UDF and FLUENT scheme based on the heat balance test. Burner effects on melting process of aluminum melting furnaces were investigated by taking optimization regulations into account. The change rules of melting time on influence factors are achieved. Melting time decreases with swirl number, vertical angle of burner, air preheated temperature or natural gas flow; melting time firstly decreases with horizontal angle between burners or air-fuel ratio, then increases; melting time increases with the height of burner.

Mass Balance Modeling for Electric Arc Furnace and Ladle Furnace System in Steelmaking Facility in Turkey

In the electric arc furnace （EAF） steel production processes, scrap steel is principally used as a raw material instead of iron ore. In the steelmaking process with EAF, scrap is first melted in the furnace and then the desired chemical composition of the steel can be obtained in a special furnace such as ladle furnace （LF）. This kind of furnace process is used for the secondary refining of alloy steel. LF furnace offers strong heating fluxes and enables precise temperature control, thereby allowing for the addition of desired amounts of various alloying elements. It also provides outstanding desulfurization at high-temperature treatment by reducing molten steel fluxes and removing deoxidation products. Elemental analysis with mass balance modeling is important to know the precise amount of required alloys for the LF input with respect to scrap composition. In present study, chemical reactions with mass conservation law in EAF and LF were modeled altogether as a whole system and chemical compositions of the final steel alloy output can be obtained precisely according to different scrap compositions, alloying elements ratios, and other input amounts. Besides, it was found that the mass efficiency for iron element in the system is 95.93%. These efficiencies are calculated for all input elements as 8. 45% for C, 30.31% for Si, 46.36% for Mn, 30.64% for P, 41.96% for S, and 69.79% for Cr, etc. These efficiencies provide valuable ideas about the amount of the input materials that are vanished or combusted for 100 kg of each of the input materials in the EAF and LF system.

Fluid Flow Modeling of Arc Plasma and Bath Circulation in DC Electric Arc Furnace

A mathematical model describing the flow field, heat transfer and the electromagnetic phenomenon in a DC electric arc furnace has been developed. First the governing equations in the arc plasma region are solved and the calculated results of heat transfer, current density and shear stresses on the anode surface are used as boundary conditions in a model of molten bath. Then a two-dimensional time-dependent model is used to describe the flow field and electromagnetic phenomenon in the molten bath. Moreover, the effect of bottom electrode diameter on the circulation of molten bath is studied.

A novel hydrothermal method for zinc extraction and separation from zinc ferrite and electric arc furnace dust

A novel hydrothermal process was developed to extract zinc from pure zinc ferrite（ZnFe2O4） nanopowder and zinc-containing electric arc furnace（EAF） dust using hexahydrated ferric chloride（FeCl3-6H2O） as a decomposing agent.The effects of solid FeCl3-6H2O to ZnFe2O4 ratio by mass（RF/Z）,hydrothermal reaction temperature,and time on zinc extraction were systematically investigated.In the results,when the hydrothermal reaction is conducted at 150℃ for 2 h with RF/Z of 15：20,the efficiency of zinc extraction from ZnFe2O4 reaches97.2%,and the concentration of ferric ions（Fe^3＋） in the leaching solution is nearly zero,indicating a high selectivity for zinc.In addition,the zinc extraction efficiency from the EAF dust reaches 94.5%in the case of the hydrothermal reaction performed at 200℃ for 10 h with the solid FeCl3-6H2O to EAF dust ratio by mass（RF/EAF dust） of 15：10.Zinc and iron separation is achieved by adjusting the pH value of the leaching solution according to the different precipitation pH values of metal hydroxides.

Modeling of electrode system for three-phase electric arc furnace

To simulate the process of electrode operation, a dynamic model describing the electrode system of three-phase electric arc furnace was developed. This new model can be divided into three submodels in terms of the practical situation. They are the power supply system model the electric arc model and the hydraulic actuator system model. According to the basic circuit theory, the power supply system model where the high voltage transmission circuit and mutual inductances were considered, was set up. The electric arc model, which was novel for the electrode control, served as the electrical load and was connected to the power supply system model. The hydraulic actuator system model consists of the proportional valve part that is modeled to capture the dead-zone nonlinear characteristics and the hydraulic cylinder part where the impact of the load force is taken into account. By comparing simulation data and actual data, the results show that the electrode system model is proved to be accurate.

Process simulation and energy integration in the mineral carbonation of blast furnace slag

Large quantities of blast furnace(BF) slag and CO_2 are discharged annually from iron and steel industries, along with a large amount of waste heat.The mineral carbonation of BF slag can not only reduce emissions of solid waste but also realize the in-situ fixation of CO_2 with low energy consumption if integrated with the waste heat utilization.In this study, based on our previous works, Aspen Plus was employed to simulate and optimize the carbonation process and integrate the process energy.The effects of gehlenite extraction, MgSO_4 carbonation,and aluminum ammonium sulfate crystallization were studied systematically.The simulation results demonstrate that 2.57 kg of BF slag can sequester 1 kg of CO_2, requiring 5.34 MJ of energy(3.3 MJ heat and 2.04 MJ electricity), and this energy includes the capture of CO_2 from industrial flue gases.Approximately 60 kg net CO_2 emission reduction could be achieved for the disposal of one ton of BF slag.In addition, the by-product,aluminum ammonium sulfate, is a high value-added product.Preliminary economic analysis indicates that the profit for the whole process is 1127 CNY per ton of BF slag processed.

