Research and application of the virtual simulation system teaching method in copper pyrometallurgy

Copper pyrometallurgy has been holding a special place in the copper smelting industry.However,it is hard to explore the effect of parameters on production effectively due to the inoperable practice in the factory.The physical and chemical changes during the metallurgical process of copper smelting are also too complex to be observed.Therefore,we designed and built a virtual factory for copper pyrometallurgy,copper pyrometallurgy virtual simulation system(CPVSS),to simulate the copper smelting plant.The entire technical routes,system function,the main productive principle,technological process,and conditional tests were fully simulated in the CPVSS.It also provided a solution for the observation of internal phenomena in this paper.Moreover,sample computations were provided in this paper to illustrate the parameter simulation of the smelting process.A novel interactive experimental model was also constructed with virtual simulation technology and network multimedia technology,which provides powerful support for copper pyrometallurgy learning.

Beneficiation of Titanium Oxides From Ilmenite by Self-Reduction of Coal Bearing Pellets

The study on the beneficiation of titanium oxides from Panzhihua ilmenites by reduction of coal bearing pellets was carried out. The iron oxides in pellets were efficiently reduced to metal iron, and titanium oxide slag beneficiated was separated from metal iron. The effect of temperature, flux and coal blending ratio on the reduction and separation was investigated, and rational parameters were determined. A new process for the beneficiation of titanium oxides by rotary hearth furnace （RHF） was proposed.

Distribution behavior of phosphorus in the coal-based reduction of high-phosphorus-content oolitic iron ore

This study focuses on the reduction of phosphorus from high-phosphorus-content oolitic iron ore via coal-based reduction. The distribution behavior of phosphorus （i.e., the phosphorus content and the phosphorus distribution ratio in the metal, slag, and gas phases） during reduction was investigated in detail. Experimental results showed that the distribution behavior of phosphorus was strongly influenced by the reduction temperature, the reduction time, and the C/O molar ratio. A higher temperature and a longer reaction time were more favor-able for phosphorus reduction and enrichment in the metal phase. An increase in the C/O ratio improved phosphorus reduction but also hin-dered the mass transfer of the reduced phosphorus when the C/O ratio exceeded 2.0. According to scanning electron microscopy analysis, the iron ore was transformed from an integral structure to metal and slag fractions during the reduction process. Apatite in the ore was reduced to P, and the reduced P was mainly enriched in the metal phase. These results suggest that the proposed method may enable utilization of high-phosphorus-content oolitic iron ore resources.

Study on the Recovery of Rhodium from Spent Organic Rhodium Catalysts of Acetic Acid Industry Using Pyrometallurgical Process

A new process recycling rhodium from organic waste containing rhodium in acetic acid industry is developed. Use the special affinity of base metal sulfides (FeS, Ni2S3 , CuS, etc.) on platinum group metals, adopting high nickel matte trapping-aluminothermic activation method to recovery rhodium from incinerator residue of organic rhodium waste. The method is shorter process, lower equipment requirement, and the higher activity of rhodium black. In pyrometallurgy enrichment process,the recovery rate of rhodium reached 94.65%, the full flow of rhodium recovery rate was 92.04%.

Sulfidation roasting of lead and zinc carbonate with sulphur by temperature gradient method

In order to enhance the lead and zinc recovery from the refractory Pb-Zn oxide ore, a new technology was developed based on sulfidation roasting with sulphur by temperature gradient method. The solid-liquid reaction system was established and the sulfidation thermodynamics of lead and zinc carbonate was calculated with the software HSC 5.0. The effects of roasting temperature,molar ratio of sulphur to lead and zinc carbonate and reaction time in the first step roasting, and holding temperature and time in the second roasting on the sulfidation extent were studied at a laboratory-scale. The experimental results show that the sulfidation extents of lead and zinc are 96.50% and 97.29% under the optimal conditions, respectively, and the artificial galena, sphalerite and wurtzite were formed. By the novel sulfidizing process, it is expected that the sulphides can be recovered by conventional flotation technology.

New pyrometallurgical process of EAF dust treatment with CaO addition

The non-carbothermic zinc pyrometallurgical processing of electric arc furnace(EAF) dust was investigated on a laboratory scale. The main objective of this process was to convert highly stable zinc ferrite(Zn Fe2O4), which accounts for more than half of total zinc in the EAF dust, into Zn O and Ca2Fe2O5 by Ca O addition. The EAF dust was mixed with Ca O powder in various ratios, pressed into pellets, and heated in a muffle furnace in air at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1100°C for a predetermined holding time. All Zn Fe2O4 was transformed into Zn O and Ca2Fe2O5 at a minimum temperature of 900°C within 1 h when sufficient Ca O to achieve a Ca/Fe molar ratio of 1.1 was added. However, at higher temperatures, excess Ca O beyond the stoichiometric ratio was required because it was consumed by reactions leading to the formation of compounds other than Zn Fe2O4. The evaporation of halides and heavy metals in the EAF dust was also studied. These components could be preferentially volatilized into the gas phase at 1100°C when Ca O was added.

