Iron and copper recovery from copper slags through smelting with waste cathode carbon from aluminium electrolysis

To recover metal from copper slags,a new process involving two steps of oxidative desulfurization followed by smelting reduction was proposed in which one hazardous waste(waste cathode carbon)was used to treat another(copper slags).The waste cathode carbon is used not only as a reducing agent but also as a fluxing agent to decrease slag melting point.Upon holding for 60 min in air atmosphere first and then smelting with 14.4 wt%waste cathode carbon and 25 wt%CaO for 180 min in high purity Ar atmosphere at 1450℃,the recovery rates of Cu and Fe reach 95.89%and 94.64%,respectively,and meanwhile greater than 90%of the fluoride from waste cathode carbon is transferred into the final slag as CaF_(2) and Ca_(2)Si_(2)F_(2)O_(7),which makes the content of soluble F in the slag meet the national emission standard.Besides,the sulphur content in the obtained Fe-Cu alloy is low to 0.03 wt%.

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.

Recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium ion batteries by smelting reduction process based on FeO-SiO_2-Al_2O_3 slag system

NA novel smelting reduction process based on FeO-SiO2-Al2O3 slag system for spent lithium ion batteries with Al cans was developed, while using copper slag as the only slag former. The feasibility of the process and the mechanism of copper loss in slag were investigated. 98.83% Co, 98.39% Ni and 93.57% Cu were recovered under the optimum conditions of slag former/battery mass ratio of 4.0：1, smelting temperature of 1723 K, and smelting mass ratio of time of 30 min. The FeO-SiO2-Al2O3 slag system for the smelting process is appropriate under the conditions of m（FeO）：m（SiO2）=0.58：1？1.03：1, and 17.19%？21.52% Al2O3 content. The obtained alloy was mainly composed of Fe-Co-Cu-Ni solid solution including small amounts of matte. The obtained slag mainly consisted of fayalite and hercynite. Meanwhile, the mechanism of copper loss is the mechanical entrainment from strip-like fayalite particles in the main form of copper sulfide and metallic copper.

Recovery of cobalt from converter slag of Chambishi Copper Smelter using reduction smelting process

The reduction smelting process for cobalt recovery from converter slag of the Chambishi Copper Smelter in Zambia was studied. The effects of reducing agent dosage, smelting temperature and time and the addition of slag modifiers （CaO and TiO2） were investigated. In addition, the depleted slag and cobalt-bearing alloy were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Under the determined conditions, 94.02% Co, 95.76% Cu and less than 18% Fe in the converter slag were recovered. It was found that the main phases of depleted slag were fayalite and hercynite; and the cobalt-bearing alloy mainly contained metallic copper, Fe-Co-Cu alloys and a small amount of sulfide.

Effect of moderately thermophilic bacteria on metal extraction and electrochemical characteristics for zinc smelting slag in bioleaching system

The effects of moderately thermophilic bacteria on the extraction of metals from zinc smelting slag and electrochemical characteristics of zinc smelting slag carbon paste electrode in bioleaching process were studied. The results show that the extraction rates of Fe, Cu and Zn from the slag reach 86.7%, 90.3% and 66.7% after adsorbed bacteria sterilize, while those with adsorbed bacteria are 91.9%, 96.0% and 84.5% in conditions of pulp density 2%, pH 1.0, temperature 65 °C and stirring rate 120 r/min, respectively. Some stretching peaks of functional groups from bacterial secretes on the bioleached residue surface, such as 1007 cm-1 and 1193 cm-1, turn up through FI-IR analysis and indirectly reveal the presence of the adsorbed bacteria on the slag particles surface. Besides, the corrosion of zinc smelting slag is enhanced by bacteria according to the characteristics of cyclic voltametry and Tafel curves in bioleaching system.

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.

Extraction of metals from a zinc smelting slag using two-step procedure combining acid and ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid disodium

A two-step leaching method in combination of acid and ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid disodium （EDTA-Na2） was applied to extract metals such as Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn from a zinc smelting slag. The results show that the extraction rates of Cd, Cu, Fe and Zn in slag reach 88.3%, 54.1%, 69.6% and 54.7%, respectively, while the extraction rate of Pb is only 0.05% leached with 1.25 mol/L sulfuric acid under the conditions of the ratio of slag to liquid of 100 g/L, 65 ℃ and 120 r/min for 2 h. However, Pb extraction rate from 1.25 mol/L sulfuric acid leached residue reaches as high as 66.5% by using 0.1 mol/L EDTA-Na2 solution. The results indicate that two-step sequential extraction procedure combining 1.25 mol/L sulfuric acid and 0.1 mol/L EDTA-Na2 solution can extensively extract Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn from zinc smelting slag.