Extraction of Zinc from Electric Arc Furnace Dust by Alkaline Leaching Followed by Fusion of the Leaching Residue with Caustic Soda

Extractability of zinc from two types of electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts containing 24.8% and 16.8% of zinc respectively (denoted as Sample A and Sample B) were tested using direct alkaline leaching followed by fusion of the resulting leaching residues with caustic soda. The experimental results show that the extraction of zinc is heavily dependent on the contents of iron in the dusts. The higher iron content, the lower extraction of zinc is obtained. 53% and 38% of zinc can be extracted when both dusts were directly contacted with 5mol·L^-1 NaOH solution for 42h. The remaining zinc left in the leaching residues, which supposed to be present as zinc ferrites, can be further leached when the residues were fused with caustic soda. Quantitative extraction of zinc can be obtained from the leaching residue of Sample A while only 85% from Sample B. The extractability of zinc from dusts wit hvarious contents of iron is compared. The production flowsheet for zinc from the dusts using the process proposed is discussed.

Experimental Research on Effects of Process Parameters on Servo Scanning 3D Micro Electrical Discharge Machining

Servo scanning 3D micro electrical discharge machining (3D SSMEDM) is a novel and effective method in fabricating complex 3D micro structures with high aspect ratio on conducting materials. In 3D SSMEDM process, the axial wear of tool electrode can be compensated automatically by servo-keeping discharge gap, instead of the traditional methods that depend on experiential models or intermittent compensation. However, the effects of process parameters on 3D SSMEDM have not been reported up until now. In this study, the emphasis is laid on the effects of pulse duration, peak current, machining polarity, track style, track overlap, and scanning velocity on the 3D SSMEDM performances of machining efficiency, processing status, and surface accuracy. A series of experiments were carried out by machining a micro-rectangle cavity (900 μm×600 μm) on doped silicon. The experimental results were obtained as follows. Peak current plays a main role in machining efficiency and surface accuracy. Pulse duration affects obviously the stability of discharge state. The material removal rate of cathode processing is about 3/5 of that of anode processing. Compared with direction-parallel path, contour-parallel path is better in counteracting the lateral wear of tool electrode end. Scanning velocity should be selected moderately to avoid electric arc and short. Track overlap should be slightly less than the radius of tool electrode. In addition, a typical 3D micro structure of eye shape was machined based on the optimized process parameters. These results are beneficial to improve machining stability, accuracy, and efficiency in 3D SSMEDM.

3D Numerical Analysis of the Arc Plasma Behavior in a Submerged DC Electric Arc Furnace for the Production of Fused MgO

A three dimensional steady-state magnetohydrodynamic model is developed for the arc plasma in a DC submerged electric arc furnace for the production of fused MgO. The arc is generated in a small semi-enclosed space formed by the graphite electrode, the molten bath and unmelted raw materials. The model is first used to solve a similar problem in a steel making furnace, and the calculated results are found to be in good agreement with the published measurements. The behavior of arcs with different arc lengths is also studied in the furnace for MgO production. From the distribution of the arc pressure on the bath surface it is shown that the arc plasma impingement is large enough to cause a crater-like depression on the surface of the MgO bath. The circulation of the high temperature air under the electrode may enhance the arc efficiency, especially for a shorter arc.

Machining performance on hybrid process of abrasive jet machining and electrical discharge machining

To develop a hybrid process of abrasive jet machining (AJM) and electrical discharge machining (EDM),the effects of the hybrid process parameters on machining performance were comprehensively investigated to confirm the benefits of this hybrid process.The appropriate abrasives delivered by high speed gas media were incorporated with an EDM in gas system to construct the hybrid process of AJM and EDM,and then the high speed abrasives could impinge on the machined surface to remove the recast layer caused by EDM process to increase the efficiency of material removal and reduce the surface roughness.In this study,the benefits of the hybrid process were determined as the machining performance of hybrid process was compared with that of the EDM in gas system.The main process parameters were varied to explore their effects on material removal rate,surface roughness and surface integrities.The experimental results show that the hybrid process of AJM and EDM can enhance the machining efficiency and improve the surface quality.Consequently,the developed hybrid process can fit the requirements of modern manufacturing applications.

