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By Hiroyuki Sano, Chikabumi Yamauchi, Mitsuru Tanahashi, Toshiharu Fujisawa, Shin-ya Iwahori

"Pyrometallurgical process using Cu2O-based slag was proposed as a recycling process for copper scrap. However, it is difficult to remove nickel from copper by oxidative refining. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the concentration of nickel in copper before the oxidative refining. In the present work, the copper enrichment stage in this recycling process, where copper scrap melt is separated into the Fe-C-Cu melt and the molten copper, was taken up and the compositions of both melts were measured. Based on the above results, the distribution ratios of nickel between the Fe-C-Cu melt and the molten copper were calculated. Furthermore, the optimum condition of copper enrichment stage was discussed from the viewpoint of nickel removal and copper recovery. The possibility of recovering 4N-purity copper by using this recycling process was confirmed.IntroductionRecycling is well known as a method for saving resources and reducing environmental damage. More than 99% of copper is used in metallic form - as metal or copper alloys[l]. High-grade copper scrap is directly re-melted and reused, while low-grade copper scrap is transported to copper smelters to be pyrorefined and electrorefined. Nevertheless, a great amount of copper is being stockpiled in the cities and should be recycled in the near future. At that time, the current recycling process will face new problems due to the increases in the recycling rate to the smelters. This includes insufficient combustion heat to melt copper scrap and ·almost no benefit in electrorefining because the scrap does not contain gold and silver. Thus, an alternative pyrometallurgical method for copper scrap refining will be required."

Jan 1, 2000

By Isıl Kerti, Sibel Daglılar, Sinem Yıldırım

In this study, effect of rolling and coiling temperature in thermo mechanical controlled process (TMCP), on the microstructure and mechanical properties of dual phase (DP) steel according to martensite volume fraction (MVF) rate was investigated. By using various finishing mill exit temperature and cooling conditions that is controlled laminar cooling system, the microstructural evolution of coil improves the mechanical properties with lower costs and higher productivities, in comparison to the heat treatment after rolling. The main part of the paper contains the result of tensile, yield and microstructure properties of DP600 steel produced on hot strip rolling plant and run- out table line. The results show that a higher MVF and an increasing cooling rate after the last deformation raised strength of the DP600 steel. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increase by decreasing coiling temperature.

Jan 1, 2015

By R. A. Cockerell

This paper is concerned with the application of Advanced Process Control (APC) to copper smelting processes. A number of key issues relating to the application of APC, such as modelling for control, process dynamics and time delays, instrumentation and sampling, are discussed. A general methodology for the application of APC is then presented. Finally, three case studies are presented to demonstrate the benefits and efficacy of applying APC.

Jan 1, 1999

By V. Tsukerman, Ivanovam L.

"The potential of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic oil and gas provinces is enormous. Oil, gas and condensate constitute the basis of mineral resource base of the shelf zone of the Russian Arctic; summary volume of hydrocarbons exceeds 100 billion tons of conventional fuel. Only in the Shtockman gas condensate field in the Barents Sea explored balance reserves equal to 3.2 trillion m3 of gas. It is necessary to establish a special regime of nature management in the Arctic. Environmentally oriented economic activities should be more actively stimulated. The Energy Strategy plans that starting from 2010 in the Barents and Pechora Seas up to 10 million tons of oil and 50 billion m3 of gas will be extracted, reaching the level of 30 million tons of oil and 130 billion m3 of gas in 2020. This task cannot be solved without intensification of geological exploration on the continental shelf. IntroductionThe elaborated strategy of mining enterprises should correspond to the modern paradigm of mining industry development which is not only for extraction of minerals but also for multi-profile structure having comprehensive use of the resources on the rational basis intended for rational complex utilization of mineral resources of the Arctic zone of Russia which by the definition includes maximally full use of the whole aggregate of resources on the economically rational basis with obligatory environmental with resource reproductive and socio-economic functions and deterrents"

Jan 1, 2008

By C. K. Gupta

The paper reports on the experimental work and results obtained in processing a xenotime concentrate. The rare earth resource concentrate has been treated by three different methods namely, hydrothermal leaching, alkali roasting and alkali pugging or baking. The recovery in hydrothermal leaching with caustic soda at 150-160°C has been 89%. En comparison, processes involving alkali roastings with soda ash at 850°C and with caustic soda at 500°C, and alkali pugging or baking with caustic soda at 200°C have given recovery values close to 100%

