Separation of halogens and recovery of heavy metals from secondary copper smelting dust

The separation of halogens and recovery of heavy metals from secondary copper smelting(SCS)dust using a sulfating roasting−water leaching process were investigated.The thermodynamic analysis results confirm the feasibility of the phase transformation to metal sulfates and to gaseous HF and HCl.Under the sulfating roasting conditions of the roasting temperature of 250℃ and the sulfuric acid excess coefficient of 1.8,over 74 wt.%of F and 98 wt.%of Cl were volatilized into flue gas.Approximately 98.6 wt.%of Zn and 96.5 wt.%of Cu in the roasting product were dissolved into the leaching solution after the water leaching process,while the leaching efficiencies of Pb and Sn were only 0.12%and 0.22%,respectively.The mechanism studies indicate the pivotal effect of roasting temperature on the sulphation reactions from various metal species to metal sulfates and the salting out reactions from various metal halides to gaseous hydrogen halides.

Copper smelting mechanism in oxygen bottom-blown furnace

The SKS furnace is a horizontal cylindrical reactor similar to a Noranda furnace,however,the oxygen enriched air isblown into the furnace from the bottom.Mechanism model of the SKS process was developed by analyzing the smeltingcharacteristics deeply.In our model,the furnace section from top to bottom is divided into seven functional layers,i.e.,gas layer,mineral decomposition transitioning layer,slag layer,slag formation transitioning layer,matte formation transitioning layer,weakoxidizing layer and strong oxidizing layer.The furnace along the length direction is divided into three functional regions,that is,reaction region,separation transitioning region and liquid phase separation and settling region.These layers or regions play differentroles in the model in describing the mechanism of the smelting process.The SKS smelting is at a multiphase non-steady equilibriumstate,and the oxygen and sulfur potentials change gradually in the length and cross directions.The smelting capacity of the SKSprocess could be raised through reasonably controlling the potential values in different layers and regions.

Multiphase equilibrium modeling of oxygen bottom-blown copper smelting process

A computational thermodynamics model for the oxygen bottom-blown copper smelting process(Shuikoushan,SKS process)was established,based on the SKS smelting characteristics and theory of Gibbs free energy minimization.The calculated results of the model show that,under the given stable production condition,the contents of Cu,Fe and S in matte are71.08%,7.15%and17.51%,and the contents of Fe,SiO2and Cu in slag are42.17%,25.05%and3.16%.The calculated fractional distributions of minor elements among gas,slag and matte phases are As82.69%,11.22%,6.09%,Sb16.57%,70.63%,12.80%,Bi68.93%,11.30%,19.77%,Pb19.70%,24.75%,55.55%and Zn17.94%,64.28%,17.79%,respectively.The calculated results of the multiphase equilibrium model agree well with the actual industrial production data,indicating that the credibility of the model is validated.Therefore,the model could be used to monitor and optimize the industrial operations of SKS process.

Thermodynamic analysis and process optimization of zinc and lead recovery from copper smelting slag with chlorination roasting

An efficient chlorination roasting process for recovering zinc(Zn)and lead(Pb)from copper smelting slag was proposed.Thermodynamic models were established,illustrating that Zn and Pb in copper smelting slag can be efficiently recycled during the chlorination roasting process.By decreasing the partial pressure of the gaseous products,chlorination was promoted.The Box−Behnken design was applied to assessing the interactive effects of the process variables and optimizing the chlorination roasting process.CaCl_(2) dosage and roasting temperature and time were used as variables,and metal recovery efficiencies were used as responses.When the roasting temperature was 1172℃ with a CaCl_(2) addition amount of 30 wt.%and a roasting time of 100 min,the predicted optimal recovery efficiencies of Zn and Pb were 87.85%and 99.26%,respectively,and the results were validated by experiments under the same conditions.The residual Zn-and Pb-containing phases in the roasting slags were ZnFe_(2)O_(4),Zn_(2)SiO_(4),and PbS.

