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By Yuhsuke Mizukami

Crude high Cr containing steel such as tool steel, heat-resistant steel or stainless steel is produced by dissolution of high carbon ferro-chromium into molten crude steel. In the refining process, decarburization is performed at the first stage, and deoxidation is followed in the next stage. Therefore, the equilibrium relation between dissolved Cr and 0 in molten Fe-Cr alloy after decarburization is very important when yield of deoxidizer is considered for the ovemll control and optimization of the process. It is well known that the yield of deoxidizer does strongly depend on the kinds of refractories of furnace in the secondary refining process. In the present work, the equilibrium relation between dissolved Cr and O in molten Fe-Cr alloy has been measured in a Cr2O3, MgO or Al2O3 crucible at steelmaking temperature. O contents at given Fe-Cr components have been lower in order of Cr2O3, Al2O3 and MgO crucible. The present results have been discussed based on the activities of the constituents in pure solid Cr2O3, and FeO-Cr2O3, MgO Cr2O3 and (AI,Cr)2O3 solid solutions.

Jan 1, 2003

By ZhiLong ZHAO, Lin Lin, Zhancheng Guo, Jingtao GAO, Huiqing Tang

Grain sticking often occurs in the fluidized bed reduction of f ine iron ore, which is closely related to the precipitation morphology of metallic iron on the surface of ore particles. In this work, simulating the gas-solid reduction process of iron ore, in situ observations were carried out to investigate effects of doping mineral oxides on the precipitation morphology evolution of metallic iron during reduction of iron oxides with CO. Results indicate that the precipitation morphology of metallic iron is related to the quantity of doped mineral oxides. The minimum mole fraction of doped oxide ( xyOA N ) that can inhibit the growth of iron whiskers is related to its cation radius ( Ax r ), extranuclear electronic layers ( Ax n ) and valence electrons ( Ax q ). Their relation can be expressed as:

Jan 1, 2016

By Huyang Xie, Rishi Raj, Vera A. Versteeg

"A new method for MOCVD has been developed in which a precursor solution is directly injected into a reaction chamber. The vaporization of short pulses of liquid is facilitated by atomization with a piezoelectrically-operated nozzle. The system has been used successfully to grow oriented, thin Ti02 (rutile) films on sapphire substrates with the crystalline relationship (101)[010]R I (1120)[0001]s. A growth rate of approximately 2 monolayers per pulse was achieved at 650°C for a reactant impingement rate of about 800 monolayers per pulse. Also, epitaxial LiTaO3 thin films were grown on (0001) sapphire from a single source, bimetallic precursor, lithium tantalum hexa-t-butoxide as the precursor. X-ray diffraction shows that the LiTaOa c-axis is normal to the sapphire surface. The x-ray pole figure and crosssection TEM diffraction show that the films were also in-plane oriented, with sapphire [1010] parallel to lithium tantalate [1010]. These films are shown to have extremely low optical attenuation, and refractive index that compares well with bulk values.IntroductionMetalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques have come into increasing use in recent years, due to the growing versatility and availability of precursors and improved environmental advantages over the halogenated compounds used for conventional CVD. Most commonly, the films are deposited by dissolving the metalorganic reactant (typically a metal alkoxide) in a carrier gas, which is carried through heated lines to a heated substratel . The metal alkoxides decompose by pyrolysis, leaving the films on substrates. While this method has been used to produce excellent epitaxial and heterepitaxial films, it has the disadvantages of complexity: the precursor must be heated to fix its vapor pressure, the gas flow rate carefully controlled, and the carrier lines heated to prevent condensation before reaching the reactor. Additionally, this conventional method cannot be used with certain low-volatility precursors that decompose upon heating."

Jan 1, 1994

By Chikabumi Yamauchi, Mitsuru Tanahashi, Jutaro Miura, Takaharu Iwadachi, Toshiharu Fujisawa