Jan 1, 1992

By Laurence Whitty-Léveillé

Proper handling of the radioactive fraction associated with the production of rare earth elements (REEs) in the mining industry is essential for a sustainable environment and human health. Actinides, such as uranium and thorium, have similar chemical properties to REEs, and are often co-dissolved in current hydrometallurgical processes. This causes radioactive contamination of the infrastructure through the extraction cycle. The present study optimizes, through experimental design, a sequential leaching procedure with Na2CO3/NaHCO3 and HCl for the rapid and selective dissolution of REEs and actinides. Optimization focuses on the main operating parameters (time, temperature, and concentration); different types of minerals, REE composites, and ores; on achieving maximal leaching yield; and on minimizing dissolution of the gangue metals (Fe, Si, and Ca). The final sequential procedure was rapid (1 h), effective, and led to the segregation of Th, U, and REEs with limited dissolution of the gangue metals.

By Ho-Jung Shin

The influence of cooling rate from 1873 to 1473 K on the size and morphology of austenite grains was studied using a Fe-O.I5 % C-I.5 % Mn alloy. The experiments were carried out at three different cooling rates of O.33KJsec, O.67KJsec and air-cooling. The austenite grain showed an isotropy at 0.33KJsec but maximized anisotropy at O.67KJsec and become much less. anisotropic. In order to account for these phenomena, a model was developed for estimating the size and morphology of austenite grains as a function of cooling rate. The driving force for the )( phase formation from 0 phase is caused by undercooling degree due to cooling rate and energy barrier is restricted to the misfit strain energy which is caused by mismatch between )( phase and 0 phase. The )( phase from 0 phase could be formed on not random orientation index systems but specific orientation systems depending on cooling rate.

Jan 1, 2001

By T. Wang, R. G. Reddy

"The corrosion of stainless steel SS316L in a low melting point novel LiNO3-NaNO3-KNO3- NaNO2 eutectic molten salt mixture was investigated at 695K. After long-term isothermal dipping corrosion experiments, the SS316L samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to determine the topography and corrosion products. Dense and protective lithium iron oxide scale formed on the surface and prevented the SS316L sample from further severe corrosion. Therefore, SS316L is considered to be suitable construction material for solar thermal energy storage materials containers.IntroductionMolten salt mixtures have been considered as potential candidates for thermal energy storage and heat transfer media in solar energy applications. To apply the molten salt in the energy transfer process, the standard pipes made of stainless steel must be utilized to carry the molten salt mixtures in parabolic trough system of solar power production. The pipes encounter continuous flow of hot and cold molten salt every day. Thus corrosion of stainless steel in molten salt mixtures becomes extremely essential for the long-term utilization of the thermal energy storage media. The corrosion of passivity materials inside high temperature molten salt systems have been studied which gives fundamental understanding of basic mechanism about the corrosion process [1-8].The corrosion behavior of Fe-Ni-Cr alloys in an equi-molar LiNO3–NaNO3–KNO3 mixture was studied [9]. According to the XRD analyses, the major phases in the oxide scales were identified as LiFeO2, Fe3O4 and Cr2O3. A HITEC® salt mixture (NaNO3–NaNO2–KNO3) was also tested as a corrosion medium for stainless steel [10] and the corrosion rate was found to be affected by the protective oxide layer. In most cases, the alloys having more than 10wt% chromium show high resistance to corrosion in molten salts."

Jan 1, 2014

By Florian Kongoli

"Lime ferrite" slag with limited silica content has proven to be a valuable choice in the modem processes of copper smelting and converting due to several advantages that this slag offers compared to classical silicate slags. Nevertheless the liquidus surface of this slag has been experimentally measured only at low oxygen potentials such as in equilibrium with iron or near it and in air. Although most of the smelting and converting processes that use this slag occur at intermediate oxygen potentials, the liquidus surface of this slag is not known at these conditions and the effect of oxygen potential and silica has not been correctly understood. This has brought some confusion in literature as well as in the industrial practice. In this work the liquidus surface of the calcium ferrite slags has been quantified by the means of a new thermophysicochemical model and a new type of liquidus surface diagrams which are very convenient for any industrial process that uses calcium ferrite slags. These diagrams can be easily used to select the lowest liquidus temperature of calcium ferrite slags at a minimum cost and can help design several fluxing strategies in copper smelting and converting processes. The effect of the oxygen potential and silica is also quantified and important industrially related conclusions are drawn.