Metal-doped(Cu,Zn)Fe2O4 from integral utilization of toxic Zn-containing electric arc furnace dust: An environment-friendly heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst

Pure metal-doped(Cu,Zn)Fe2O4 was synthesized from Zn-containing electric arc furnace dust(EAFD)by solid-state reaction using copper salt as additive.The effects of pretreated EAFD-to-Cu2(OH)2CO3·6H2O mass ratio,calcination time,and calcination temperature on the structure and catalytic ability were systematically studied.Under the optimum conditions,the decolorization efficiency and total organic carbon(TOC)removal efficiency of the as-prepared ferrite for treating a Rhodamine B solution were approximately 90.0%and 45.0%,respectively,and the decolorization efficiency remained 83.0%after five recycles,suggesting that the as-prepared(Cu,Zn)Fe2O4 was an efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst with high stability.The high catalytic activity mainly depended on the synergistic effect of iron and copper ions occupying octahedral positions.More importantly,the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP)analysis illustrated that the toxic Zncontaining EAFD was transformed into harmless(Cu,Zn)Fe2O4 and that the concentrations of toxic ions in the degraded solution were all lower than the national emission standard(GB/31574-2015),further confirming that the as obtained sample is an environment-friendly heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst.

Recovery of zinc from electric arc furnace dust by alkaline pressure leaching using iron as a reductant

To recover zinc from electric arc furnace(EAF)dust,a process of primary normal pressure leaching and secondary alkaline pressure leaching is proposed.First,under the alkaline pressure leaching system,the experiment of pure zinc ferrite being reduced by iron powder was carried out.Under the optimal reduction conditions(i.e.,temperature of 260℃,NaOH concentration of 6 mol/L,liquid-to-solid ratio of 50 mL/g,and a 5-fold excess of iron powder),89%of zinc was extracted.The iron in the reduced residue exists as a magnetite phase.Subsequently,the normal pressure leaching experiment was carried out with EAF dust as raw material,and 66%zinc was leached.The main phase of zinc in normal leaching residue was determined to be zinc ferrite.Then,the normal leaching residue was reduced by iron powder under the alkaline pressure leaching system,and 66.5%of zinc was extracted.After the two-stage leaching process,the leaching rate of zinc in EAF dust can achieve 88.7%.The alkaline pressure leaching solution can be returned as the normal pressure leaching solution,and the magnetite in the alkaline pressure leaching residue can be recovered by magnetic separation.

Heat Transfer Analysis for Industrial AC Electric Arc Furnace

The heat transfer analysis was performed for an AC electric arc furnace (EAF). Heat losses by conduction, convection and radiation from outer surface, roof, bottom and electrodes of EAF were determined in detail. Some suggestions about decreasing heat losses were presented.

Zinc leaching from electric arc furnace dust in alkaline medium

Physical and chemical properties of electric arc furnace （EAF） dust from Tianjin seamless Pipe Company were measured and analyzed. The zinc leaching tests in alkaline medium were carried out under variation of leaching agent concentration, leaching temperature, leaching cumulative time and solid-to-liquid ratio. The thermodynamics and kinetics of the zinc leaching process were also analyzed. The results show that the EAF dust contains 10% （mass fraction） zinc and the median particle size is 0.69 μm. The zinc recovery of 73.4% is obtained tinder the condition of 90 ℃, 6 mol/L NaOH, and 60 min leaching time. With the increase of concentration of NaOH and the cumulative time, zinc leaching will be significantly increased. The kinetics study demonstrates that the leaching reaction is chemically controlled and the reaction activation energy is 15.73 kJ/mol.

Multiple-response optimization for melting process of aluminum melting furnace based on response surface methodology with desirability function

To reduce the fuel consumption and emissions and also enhance the molten aluminum quality, a mathematical model with user-developed melting model and burning capacity model, were established according to the features of melting process of regenerative aluminum melting furnaces. Based on validating results by heat balance test for an aluminum melting furnace, CFD （computational fluid dynamics） technique, in association with statistical experimental design were used to optimize the melting process of the aluminum melting furnace. Four important factors influencing the melting time, such as horizontal angle between burners, height-to-radius ratio, natural gas mass flow and air preheated temperature, were identified by PLACKETT-BURMAN design. A steepest descent method was undertaken to determine the optimal regions of these factors. Response surface methodology with BOX-BEHNKEN design was adopted to further investigate the mutual interactions between these variables on RSD （relative standard deviation） of aluminum temperature, RSD of furnace temperature and melting time. Multiple-response optimization by desirability function approach was used to determine the optimum melting process parameters. The results indicate that the interaction between the height-to-radius ratio and horizontal angle between burners affects the response variables significantly. The predicted results show that the minimum RSD of aluminum temperature （12.13%）, RSD of furnace temperature （18.50%） and melting time （3.9 h） could be obtained under the optimum conditions of horizontal angle between burners as 64°, height-to-radius ratio as 0.3, natural gas mass flow as 599 m3/h, and air preheated temperature as 639 ℃. These predicted values were further verified by validation experiments. The excellent correlation between the predicted and experimental values confirms the validity and practicability of this statistical optimum strategy.

Computer Aided Mass Balance Analysis for AC Electric Arc Furnace Steelmaking

A mass balance analysis was undertaken for liquid steel production using a computer program specially developed for the AC electric arc furnace at an important alloy steel producer in Turkey. The data obtained by using the computer program were found to be very close to the actual production ones.