"Tue oxidation behavior of molten Cu-Be alloys was investigated by exposing· the molten Cu-Be alloys to various Ar-O2 atmospheres to control the oxygen partial pressure, PO2 = 10 ~105 Pa at 1423 K. The following results were obtained:• The oxygen · partial pressure in gas phase affects the morphology of the oxide formed on the surface of the alloy and · the oxidation rate of beryllium.• At lower oxygen partial pressure, a molten Cu-Be alloy is covered with a homogeneous and compact internal layer of BeO. Thus, the beryllium oxidation rate can be minimized.• By adding a small amount of calcium or zirconium into the molten Cu-0.5 mass% Be alloy, a protective BeO layer is formed even at higher oxygen partial pressure. Thus, the beryllium oxidation rate can be reduced.IntroductionCopper-beryllium (Cu-Be) alloys are well recognized for their unique properties, such as high electrical conductivity, high strength, high fatigue strength, excellent properties at elevated temperatures, good formability and good corrosion resistance. .This extraordinary collection of properties are the reasons why Cu-Be alloys are expected to be ""Key-materials"", which are necessary to further advance science and technology and to be applied in.various fields such as electronic devices, machine parts, repeater housings of undersea optical fiber communication cables, etc.However, a large amount of beryllium is oxidized to BeO in melting stage of the current Cu-Be alloy production process, because beryllium is a highly reactive element. This is one of the ·main factors that negatively affect the production yield and th_e product quality."

Jan 1, 2000

By T. Shibaraki

A new larger, more efficient and economical Mitsubishi furnace line at Naoshima was put into operation in May 1991. Naoshima Smelter had produced previously about 230,000 mtpy anode copper with two smelter lines, i.e., a conventional reverberatory furnace line and Mitsubishi furnace line, which had been shutdown at the same time of the start up of the new smelter. At the beginning of the operation, there were several initial problems at the area of off gas trains and feeding system. By overcoming them now the process has been continuing satisfactory operation at the design rate. The paper describes about the design concepts and the actual operation of the new smelter.

Jan 1, 1993

By Mikko Loponen

Outotec has developed an operator training simulator (OTS) platformsuitable for various hydrometallurgical processes. The complete solution is run in the cloud, where virtual client instances can be managed on-demand. The aim is to build a generalizable model that produces coherent results even when operating outside of ideal parameters, allowing the operator to train in unsteady state conditions such as start-up and shutdown. Complex software products are commonly associated with significant development time and cost. Utilizing modular software architecture, only the control system and processmodel are tailored for theOTS,whereas modules such as user administration and cloud-based client machine spawning can be imported, shortening development time. A generic acidic pressure oxidation process (POX) operator training simulation consisting of feed preparation, autoclave, dual-stage flash evaporation and off-gas scrubbing is described. Process is simulated using Outotec HSC Sim 9 process simulator and controlled by Siemens Simatic PCS7 control system.

By Gordon A. Irons

"Powder injection for melt refining is widely practiced in the steel industry, and is gaining acceptance in the non-ferrous industries. In these commercially-important systems, the thermodynamics and kinetics may be very complicated. More than one element may be removed by refining, and often the refining agents are not just one compound. In this paper, the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of these processes are reviewed. A number of examples are given, such as the desulphurization of iron with a variety of reagent mixtures, and selenium removal from copper with several different reagent combinations.IntroductionI am very pleased and honored to present a paper at this Symposium recognizing the many contributions of Professor Howard Womer. Even at the time I was an undergraduate student, the WORCRA process was part of the curriculum. I remember at the time that I was fascinated by the concept, and due to it and the many other rapid developments in Process Metallurgy, I chose it as my field of study. I think the Symposium is testimony that Professor Womer has touched the lives of many others as well.My original assignment was an overview of the basic aspects of gas and solids injection. However, I reviewed most of this material at the Savard/Lee Symposium [1]. In the present paper, I will present some of the basic issues related to refining with powder injection, using work that we have recently completed in both ferrous and non-ferrous systems."

Jan 1, 1996

By Qian Xu, Guangshi Li, Xionggang Lu, Xingli Zou, Hongwei Cheng, Cong Xu, Changyuan Lu

The roasting of nickel-bearing sulfides is a complex but important process which has not been adequately characterized. Combination of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy has been proved to be useful for such experiments. The leaching results of nickel, copper, iron and cobalt was analyzed by ICP methods. Process possibility of polymetallic sulfide concentrates through a three-step procedure (oxidation roasting - chlorination - water leaching) was suggested. Ammonium chloride could react with nickel/copper oxides to produce intermediate complexes. At the temperature range of 280~340 oC, these complexes further decomposed to the corresponding simple chlorides. Roasting sulfide concentrate using NH4Cl is effective for complex ores.