Jan 1, 2003

By Florian Kongoli

"Lime ferrite" slag with limited silica content has proven to be a valuable choice in the modem processes of copper smelting and converting due to several advantages that this slag offers compared to classical silicate slags. Nevertheless the liquidus surface of this slag has been experimentally measured only at low oxygen potentials such as in equilibrium with iron or hear it and in air. Although most of the smelting and converting processes that use this slag occur at intermediate oxygen potentials, the liquidus surface of this slag is not known at these conditions and the effect of oxygen potential and silica has not been correctly understood. This has brought some confusion in literature as well as in the industrial practice. In this work the liquidus surface of the calcium ferrite slags has been quantified by the means of a new thermophysicochemical model and a new type of liquidus surface diagrams which are very convenient for any industrial process that uses calcium ferrite slags. These diagrams can be easily used to select the lowest liquidus temperature of calcium ferrite slags at a minimum cost and can help design several fluxing strategies in copper smelting and converting processes. The effect of the oxygen potential and silica is also quantified and important industrially related conclusions are drawn.

Jan 1, 2003

By Elsa Olivetti, Randolph Kirchain, Gabrielle Gaustad

"As scrap usage increases, it is often necessary to “dilute” the melt with primary aluminum to ensure the finished product meets compositional specifications. Secondary raw materials, particularly postconsumer scraps, often include high levels of unwanted or “tramp” elements, such as iron and silicon in the case of aluminum. Recent literature on this issue cites several causes including inherent contamination during processing as well as ineffective segmentation at end-of-life. To address this accumulation problem, “upgrading” solutions have been developed including: dismantling of end-of-life products, spectrographic or magnetic sorting of shredded scrap, and “filtration” technologies that remove tramp elements in the melt. Although it is clear that upgrading strategies enable increased usage of scrap, it is not clear that they would be economic or efficient. This work presents a set of analytical methods, based on chance constrained optimization, to quantify the potential environmental and economic value of several scrap upgrading technologies.IntroductionAluminum recycling has a number of key environmental and economic benefits. Compared to other materials, aluminum production has one of the largest energy differences between primary and secondary production: 175 MJ/kg for primary compared to 10-20 MJ/kg for secondary[1]. With energy and cost savings in mind, many producers now have targets of increasing their usage of secondary materials[2, 3]. However, the accumulation of impurities in these recycled material streams provides a significant compositional barrier to these goals[4].A growing number of studies and literature would suggest that accumulation of unwanted elements is a growing problem, in all recycled material streams. In the case of aluminum, the list of problematic impurities is quite large, including but not limited to: Si[5, 6], Mg, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cr[7], Fe[5-7], Cu[6, 7], V, and Mn[6]. Metals recycling is a metallurgical process and is therefore governed by the laws of thermodynamics. The removal of unwanted elements in the scrap stream is dictated by the energy considerations of the melt process. Compared to many metals, aluminum has a high degree of difficulty in the removal of tramp elements, due to thermodynamic barriers. Therefore, with no simple thermodynamic solution, producers must identify strategies through-out the production process to mitigate this elemental accumulation."

