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By Debbie Marshall

Process water is an important consideration in the development of a nickel laterite project. Depending on the location of the ore body, sufficient fresh water may not be available and it may be necessary to use seawater (or saline groundwater) for ore preparation. This introduces various species, which have major effects on materials of construction and leaching chemistry. This paper summarizes batch testwork completed at the Falconbridge Technology Center. The leaching behaviour of eleven different laterite ore samples were compared using seawater and fresh water. For brevity, six of the eleven samples are reported here-the other five samples showed similar results. Each ore type was leached under identical conditions in both freshwater and seawater and the leaching chemistry compared. The batch test results were confirmed in a continuous pilot plant, and leach kinetics for the two systems were compared. Keywords: high pressure acid leaching, laterites

Jan 1, 2004

By Carlos Maurício F. Vieira, Gabriel Oliveira Glória, Maycon Sidney Gomes de Camargo, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Fábio da Costa Garcia Filho, Maria Carolina Andrade Teixeira, Frederico M. Margem

The society is increasingly the concern about the ambiental impacts, and demand for eco-friendly materials. The composites reinforced with synthetic fibers are been replaced by composites reinforced with natural fibers because of the environmental advantages. Besides the environmental advantages, those fibers have economical and properties advantages, like the low density and cost. Composites with up to 30%of PALF fibers were tested. The analyzed parameters were the loss modulus, the storage modulus and the delta tangent. The test was conducted in the temperature interval from 25 to 195 °C in a DMA equipment operating at 1 Hz of frequency under a nitrogen flow. The results showed that the incorporation of continuous and aligned PALF fibers tends to increase the viscoelastic stiffness of the epoxy matrix. Contrasting this, minor changes occurred in both the glass transition temperature and the damping capacity of the structure as measured by the tan delta peaks.

Mar 1, 2018

By W. K. Tolley

The Bureau of Mines is investigating hydrometallurgical processing techniques to recycle metals from semiconductors and other advanced materials. Cadmium and tellurium were recovered from CdTe scrap produced in the manufacture of infrared optic devices. Sulfation, ferric chloride leaching, and oxygen-pressure leaching have been tested. Cadmium dissolution was achieved using oxygen-pressure leaching in dilute sulfuric acid. However, no satisfactory scheme for dissolution of the higher valued tellurium has been devised. Leaching the ground CdTe for 75 min at 110°C in 1.1M H2S0, under 120 psig 0, yielded 99.5% Cd extraction. Tellurium remained in the leach residue as TeO, and elemental tellurium; residual cadmium was less than 0.5%. The cadmium in the leach liquor was purified of coextracted metals such as gallium and iron by adjusting the pH. The cadmium was recovered as cadmium sulfate crystals by evaporating the solution. Recovery of by product metals, notably gallium, is possible.

Jan 1, 1991

By L. L. Ludwig, S. E. James, B. L. Motycka

Significant modifications to the electrolytic zinc plant operated by Big River Zinc Corporation were made at the end of the 1990's resulting in increased capacity and improved efficiencies. A new cell room, with the innovative use of acid-resistant concrete cells and a modern ventilation system, was installed to raise the capacity from 80,000 tonne/y to 106,000 tonne/y of finished zinc. Improvements to the leaching section include the conversion from a single to a two-step process, with associated equipment changes, to improve the quality of the residues produced. Another key change is the construction of a facility to allow the use of zinc oxides from secondary sources as a feed to the plant. This paper describes these improvements and the current operations.

Jan 1, 2000

By P. Gray

Process and engineering development of the Warner Zinc Process over the past two decades has proceeded alongside the world-wide collection and analysis of operating and cost data of current processing practices from sulphide ores to refined metals. Study of these data shows that recoveries are dependent on mineralogical characteristics of the sulphide matrix and point to the inadequacy of differential flotation as a tool for preparing feed for smelters. The paid-for return at the mine on the combined metal values in zinc rich sulphide ores rarely exceeds 80% and increasingly runs as low as 50-60%. Surveying the possible alternative ways of improving these performances leads to the conclusion that the Warner Process is the only technology in sight that could meet a target of 90% paid-for recovery and that its development has now reached a point where it can be a fully practicable process for all mixed sulphide ores.