Study on Foaming Behaviour of Molten Slag during Smelting Reduction with Iron Bath

The molten slag in smelting reduction with iron bath has peculiar behaviour for its high FeO concentration. Slag foaming is effected by the concentration and reduction rate of FeO, basicity of slag and temperature. Addition of granulated coke can greatly decrease slag foaming extent in the process of smelting reduction with iron bath. The anti-foaming capacity of granulated coke is the best when the ratio of coke used for coke layer to total coke used in smelting reduction is controlled at about 20%.

Recovery of iron and calcium aluminate slag from high-ferrous bauxite by high-temperature reduction and smelting process

A high-temperature reduction and smelting process was used to recover iron and calcium aluminate slag from high-ferrous bauxite. The effects of w（CaO）/w（SiO_2） ratio, anthracite ratio, and reduction temperature and time on the recovery and size of iron nuggets and on the Al_2O_3 grade of the calcium aluminate slag were investigated through thermodynamic calculations and experiments. The optimized process conditions were the bauxite/anthracite/slaked lime weight ratio of 100：16.17：59.37, reduction temperature of 1450°C and reduction time of 20 min. Under these conditions, high-quality iron nuggets and calcium aluminate slag were obtained. The largest size and the highest recovery rate of iron nuggets were 11.42 mm and 92.79wt%, respectively. The calcium aluminate slag mainly comprised Ca_2 SiO_4 and Ca_（12）Al_（14）O_（33）, with small amounts of Fe Al_2O_4, CaAl_2O_4, and Ca_2Al_2SiO_7.

Effect of Fe/SiO2 and CaO/SiO2 mass ratios on metal recovery rate and metal content in slag in oxygen-enriched direct smelting of jamesonite concentrate

The oxygen-enriched direct smelting of jamesonite concentrate was carried out at 1250℃by changing the slag composition.The effects of Fe/SiO2 and Ca O/SiO2 mass ratios on the metal recovery rate as well as metal content in slag were investigated.Experimental results indicated that the metal(Pb+Sb)recovery rate was up to 88.30%,and metal(Pb+Sb)content in slag was below 1 wt.%under the condition of slag composition of 21-22 wt.%Fe,19-20 wt.%SiO2 and 17-18 wt.%Ca O with Fe/SiO2 mass ratio of 1.1:1 and Ca O/SiO2 mass ratio of 0.9:1.The microanalysis of the alloy and slag demonstrated that the main phases in the alloy contained metallic Pb,metallic Sb and a small amount of Cu2 Sb and Fe Sb2 intermetallic compounds.The slag was mainly composed of kirschsteinite and fayalite.Zinc in the raw material was mainly oxidized into the slag phase in the form of zinc oxide.

Iron extraction from lead slag by bath smelting

A new bath smelting process was proposed to recover iron for solid wastes reduction.99.79%of iron metallization,99.61%of iron recovery,pig iron with93.58%Fe,0.021%S,0.11%P,1.38%C,0.22%Si,0.01%Pb and0.031%Zn were achievedafter the wastes were smelted at1575°C for20min under C/Fe molar ratio of1.6and basicity of1.2.The produced pig iron could beused in steel-making.This study provides a way for recycling iron from smelting slag and hydrometallurgical residue.

Preparation and Microstructural Analysis of Smelting Waste Non-ferrous Metal Slag Geopolymer

The geopolymer samples were prepared with smelting waste slag of non-ferrous metal as the raw material and water glass as the activator. The effect of modulus of water glass and water binder ratio on the compressive strength was studied. The results show that the strength of the geopolymer activated by water glass with modulus of 1.1 and water binder ratio of 0.28 can maintain an increasing trend in the 90 curing days. Through the analyses with XRD, SEM（EDS）, and FTIR, the main reaction products are found to be geopolymer gels, which bond the crystalline minerals to provide strength. The molecular chains of amorphous phase in slag become shorter after depolymerization-polycondensation.