Ultrasonic-enhanced selective sulfide precipitation of copper ions from copper smelting dust using monoclinic pyrrhotite

The sulfide passivation film produced on the surface seriously prevents further reaction in the process of using monoclinic pyrrhotite(MPr)to treat heavy metal ions in wastewater.Ultrasonic technology was introduced to assist MPr to recover the copper ions.XPS result proves that CuS products exist on the surface of MPr.XRD and SEM results show that the CuS on the particles’surface is stripped under ultrasonic condition.The kinetics results indicate that the reaction under both conventional and ultrasonic conditions conform to the Avrami model.The reaction process changes from diffusion control to chemical reaction control under the ultrasonic condition as the solid layer is stripped off.The presence of ultrasonic significantly reduces the acidity and temperature required for the reaction and enhances the utilization efficiency of MPr;by controlling the amount of MPr,the removal rates of copper and arsenic in copper smelting dust leachate exceed 99%and 95%,respectively.

Formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles and their sulfation decomposition mechanism in copper smelting flue gas

The heat recovery steam generator(HRSG)of copper smelting generates a large number of arsenic−coppercontaining particles,and the in-situ separation of arsenic and copper is of importance for cutting off environmental risk and realizing resource recovery.The formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles was simulated,the method of in-situ decomposition of arsenic−copper-containing particles by pyrite was proposed,and the decomposition mechanism was confirmed.It was found that particles with high arsenic content were formed in the simulated HRSG,and copper arsenate was liable for the high arsenic content.Pyrite promoted the sulfation of copper,leading to the in-situ decomposition of copper arsenate.In this process,gaseous arsenic was released,and thus the separation of arsenic and copper was realized.

Estimation of SO_2 emission factors from copper smelting industry in Yunnan Province,China

Copper smelting is a significant source of SO2 emission. It is important to quantify SO2 emissions from combustion sources for regulatory and control purposes in relation to air quality. The characteristics of SO2 emissions from copper smelting industry in Yurman Province, China, were examined. Analysis based on the present situation, material balance and measuring method were used to confirm SO2 emission factors of copper smelting industry. Results show that SO2 emission factors for Isa system, side blown-continuous converting system （SB-CC）, blast furnace-continuous converting systems （B-CC） and blast furnace-converter blowing （B-C） are 11.69-18.64, 62.44--101.4, 19.43-37.88 and 45.48-81.03 kg/t（blister copper）, respectively. The comprehensive emission factor based on all smelting plants is found to be in the range of 23-39.99 kg-SO2/t（blister copper） for Yunnan Province, China. The results are compared with those for discharge coefficients of industrial pollutants in the First National General Survey of Pollution Sources and the emission factor of the total amount of major pollutants. It is observed that there are some differences among emission factors.

Intelligent decision support system of operation-optimization in copper smelting converter

An artificial intelligence technique was applied to the optimization of flux adding systems and air blasting systems, the display of on line parameters, forecasting of mass and compositions of slag in the slagging period, optimization of cold material adding systems and air blasting systems, the display of on line parameters, and the forecasting of copper mass in the copper blow period in copper smelting converters. They were integrated to build the Intelligent Decision Support System of the Operation Optimization of Copper Smelting Converter(IDSSOOCSC), which is self learning and self adaptating. Development steps, monoblock structure and basic functions of the IDSSOOCSC were introduced. After it was applied in a copper smelting converter, every production quota was clearly improved after IDSSOOCSC had been run for 4 months. Blister copper productivity is increased by 6%, processing load of cold input is increased by 8% and average converter life span is improved from 213 to 235 furnace times.

Online monitoring and assessment of energy efficiency for copper smelting process

The copper flash smelting process is characterized by its involvement of wide energy sources and high energy consumption, so the energy conservation is usually a highly concerned topic for the flash smelting enterprises. However, due to the complexity of the system, it is quite difficult to perform a timely comprehensive analysis of the energy consumption of the whole production system. Aiming to realize an online assessment of the energy consumption of the system, great effort was first made in Jinguan Copper, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co. Ltd. Methods were proposed to solve technical difficulties such as the acquisition and processing of data with different sampling frequencies, the online evaluation of the electricity consumption, and timely evaluation of product output in the periodic process. As a result, a software system was developed to make the online analysis of the energy consumption and efficiency from the three levels ranging from the system to the equipment. The analytical results at the system level was introduce. It’s found that electricity is the most consumed energy in the system, accounting for 77.3% of the total energy consumption. The smelting unit has the highest energy consumption, accounting for 52.8% of the total energy consumed in the whole enterprise.