Jan 1, 2016

By Niels Verbaan

NioCorp is developing the niobium/scandium/titanium Elk Creek carbonatite deposit. The probable reserve announced by the company in 2017 indicated significant niobium (0.79% Nb2O5), titanium (2.81% TiO2), and scandium (71 g/t), and is composed predominantly of calcite, dolomite, and ankerite. Niobium is mostly (80%) contained in pyrochlore with the balance in various Fe-Nb-Ti oxides, which also host most of the titanium. Scandium is primarily deported in dolomite, with lesser quantities in pyrochlore and biotite. The process flowsheet recovers separate niobium, titanium, and scandium products. Scandium is extracted from whole ore hydrochloric acid leach solutions using solvent extraction and is further refined through a re-leach and precipitation process. Scandium leach residues are treated in a sulphuric acid sulphation process to recover separate niobium and titanium precipitates as well as to solubilize the remaining scandium. Both hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid reagents are recycled within the flowsheet. This paper will discuss key bench and pilot test results of the niobium extraction and recovery circuits and will present a conceptual flowsheet developed by the project team for NioCorp at SGS Minerals.

By Yanjie Liang

Elemental sulfur and volatilization kiln slag(VKS)containing heavy-metal produced by smelter factories were used to produce sulfured building material. The effects of heating mode, material proportion (MSulfur:MVKS), size of waste particles and ratio of aggregate to filler(A/F) on the mechanical properties and leaching toxicities of solidified stuff were investigated. The optimal conditions for the solidification are stepped heating mode, 3:7 ratio of MSulfur to MVKS, particle size less than 150µm and 3/17 ratio of A/F. Under the above optimal conditions, the compressive strength of solidified stuff rises to 35 MPa, and water absorption is down to 4%-6%.Furthermore, when NaOH is applied as an additive in the process of solidification, the 2+concentrations of most heavy metals except Pb have reached the national leaching toxicity standard. The results of X-ray diffraction reveal that sulfured solidification is caused by the physical encapsulation rather than chemical transformation.

Jan 1, 2010

By Kumar M. Lyer

Residence time distribution (RTD) of light and heavy liquids in a pyrometallurgical channel reactor was mathematically modeled by representing the reactor as a combination of ideal reactors. Cold model studies simulated the counter-current flow of slag and matte (or metal) with high-strength bottom gas injection. The experimental variables include flow rates, heights, density and viscosity of the two liquids; gas flow rate; injector diameter; and distance between injectors. The experiments covered a wide range, of the appropriate dimensionless parameter, including conditions in ferrous and nonferrous extractive metallurgy. Dispersion modeling studies were also carried out to determine the degree of backmixing. Results indicate that the degree of backmixing in the channel reactor for various operating conditions corresponds to that for 3-20 perfectly mixed reactors in series.

Jan 1, 1993

By Jianhang Hu, Li Yang, Yonggang Wei, Kongzhai Li

"In this paper, the pyrolysis of biomasses including bamboo, sawdust and walnut shell were performed in a tube furnace under temperatures between 400? and 600? to obtain biomass carbon, gas, and tar. Textural parameters analysis revealed the caloric value of biomass carbons between 32 MJ/kg and 34 MJ/kg. It also indicated that the surface of biomass carbon consists of mesopore and macropore structures. By using GC analysis, it was determined the main ingredients of pyrolysis gas are CO, H2, CO2, CH4, C2H4 and C2H6. Calculation states that the density of pyrolysis gas is roughly between 1.0 kg/m3 and 1.7 kg/m3, while the calorific value of pyrolysis gas is between 12000 kJ/m3 and 16500 kJ/m3, illustrating that pyrolysis gas is a median gas. The calorific value of biomass tar was found to be between 32 MJ/kg and 34 MJ/kg, with more than 80 compounds in the biomass tar identified by GC-MS method.IntroductionBiomass as a renewable source is the world's largest and most sustainable energy resource [1].The conversion of biomass has the potential to be a renewable and carbon neutral method of producing fuels and chemicals [2-4]. Pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical process defined as applying heat to degrade biomass in an inert atmosphere. It transforms unstable biomass and other organic materials into biomass carbon, gas, and tar [5]. Biomass carbon can be stored or transported much easier as compared to parent biomass or be converted to value added products such as activated carbons[6]; gas is a relatively low-energy-density fuel; tar can be considered as a source of useful chemicals[7].The characterization of biomass pyrolysis will lead to its increased understanding and utilization as a source of solid, liquid and gaseous products which can be used as fuels and petrochemical feedstock[8,9].In recent years, many researchers studied the effect of temperature on biomass pyrolysis product distribution characteristics in a variety of pyrolysis reactor[10]. Ramin Azargohar's paper [11] presents the results of characterization for biomass and investigates the effects of pyrolysis temperature on the pyrolysis products obtained by fast pyrolysis of four different types of biomass."