Stabilisation of Pb in Pb Smelting Slag-Contaminated Soil by Compost-Modified Biochars and Their Effects on Maize Plant Growth

Compost has been used to stabilise lead (Pb) in soil. However, compost contains a high level of dissolved organic matter (DOM) which may make Pb bioavailable in plant and thereby limiting its effectiveness and application. Addition of biochar to compost can reduce this effect. Rice husk (RH) and Cashew nut shell (CNS) biochars and compost-modified biochars were used in comparison to compost for stabilizing Pb in lead smelting slag (LSS)-contaminated soil (Pb = 18,300 mg/kg) in Nigeria. Efficiency of Pb stabilisation in control and amended soils was assessed using CaCl2 batch leaching experiment and plant performance. In pot experiments, maize plant was grown on the contaminated soil and on soil treated with minimum and optimum doses of the amendments singly and in combination for 6 weeks. Agronomical and chemical parameters of the plants were measured. CaCl2-extractable Pb in the untreated soil was reduced from 60 mg/kg to 0.55 mg/kg in RHB amended soils and non-detectable in other amended soils. RH-biochar/compost increased plant height, number of leaf and leaf area more than the others. Similarly, at minimum rate, it reduced root and shoot Pb by 91% and 86.0% respectively. Compost-modified rice husk biocharstabilised Pb in lead smelting slag contaminated soil reduced Pb plant uptake and improved plant growth. Lead stabilisation through the use of rice husk biochar with compost may be a green method for remediation of lead smelting slag-contaminated soil.

Breaking the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper microstructure to enhance copper-slag separation

The precipitation of Fe_(3)O_(4)particles and the accompanied formation of Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper structure are the main obstacles to copper recovery from the molten slag during the pyrometallurgical smelting of copper concentrates.Herein,the commercial powdery pyrite or anthracite is replaced with pyrite-anthracite pellets as the reductants to remove a large amount of Fe_(3)O_(4)particles in the molten slag,resulting in a deep fracture in the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper microstructure and the full exposure of the copper matte cores.When 1wt%composite pellet is used as the reductant,the copper matte droplets are enlarged greatly from 25μm to a size observable by the naked eye,with the copper content being enriched remarkably from 1.2wt%to 4.5wt%.Density functional theory calculation results imply that the formation of the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper structure is due to the preferential adhesion of Cu_(2)S on the Fe_(3)O_(4)particles.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR),and Raman spectroscopy results all reveal that the high-efficiency conver-sion of Fe_(3)O_(4)to FeO can decrease the volume fraction of the solid phase and promote the depolymerization of silicate network structure.As a consequence,the settling of copper matte droplets is enhanced due to the lowered slag viscosity,contributing to the high efficiency of copper-slag separation for copper recovery.The results provide new insights into the enhanced in-situ enrichment of copper from mol-ten slag.

Corrosion of Magnesia-chrome Brick by Smelting Reduction Slag with Iron Bath

Effects of FeO content （0, 5%, 10%, and 15% in mass, respectively ） in lab-synthesized smelting redttc- tion slag with iron bath and test temperature （1 450, 1 500, 1550, anti 1 600 ℃ ） on corrosion am,amount and microstructure of fused rebonded magnesia - chrome brick with 26.02 massqc of Cr2O3 were researched by rotary cylinder method. The results show that ： （ 1 ） the corro- sion amolult of magnesia -chrome brick by slag without FeO is higher than that by the slag with 5% FeO, and the vorrosion amount increases when FeO content increa- ses from 5% to 15% ; （2） the test temperature is one of the important factors affecting the slag corrosion resist- ance of magnesia - chrome brick, and the corrosion of smelting reduction slag to brick increases with the temperature rising.