Furnace structure analysis for copper flash continuous smelting based on numerical simulation

According to the innate characteristic of four types of furnace, the copper flash continuous smelting （CFCS） furnace can be considered a synthetic reactor of two relatively independent processes： flash matte smelting process （FMSP） and copper continuous converting process （CCCP）. Then, the CFCS thermodynamic model was proposed by establishing the multi-phase equilibrium model of FMSP and the local-equilibrium model of CCCP, respectively, and by combining them through the smelting intermediates. Subsequently, the influences of the furnace structures were investigated using the model on the formation of blister copper, the Fe3O4 behavior, the copper loss in slag and the copper recovery rate. The results show that the type D furnace, with double flues and a slag partition wall, is an ideal CFCS reactor compared with the other three types furnaces. For CFCS, it is effective to design a partition wall in the furnace to make FMSP and CCCP perform in two relatively independent zones, respectively, and to make smelting gas and converting gas discharge from respective flues.

Heavy metal pollution from copper smelting during the Shang Dynasty at the Laoniupo site in the Bahe River valley,Guanzhong Basin,China

Heavy metal pollution is hazardous for the environment and human health.However,there are few studies of heavy metal pollution caused by historic metallurgical activity.The Laoniupo site in the Bahe River valley,Guanzhong Basin,China,was an important settlement of the Shang Culture(1600-1046 BCE).We studied two stratigraphic profiles at the Laoniupo site,which were used for measurements of magnetic susceptibility,heavy metal concentrations,and AMS 14C ages to provide evidence of copper smelting activity at the site during the Shang Dynasty.The Nemerow Pollution Index and Geoaccumulation Index were calculated to assess the heavy metals record(Cu,Zn,Ni,Pb,Cr,and As)in the topsoil on the loess tableland.According to the Single Pollution Index,the topsoil was slightly polluted by As and unpolluted by Cu,Zn,Ni,Pb and Cr;according to the Nemerow Composite Pollution Index the topsoil was mildly polluted;and according to the Geoaccumulation Index,the topsoil was moderately polluted by As,slightly polluted by Cu,and unpolluted by Zn,Ni,Pb and Cr_The main cause of the heavy metal pollution in the topsoil is the presence of copper slag in the cultural layers that was disturbed by modern farming activity.

Water model experiments of multiphase mixing in the top-blown smelting process of copper concentrate

We constructed a 1：10 cold water experimental model by geometrically scaling down an Isa smelting furnace. The mixing processes at different liquid heights, lance diameters, lance submersion depths, and gas flow rates were subsequently measured using the conductivity method. A new criterion was proposed to determine the mixing time. On this basis, the quasi-equations of the mixing time as a function of different parameters were established. The parameters of the top-blown smelting process were optimized using high-speed photography. An excessively high gas flow rate or excessively low liquid height would enhance the fluctuation and splashing of liquid in the bath, which is unfavorable for material mixing. Simultaneously increasing the lance diameter and the lance submersion depth would promote the mixing in the bath, thereby improving the smelting efficiency.

Moisture effect on the combustion of a single copper concentrate particle in a flash smelting furnace

A mathematical model has been presented to study the combustion of a single copper concentrate particle with high moisture content. By using the presented model, the effect of particle moisture content on particle temperature, sulfur oxidation, and combustion heat generation has been evaluated. The mineralogical composition of the commonly used concentrate at Khatoonabad flash smelting furnace has been used in this study. It was found that the particle moisture content is removed in the sub-second time range and thus the moisture has marginal impact on the variation of particle temperature and on the reaction rate when the gas temperature is assumed to be constant in the reaction shaft. When a concentrate with high moisture content is charged, the particle size enlargement due to the agglomeration of concentrate particles causes an abrupt fall in the particle reaction rate.

4 Billion Yuan Copper Smelting Project Landed in Qiqihar, with 100,000 Tonnes Annual Output of Copper Cathode After Reaching Designed Capacity

In the morning of August 20,Heilongjiang Zijin Copper Project formally signed agreement at Fularji District in Qiqihar City.This also signals that the copper smelting project with a total investment of 4 billion yuan,a project under planning since 2011,has formally landed in Qiqihar City.

Grey correlation analysis of factors influencing maldistribution in feeding device of copper flash smelting

An experimental model of maldistribution was established and grey correlation analysis method was employed to describe quantitatively the maldistribution phenomenon in the feeding device of copper flash smelting.Particle motion in the feeding device was separated into uniform flow in chute and restricted slanting parabolic motion in distributor channel.Factors affecting particle velocity at the chute outlet and particle moving distance in the distributor channel,which also cause the maldistribution,were analyzed based on the assumption of pseudo fluid.Experiments were conducted to study the maldistribution using river sand.The results indicate obvious mass maldistribution and an even higher degree with the increase of feeding mass rate;meanwhile,size maldistribution is negligible.Also,feeding intensity has a larger impact on circumferential maldistribution than on radial maldistribution.Based on the experimental results of the eight factors impacting the maldistribution,grey relation of each factor was calculated using grey correlation analysis.The importances of these factors were sequenced.The results show that a proper adjustment of the structure will ameliorate the maldistribution phenomenon in the feeding device of copper flash smelting.