Jan 1, 2014

By Lucas Lopes da Costa, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Rômulo Leite Loiola

"Composites with DGEBA/TETA epoxy matrix reinforced with thinner and continuous bamboo fibers stripped from culms were mechanically characterized by tensile tests. Specimens with up to 30% in volume fraction of aligned fibers were tensile ruptured at room temperature. The results showed a steady increase in both the ultimate strength and the elastic modulus of the composites with the amount of incorporated bamboo fibers. The fractographic analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed evidence of moderate adhesion between the bamboo fiber and the epoxy matrix. This fiber/matrix adhesion by interaction mechanism apparently justifies the improved tensile properties of the composites.IntroductionIn recent years polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers, mainly those lignocellulosic obtained from plants, have been subject to extensive research works [1-5]. Environmental, economical, societal and technical advantages of these composites are motivating their substitution for similar polymer composites reinforced with synthetic fibers. In particular, R & D efforts have been conducted aiming to replace glass fibers composites that are comparatively more abrasive to equipments, non-recyclable, more expensive, heavier and toxic [6]. Among the many lignocellulosic fiber composites being investigated, those fabricated with bamboo stripped fibers, i.e., fibers longitudinally cut from the culm, still need information to support possible industrial applications. Several works, however, have been dedicated to bamboo stripped fibers as possible reinforcement of polymer composites [7-17]. These works reported mechanical properties that could markedly vary with the type of polymer matrix, the fiber disposition (if continuous, aligned, short-cut, mat interlayered, etc) and the test condition."

Jan 1, 2011

By Jun Li

Rate processes of silver cyanidation were studied with the objective of understanding the reaction mechanism. The research was divided into three sections: anodic dissolution of silver in cyanide solutions, cathodic reduction of oxygen on silver surfaces and the direct leaching of silver in oxygenated cyanide solutions. The charge transfer steps plus the diffusion of reactants from bulk solutions to the silver surface were identified as rate-limiting and the rates of both anodic and cathodic reactions can be calculated using the Butler-Volmer equation and Fick's first law. Based on mixed potential theory and the results of electrochemical studies, a comparison of the rate obtained from direct leaching with that predicted from the calculation is made. Calculated results agree well with the experimental data.

Jan 1, 1992

By Yoshio Waseda, Tetsuya Uda, Tom H. Okabe

"Halide salt has been tested as a reductant for producing titanium powder directly from TiCl4. From the results of thermodynamic investigation for several rare earth chloride systems, DyCl2 was found to be used for the reduction of TiCl4 instead of the conventional metallic reductant. When TiCl4 was fed into molten salts containing DyCl2 at 1073K, titanium powder of several ten micron meters in diameter was obtained. In contrast to the sponge titanium produced by the conventional Kroll process, the present new process using a halidothermic reduction in a reactive molten salt appears to be suitable for producing metal powder. From the thermodynamic point of view, the resultant DyCl3 can be reduced to DyCl2 by magnesium. By utilizing the multivalent halide redox couple, some possible ways of titanium powder production directly from TiCl4 by magnesiothermic reduction are shown to be feasible. This can also be applied to the development of a new continuous titanium reduction process.1 IntroductionTitanium and its alloys show attractive mechanical properties such as strength-to-weight, rigidity-to-weight ratios and excellent corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, the application of titanium alloys is limited compared to other structural materials (e.g. steels, aluminum alloys) because of its high cost of production. Currently, almost all of titanium is produced by metallothermic reduction of TiCl4 by magnesium (Kroll process)[1] in an airtight metallic reactor. This process is batch type and labor intensive. Therefore, many attempts to develop new process for producing titanium are investigated so far."

Jan 1, 2000

By Ejike Emmanuel, Nwoye Chukwuka, Ogwuegbu Martin, Asuwaji Ayuk, Onyedika Gerald

