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.

Relationship between copper content of slag and matte in the SKS copper smelting process

In the newly developed oxygen-enriched bottom-blowing copper smelting process(also known as the SKS copper smelting process), Cu loss in slag is one of the most concerning issues. This paper presents our research results concerning the relationship between the Cu content of the matte and slag in the SKS process; the results are based on actual industrial production in the Dongying Fangyuan copper smelter. The results show that the matte grade strongly influences Cu losses in slag. The dissolved and entrained losses account for 10%–20% and 80%–90% of the total SKS industrial Cu losses in slag, respectively. With increasing matte grade, the dissolved and entrained Cu losses in the SKS slag both increase continuously. When the matte grade is greater than 68%, the content of Cu in the smelting slag increases much more dramatically. To obtain a high direct recovery of copper, the matte grade should be less than 75% in industrial SKS copper production.

Thermodynamic modeling of antimony removal from complex resources in copper smelting process

This work investigated the reaction mechanism of Sb in copper smelting process. The difference of multi-phase distribution of Sb in four typical copper smelting processes was analyzed. A multi-phase equilibrium model of the oxygen-enriched bottom-blow copper smelting process was developed. The impacts of Cu, S, and Sb concentrations in raw materials on Sb distribution in multiphases were researched. This model was also used to investigate the effect of process factors such as copper matte grade, oxygen-enriched concentration, smelting temperature, and oxygen/ore ratio(ratio of oxygen flow rate under standard conditions to concentrate charge rate) on Sb distribution behavior. The results showed that calculation data were in good agreement with the actual production results and literature data. Increasing the Cu content and decreasing the S and Sb contents in the concentrate, increasing the copper matte grade, oxygen/enriched concentration, and oxygen-ore ratio, and at the same time appropriately reducing the smelting temperature are conducive to the targeted enrichment of Sb into the slag. Modeling results can provide theoretical guidance for the clean and efficient treatment of complex resources and the comprehensive recycling of associated elements.