Hydrometallurgical Processing of Manganese Ores: A Review

Hydrometallurgy is the most suitable extractive technique for the extraction and purification of manganese as compared to all other techniques including biometallurgy and pyrometallurgical processes. In the hydrometallurgical processing of manganese from its ore, the leach liquors often contain divalent ions such as iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt and zinc along with other impurities which make manganese very difficult to separate. The processes employed for solution concentration and purification in the hydrometallurgical processing of manganese include precipitation, cementation, solvent extraction and ion exchange. Solvent extraction also proves more efficient and it plays vital roles in the purification and separation of the manganese as compared to all other techniques. A detailed review of the various steps involved in the hydrometal-lurgical manganese processing, concentration and purification processes and newer processes of extraction of manganese from ores and waste materials were discussed.

Mass transfer coefficients in metallurgical reactors

An overview on the application and achievements of physico-mathematicalmodeling of metallurgical processes in China is briefly declared. The important role of coefficientsin model formulation is shown from our experience. The mass transfer coefficients of the slag-metalreactions and the gas-metal reactions are discussed referring to the flow conditions near theinterface. The influence of the surface-active species on the mass transfer and the interfacialreaction is also discussed briefly.

Argentinean Copper Concentrates: Structural Aspects and Thermal Behaviour

In Argentina, there are many sources of copper concentrates. Some of them are currently in operation, while others are in the exploration stage. All copper concentrates produced are exported to other countries for copper refinement and to create various finished products. It is desirable that in the near future, these copper concentrates be processed in an Argentinean industrial plant. The aim of this paper was to present the results of a characterisation study carried out on five different copper concentrate samples. The thermal decomposition of the copper concentrates was determined by differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry (DTA TG). The information was correlated with the chemical composition and the mineralogical phases of the samples identified by X-ray diffraction. A melting test at temperatures of up to 1300℃ was performed to complete the study of the concentrate’s behaviour during heating. After the test, all of the samples were observed by light and electronic scanning microscopy to identify the different phases generated under high-temperature conditions.

Vapour Treatment Method Against Other Pyro-and Hydrometallurgical Processes Applied to Recover Platinum From Used Auto Catalytic Converters

Today more and more cars are produced every year. All of them have to be equipped with catalytic converters, the main role of which is to obtain substances harmless to the environment instead of exhausted gases. Catalytic converters contain platinum group metals （PGM） especially platinum, palladium and rhodium. The price of these metals and their increasing demand are the reasons why today it is necessary to recycle used auto catalytic converters. There are many available methods of recovering PGM metals from them, especially platinum. These methods used mainly hydrometallurgical processes; however pyrometallurgical ones become more and more popular. The article presents results of the research mainly concerning pyrometallurgical processes. Two groups of research were carried out. In the first one different metals such as lead, magnesium and copper were used as a metal collector. During the tests, platinum went to those metals forming an alloy. In other research metal vapours were blown through catalytic converter carrier （grinded or whole）. In the tests metals such as calcium, magnesium, cadmium and zinc were applied. As a result white or grey powder （metal plus platinum） was obtained. The tables present results of the research. Processing parameters and conclusions are also shown. To compare efficiency of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods catalytic converter carrier and samples of copper with platinum obtained from pyrometallurgical method were solved in aqua regia, mixture of aqua regia and fluoric acid.

Thermal analysis of lithium ion battery cathode materials for the development of a novel pyrometallurgical recycling approach

Since pyrometallurgical approaches on lithium ion battery recycling are not yet capable of recovering lithium but only nickel,cobalt and manganese,the Chair of Thermal Processing Technology at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben started to investigate experimental reactor concepts on their suitability to overcome this major drawback.Therefor,the general behaviour of currently used cathode materials under reducing conditions and high temperatures is of great interest.This work expands previous performed heating microscope experiments by thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)to characterize the reactions that are responsible for certain changes in the cathode materials.By comparing the superficial changes of the samples in the heating microscope with the corresponding data from the TGA,it was possible to identify the temperature zones in which reduction reactions occured.For all investigated cathode materials,the reduction reactions started at technically feasible temperatures of approx.1000◦C,which is favorable for the desired recycling process.On the other hand,this is some hundred degrees higher than the temperature at which first changes in the heating microscope could be observed and indicates that there are changes in the material before the reduction starts.Therefore,the results also emphasize the need for further analysis to clarify this offset and to complete the thermal characterisation of the cathode materials.