Modeling and Optimization of Copper Flash Smelting Process Based on Neural Network

The copper flash smelting process neural network model(CFSPNNM)was developed,its input layer includes eight nodes:oxygen grade(OG),oxygen volume per ton of concentrate(OVPTC),flux rate(FR)and quantifies of Cu,S,Fe,SiO_2 and MgO in copper concentrate;output layer includes three nodes:matte grade,matte temperature and Fe/SiO_2 in slag,and net structure was 8-13-10-3.Then,the internal relationship between the technological parameters and the objective parameters was built after the CFSPNNM was trained by us...

Smelting chlorination method applied to removal of copper from copper slags

In order to reasonably utilize the iron resources of copper slags, the smelting chlorination process was used to remove copper from copper slags. Higher holding temperature and O2 flow rate are beneficial to increasing copper removal rate. However,the Cu2O mode is formed by the reaction of surplus O2 and CuCl with O2 flow rate increasing over 0.4 L/min, causing CuCl volatilization rate and copper removal rate to decrease. The resulting copper removal rate of 84.34% is obtained under the optimum conditions of holding temperature of 1573 K, residence time of 10 min, Ca Cl2 addition amount of 0.1(mass ratio of CaCl2 and the copper slag) and oxygen flow rate of 0.4 L/min. The efficient removal of copper from copper slags through chlorination is feasible.

Copper and arsenic substance flow analysis of pyrometallurgical process for copper production

The metabolism of copper and arsenic in a copper pyrometallurgy process was studied through substance flow analysis method.The mass balance accounts and substance flow charts of copper and arsenic were established,indicators including direct recovery,waste recycle ratio,and resource efficiency were used to evaluate the metabolism efficiency of the system.The results showed that,the resource efficiency of copper was 97.58%,the direct recovery of copper in smelting,converting,and refining processes was 91.96%,97.13%and 99.47%,respectively.Meanwhile,for producing 1 t of copper,10 kg of arsenic was carried into the system,with the generation of 1.07 kg of arsenic in flotation tailing,8.50 kg of arsenic in arsenic waste residue,and 0.05 kg of arsenic in waste water.The distribution and transformation behaviors of arsenic in the smelting,converting,and refining processes were also analyzed,and some recommendations for improving copper resource efficiency and pollution control were proposed based on substance flow analysis.

Assessment of selective sequential extraction procedure for determining arsenic partitioning in copper slag

An optimized selective sequential extraction(SSE)procedure was developed to assess the arsenic(As)partitioning in copper slag.The potential As species in copper slag are partitioned into the readily soluble As,dissolvable arsenates,sparingly soluble arsenates,As residing in sulfides,arsenopyrite and metal As,as well as As incorporated into glassy silicates.The inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES),scanning electronic microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),X-ray diffractometry(XRD)and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)were used to characterize the leachates and residues produced from the operation scheme.The selectivity and recovery of extractants were evaluated through single-phase extraction procedures.Partitioning data of As in slag samples show good agreement with the reported works and the total As recovery of each operation is over 90%.This suggests that the optimized SEE scheme can be reliably employed for As partitioning in As-bearing byproducts from copper smelting.

Flow zone distribution and mixing time in a Peirce-Smith copper converter

Peirce-Smith copper converting involves complex multiphase flow and mixing.In this work,the flow zone distribution and mixing time in a Peirce-Smith copper converter were investigated in a 1:5 scaled cold model.Flow field distribution,including dead,splashing,and strong-loop zones,were measured,and a dimensionless equation was established to determine the correlation of the effects of stirring and mixing energy with an error of<5%.Four positions in the bath,namely,injection,splashing,strong-loop,and dead zones,were selected to add a hollow salt powder tracer and measure the mixing time.Injecting a quartz flux through tuyeres or into the backflow point of the splashing wave through a chute was recommended instead of adding it through a crane hopper from the top of the furnace to improve the slag-making reaction.