Jan 1, 2008

By M. Tomita

One of the most essential factors for a custom smelter to strengthen its competitive power is to Improve its comparative standing in purchase of concentrates from the world market. It is especially critical for Japanese smelters who depend almost 90% of their raw materials on import. In order to accomplish this breakthrough, the development of the new technology which enables us to treat concentrates containing higher Impurities is inevitable. Nippon Mining Company Ltd. made an intensive research on processing complex ore for three years from 1979, and successfully developed an original hydrometallurgical process to treat converter dust for eliminating impurities from the copper smelting circuit. The commercial plant was constructed at the Saganoseki Smelter & Refinery in 1982, and its nine years operation has been satisfactorily proven the advantages of the technology. The concept of this process and its operational performance are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Daniel A. Norrgran

Grinding ball fragments discharging from SAG mills and ball mills causes extreme wear to downstream processing equipment. These ball fragments, recirculating in a milling circuit, will cause excessive wear to sumps, pumps, hydrocyclones, and interconnecting piping. A magnetic separation system to remove grinding ball fragments from the mill discharge has been developed and successfully applied in the milling circuit. This magnetic separation system - termed Trammel Magnet - was first applied at the Escondida copper concentrator in Chile. The Trommel Magnet consists of an arc of permanent magnets mounted at the discharge end' of the tommel screen. The magnetic arc attracts the ball fragments and removes them from the process stream. This retrofitted magnetic separation system removed 126 metric tons of ball fragments from the circulating load of a. single ball mill in the initial 24 hour period. The mill has since stabilized and the magnetic separator is currently removing 7 metric tons per day of ball fragments. The retrofit of the Trommel Magnet has: 1. Extended the pumpp life and the hydrocyclone life approximately 300 percent. 2. Provided a 5 percent increase in the throughput of the mills by removing grinding ball fragments that contribute very little to the grinding process. Variations of the Trommel Magnet have also been developed for removing grinding ball fragments directly from the mill discharge without the use of a trommel screen. In each case, permanent magnets are used to collect the ball fragments from the mill discharge stream prior to reporting to the sump. These other systems have been designed and fabricated for in-plant test work.

Jan 1, 1999

By Thomas Niehoff, Dave Stoffel

"Energy in the form of natural gas, oil and electricity is expensive and will continue to be a rare resource in the future. Recycling of metals, instead of primary production, is a logical and crucial step towards energy conservation. Energy consumption can be impacted by using advanced combustion systems for metals recycling. Air-fuel combustion has been the conventional method to melt and recycle metals. Global competitive pressures, “greenhouse” gas emissions, and high energy prices force melt shop operations to optimize energy usage and reduce overall operating costs. Oxy-fuel combustion and process technology can be applied to metal recycling operations to meet these objectives. Linde has converted several hundred furnaces from air-fuel to oxy-fuel technology and has extensive experience in optimizing the use of oxygen in furnaces. Additionally, Linde has the process knowledge necessary to avoid costly start-up issues that can accompany the transition to oxy-fuel technology. This paper will describe the benefits and potential issues for conversion to oxy-fuel.IntroductionThe furnace combustion system is the heart of a fossil fuel fired melting process and must be properly matched to the furnace to work as one cohesive unit. Furnaces vary widely in size, shape and features. Rotary furnaces are barrel-shaped and can be designed for tilting or nontilting operation. In a rotary furnace, the products of combustion create a single or double pass through the furnace prior to exiting. Reverberatory furnaces are box-shaped and can also be designed for tilting or non-tilting operation. Reverberatory furnaces are constructed of single or multiple chambers, with or without metal bath movement, and designed for continuous or batch processing. Different furnaces are used for different feedstock materials and products.Furnace combustion systems also vary in many ways. Combustion systems can be of air-fuel or oxy-fuel based technologies, or a combination of the two, resulting in an air-oxy-fuel system. Each of these types of systems has different combustion characteristics which can produce very different results. Here we will describe specific differences in melting processes and their associated energy requirements."

Jan 1, 2009

By F. A. Fasoyinu

The mechanical properties of yellow brass (C85800), high strength yellow brass (C86300), and high manganese brasses (C99700 and C99750) cast in permanent molds have been studied. The tensile properties as well as fracture and impact toughness of these alloys are strongly dependent on the chemical composition. Alloys and/or compositions exhibiting relatively high zinc equivalent often exhibited high ultimate tensile strength and yield strength with significant reduction in ductility (% elongation). In order to achieve optimum properties with a good balance between strength and ductility, a calculation of the zinc equivalent before alloy preparation can be useful.