"Microwave pre-treatment of cassiterite ore prior to leaching was carried out in an attempt to obtain high grade of Sn02 and to conserve the total energy expended during processing. Microwave treatment was selected due to the presence of associated minerals which behaves differently to microwave energy. Studies in this work showed that microwave pretreatment of cassiterite ore can be applied to increase the recovery of tin oxide within 5 minutes of leaching. Microwave treatment of the ore resulted in mineral liberation at all particle sizes. Tin oxide was separated from the major impurities via leaching in potassium hydroxide solution and precipitation, resulting in 98% Sn02 at pH 7.IntroductionIn the nineties, the available techniques used for ore processing and analysis in Nigeria was the solution methods of either alkaline fusion or acid digestion [1,2]. A process in which cassiterite is made acid soluble by reduction to SnO2 , which stabilizes by glass formation and the tin was extracted by leaching the glass with sulphuric acid, followed by electrowinning was reported [3,4]. In another study, Baba et al [5] studied the dissolution kinetics of a Nigerian casiterite ore in hydrochloric acid solution. The effects of acid concentration,temperature, particle size and stirring speed were examined. It was found that the dissolution rates of cassiterite depends on hydrogen ion concentration, H+, stirring speed and ore particle dimensions. These were believed to report low data due to incomplete solubilization of the ore minerals in aqeous medium [6]. Analytical chemists have used microwave heating devices routinely for the dissolution of metals, minerals and various chemical products in chemical analysis [7,8]. It offers faster heating rate and consequently faster dissolution rate than conventional heating. The principle of the dissolution of analytical samples has been applied to the leaching of various minerals contained in an ore or concentrate sample. Some researchers [9, 10] conducted microwave assisted leaching of laterite ores containing oxides of nickel, cobalt, and iron. The metals of these mineral components were converted into their chlorides by microwave heating (1200 W, 2450 MHz, Nz atmosphere) a mixture of the ore and ammonium chloride between l 77°C and 312° C for 4-5 min, followed by water leaching at 80° C for 30 min. Nickel and cobalt extractions were 70% and 85%, and respectively, and are comparable with roasting at 300°C in a conventional rotary kiln for 2 hours."

Jan 1, 2013

By Fernanda de Paula, Lázaro A. Rohen, Sérgio N. Monteiro, Rafael G. de Castro, Carlos Maurício. F. V, Maycon A. Gomes, Frederico M. Margem, Anna C. C. Neves

Synthetic fiber has been gradually replaced by natural fiber, such as lignocellulosic fiber. In comparison with synthetic fiber, natural fiber has shown economic and environmental advantages. The natural fiber presents interfacial characteristics with polymeric matrices that favor a high impact energy absorption by the composite structure. However, until now little has been evaluated about the hemp fiber incorporated in polymeric matrices. This study has the purpose of evaluate the impact resistance of this kind of epoxy matrix composite reinforced with different percentages of hemp fibers. The impact resistance has substantially increased the relative amount of hemp fiber incorporated as reinforcement in the composite. This performance was associated with the difficulty of rupture imposed by the fibers resulting from the interaction of hemp fiber / epoxy matrix that helps absorb the impact energy.

Jan 1, 2015

By Dirk van Zyl

As part of the North American regional activities during the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) one project focused on the development of sustainability evaluations at the operations level. Engagement was identified as one of the seven important questions to be addressed. Engineers and scientists employed in the mining, minerals and materials production arenas must understand the importance of stakeholder engagement, both within and outside the operations as it is essential in the ongoing activities required to contribute to sustainable development. After developing the awareness that a social license can only be contemplated if engagement is in place, they also have to develop skills in engagement processes. This presentation will present the business case for engagement as well as an approach to motivate undergraduate mining engineers to embrace it. The presentation will also review some recent and ongoing research to improve the engagement process.

Jan 1, 2010

By J. H. Meza V

La Caridad operated at only 65% of design capacity during the first five years of operation. After the first major shutdown and repairs to the furnace in mid- 1992, the smelter quickly reached 95% of design capacity. Converter operation is now more efficient; blowing times have decreased from about 1.7 to 1.2 min/ton of matte. Anode copper production is now 15000 tons/month. The increased efficiency provided by better coordination and scheduling ensures La Caridad's ability to operate at present and expanded production capacity while simultaneously meeting environmental control standards.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. M. Luna-Sánchez

Electrochemical studies, particularly Evans? diagrams, have been employed in hydrometallurgy to simulate and explain the redox phenomena that take place at mineral and metal surfaces during operations such as leaching and cementation. However, despite their utility, in some cases, the combination of the cathodic and anodic branches, determined separately, does not reproduce the chemical environment present when both processes occur simultaneously on a specific surface. In the present paper, limitations of Evans? diagrams are analyzed through two examples: silver sulfide cyanidation and gold cementation on zinc. In both cases, the surface kinetics are sensitive to the local pH and cyanide levels. When the electrochemical oxidation of silver sulfide or the reduction of gold are performed in the absence of its corresponding redox reaction, the local pH obtained does not simulate the real situation and the combined reaction kinetics may be very different from those determined from the Evans? diagrams.

Jan 1, 2003