Controlling fine particles in flue gas from lead-zinc smelting by plasma technology

With the aim of controlling the problem of fine particles in the flue gas of lead-zinc smelting,a low-temperature plasma-electrocoagulation and electric bag composite dedusting experimental platform was designed by combining electrocoagulation and electric bag composite dust removal technology based on the research of low-temperature plasma technology.Firstly,the properties of fine particles in flue gas from lead-zinc smelting were analyzed,and the effects of input voltage,filter wind speed,dust concentration,and pulse-jet ash-cleaning cycle on the dust collection efficiency of the integrated device were studied.Then,the energy efficiency of the integrated technology was analyzed,and the control mechanism of the fine particles was revealed.The experimental results show that the integrated technology of low-temperature plasma-electrocoagulation and electric bag composite dust removal achieves a fine particle removal efficiency of more than 99.99%and the energy consumption per unit mass of the dust is only 0.008 k W·h/g.The integrated technology has broad application prospects and farreaching practical significance for the lead-zinc smelting industry to achieve ultra-low emission targets for flue gas and achieve energy-saving and emission reduction effects.

Reduction smelting on bismuth oxide residue in FeO-SiO2-CaO ternary slag system

Reduction smelting of the bismuth oxide residue from pressure leaching of bismuth sulfide was investigated in the FeO-SiO_2-CaO ternary slag system.The results show that all the recovery ratios of Bi,Ag,Cu and Pb increase with the increase of reductive coal proportion,reaction temperature and time,while too much reductive coal would help Fe enter metal phase;CaO/SiO_2and Fe O/SiO_2 of the chosen slag system should be 0.5-0.75 and 1.25-1.75,respectively,for the reason that the slag system has the optimum mobility and is beneficial for the recovery of metals.The corresponding optimum conditions are determined as follows:the added coal proportion is 7%of the leaching residue,CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio in the chosen slag system is 0.5 and FeO-SiO_2 is 1.5,the reaction temperature is 1300°C and the reaction time is 40 min.Under the above conditions,the recovery ratios of Bi,Ag,Cu and Pb are 99.6%,99.8%,97.0%and 97.3%,respectively.

Influence of Anthracite-to-Ilmenite-Ratio on Element Distribution in Titanium Slag Smelting in Large DC Furnaces

The distribution of titanium,carbon and associated elements(calcium,magnesium,silicon and aluminum)in a smelting process is studied by means of a chemical equilibrium calculation method for multiphase and multicomponent systems,and verified through comparison with production results.In particular,using the coexistence theory for titanium slag structures,the influence of the AIR(anthracite to ilmenite ratio)on the distribution of such elements is analyzed.The results show that the AIR can be adjusted to achieve a selective reduction of oxides in the melt.

Effect of the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio and FeO content on the viscosity of CaO–SiO2–“FeO”–12wt%ZnO–3wt%Al2O3 slags

An effective process for recycling lead from hazardous waste cathode ray tubes（CRTs） funnel glass through traditional lead smelting has been presented previously. The viscous behavior of the molten high lead slag, which is affected by the addition of funnel glass, plays a critical role in determining the production efficiency. Therefore, the viscosities of the CaO–SiO_2–＂FeO＂–12wt%ZnO–3wt%Al_2O_3 slags were measured in the current study using the rotating spindle method. The slag viscosity decreases as the CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio is increased from 0.8 to 1.2 and also as the FeO content is increased from 8wt% to 20wt%. The breaking temperature of the slag is lowered substantially by the addition of FeO, whereas the influence of the CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio on the breaking temperature is complex. The structural analysis of quenched slags using Fourier transform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy reveals that the silicate network structure is depolymerized with increasing CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio or increasing FeO content. The [FeO_6]-octahedra in the slag melt increase as the CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio or the FeO content increases. This increase can further decrease the degree of polymerization（DOP） of the slag. Furthermore, the activation energy for viscous flow decreases both with increasing CaO/SiO_2 mass ratio and increasing FeO content.

Effect of nickel oxide additive on smelting mechanism of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets

The effect of nickel oxide additive on the smelting behaviors of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets(CVTP)was investigated while analyzing the transfer behavior of nickel in iron and slag.The results show that when NiO added to CVTP increases from 0 to 6 wt.%,softening start temperature increases from 1148 to 1212℃,and the softening end temperature increases from 1280 to 1334℃;the melting start temperature increases from 1318 to 1377℃,and the dripping temperature decreases from 1558 to 1521℃.The pig iron comprises a compound of Fe-Ni-C.The slag structure depolymerizes with increasing nickel addition.The softening-melting behaviors of CVTP,the reduction of nickel into pig iron,and the depolymerization of slag structure indicate the feasibility of producing nickel-iron alloy through the blast furnace process.