Jan 1, 1999

By Balladares V. Eduardo

Most of the arsenic contained in copper concentrates is removed in the gas phase during the smelting and converting processes and, according to recent environmental regulations, it is required to fix it in a solid stable form. In this regards, ferric arsenate has been reported as thermal and aqueous stable compound. Therefore, various alternatives for treating gas containing arsenic were considered in this work. From data obtained at laboratory scale on fixation of arsenic using iron oxide, a new process to treat copper concentrates containing arsenic was evaluated. The effect of temperature, oxygen potential and the sample porosity on the fixation of arsenic contained in a gaseous stream was studied, and the iron oxide converted into ferric arsenate was up to 10%. The obtained results suggest a new alternative for gas treatment with an interesting and attractive technical development. The arsenic was retained as ferric arsenate with thermal and aqueous stability, and it allows a safe disposal keeping the environmental restrictions. The kinetics parameters are used to scale up laboratory results to higher processing rates.

Jan 1, 2005

By Sebastiaan Peelman

NdFeB permanent magnets are the best available magnets used in many technology applications. However, at their end-of-life (EoL) most of magnets and the contained REEs are lost during the recycling of the bulk metals. The REEs are classified as the most critical raw materials in the European Union, and recycling of REEs from EoL products will reduce their criticality and contribute to the sustainability of REE. Various technological routes have been reported, but most of the methods are effective for highly concentrated magnets or magnet scrap, which is greatly dependent on expensive pre-dismantling processes. This paper presents various innovative metallurgical solutions to the effective REE recovery from current industrial practice for WEEE recycling, including the ferrous scrap from WEEE shredder products and shredder residues from computer hard disk drives. Both hydrometallurgical and combined hydro- and pyrometallurgical REE recovery routes are developed after demagnetization and physical upgrading.

By Roger Altman

The solubility of copper in primary spinel crystals encountered in reverberatory slag samples has been determined by electron microprobe analysis. These spinels, which ranged in composition from 22% A12O3 to pure magnetite, contained small quantities of dissolved copper (0-0.4%). Based on literature data it was estimated that the solubility limit of copper in solid magnetite is no greater than about 1% at 1200°C and about 2% at 1250°C. However, it was found that practically every spinel crystal examined contained significant amounts of matte inclusions. Further examination of converter slag revealed large quantities of irregularly shaped precipitated magnetite crystals which contained a large proportion of copper inclusions. Additional experimentation showed that the total copper content in reverberatory slag samples was greater than the sum of the estimated en- trained plus dissolved matte in the slag. This difference is believed to be significant and is due to the presence of matte inclusions in the spinel crystals. In the present reverberatory slag samples these inclusions accounted for about 1/2 of the amount of sulfide directly entrained in the slag.

Jan 1, 1976

By Kenneth E. Smith

"Cold weather heap leaching can be grouped into two basic regions: Arctic and near Arctic, with various operational techniques or combinations of operating techniques dictated by latitude and site topography.The basic cold weather regions are Arctic areas, those areas above the Arctic circle (60° North latitude) and near-Arctic areas, (between 50° and 60° North latitude).As techniques and operational philosophy have advanced, heap leaching operations have moved into progressively colder regions.ABSTRACT ONLY"

Jan 1, 1997

By Mitsutaka Hino

The contents of gangue minerals, such as A1203, P205, crystalline water and so forth in the iron ore imported to Japan tend to increase year by year, Though the increments of such gangue contents are approximately 0.1-0.2 mass%, some problems for the blast furnace operation in ironmaking process have already been reported, In order to clarify the mechanism of harmful effect caused by the small increment of gangue minerals, mainly A1203, on the blast furnace operation, the dripping behavior of FetO-CaO-SiO2-AI2O3-MgO slag from the iron funnel, which simulated the micro-porosity in sinter ore, has been observed with the wide range of basicity, Al2O3, FetO and Mgo contents. The effect of MgO on the dripping behavior of slag has been summarized in this paper, It was found that the addition of 2mass% MgO resulted in large increase of hold-up on the most of the conditions. When FetO content was less than 20mass% and the basicity was lower than 0.8, MgO lowered the hold-up even if the slag contained 10mass% Al2O3. Every slag hold-up showed the minimum at the basicity of less than unity on the conditions of constant FetO and A1203 contents. This trend became remarkable when the slag contained 2 mass% MgO.

Jan 1, 2003