Jan 1, 2000

By Viktor Ashikhin, Pavel Arkhipov, Yurii Zaikov

"Lead alloys electro-winning from chloride melts was under investigation. Impurities concentration in cathode lead is strongly depended on temperature, electrolyte composition, anode current density. The equilibrium electrode potentials of lead-antimony alloys with the various content of electropositive metal in the alloy were investigated in the wide temperature interval. Thermodynamic properties of Pb-Sb alloys containing 20-95 mol% of Pb were studied by EMF method in temperature interval 723-873K in molten mixture of potassium and lead chlorides. Partial and integral thermodynamic characteristics were calculated. Small negative deviations from Raul’s law were found. Anode processes were investigated. The lead dissolution was found to be the only process in certain interval of current densities and electropositive metal content in alloy.IntroductionAt present human race is facing the problem of pollution by lead and its compounds and also the pollution influence on population health all over the world. One of the solution ways is the recycling lead containing technical wastes by ecologically clean technologies.World scientific community pays much attention to the electrolysis of molten salts. The usage of salt mixtures, as electrolytes, discovers new possibilities in the production of metals, metal compounds and alloys. ?????????? of the electrolysis at the temperature 50 - 200 °? above the melting temperature of chosen salt mixture allow to unbreaks processes, that undergo in the pre-electrode layer. The rate of the electrodepositing of elements are much higher than in the water electrolytes. At present there are technologies developed for production of metals (Ta, Nb, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ca, Al, Mg, Be, Li and others) by the electrolysis of the melts. Electrolysis of melts might be used in order to convert different technological formations containing lead and other nonferrous metals, that produced by different enterprises. According to the level of the influence on the living organisms lead is in the group of highly dangerous substances alongside with arsenic, cadmium, mercury, selenium, zinc, etc. Toxity and ability to accumulate in the human organism are two main sources of danger for the human being."

Jan 1, 2008

By Jeff M. Kuhn

A new solvent extraction process for the removal of halides from zinc sulphate solution was tested in pilot plants at both a 0.1-L/min scale and at a 3-L/min scale. Teck Cominco?s process is called the HalogonTM process, for which patents are pending. Mixer-settlers were used for the 0.1-L/min pilot scale and two BATEMAN pulsed columns for the higher rates. Pilot testing was performed with commercial zinc sulphate solutions containing variable amounts of chloride and fluoride. Sulphate extraction was also controlled and deleterious halides were loaded and stripped into a form suitable for disposal. The engineering aspects and economics of this solvent extraction process for halide removal are also reported.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. P. King

The linear intercept distributions provide unambiguous and accurate characterizations of the texture of mineralogical materials. The relation between the measured linear intercept distributions and the spatial correlation function is shown to be given by: in the Laplace Transform domain. The linear intercept distributions of the two phases in a low- grade chromite-serpentinite ore were measured. and the spatial correlation functions for both phases were evaluated using the above relation. The correlation functions are the primary relations for integral geometric models of mineralogical texture and this work demonstrates the relation between the 10 stereological model and the 3D integral geometry model for mineral liberation.

Jan 1, 1991

By M. J. Adam

The Bureau of Mines is investigating the feasibility of partitioning complex sulfide minerals to simpler sulfide phases by sulfidation reactions. Such partitioning can afford opportunity to improve selective extraction of mineral constituents of value. This report describes research involving sulfidation partitioning of byproduct chalcopyrite concentrates from Missouri lead ore processing, and a Utah chalcopyrite concentrate from Cu ore processing. Small chalcopyrite samples were sulfidized with elemental S in glass capsules sealed after evacuating and backfilling with He, by heating for 1 to 24 h at specific temperatures in the range of 250? to 500? C, extending from below to above the boiling point of S (-4450 C).

Jan 1, 1987

By John Fallavollita

Conventional gas atomization produces powders that vary widely in size distributions and microstructures, thus making it very costly to produce powders tailor made in a narrow size distribution and microstructure. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine the relationships between atomizer operating conditions and resulting powder characteristics. The Impulse Atomization Process (IAP) was developed at the Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory to produce powders with narrow size distributions. Powders produced by the IAP were reproducible and their sizes could be easily controlled by adjusting experimental conditions. Characteristics of Zn, Sn-Pb, AI-Cu, and Cu powders will be described to illustrate the flexibility of the process to tailor-make powders.

Jan 1, 1994

By R. L. Player

"The Copper Isasmelt process has been developed over the past 15 years by Mount Isa Mines Limited (MIM) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The first two commercial plants were commissioned in mid 1992.The results of four heat balances on the Mount Isa plant are presented. At a smelting rate of 98 t/hr of chalcopyrite concentrate plus 14 t/hr reverts, the total heat generated was -91MW. Approximately 39% of this energy came from coal, while 50% of the energy reported to the process waste gas. To a first approximation the furnace is near chemical equilibrium.The impurity distribution in the Mount Isa plant was presented. Approximately 91 % As, 85% Cd, 75% Bi, 68% Zn, 60% Sb and Tl, 45% Pb and 30% Te in concentrate was eliminated from the matte.The ""bubble"" frequency of the gas cavity below the foot of the lance was measured at -2. 1Hz. Side bands displaced by -l.lHz modulated the bubble frequency. This was consistent with radial gravity wave motion in the slag bath. The two processes, gas bubbling and wave motion appeared to be coupled together; the bubble frequency was twice the slop wave frequency. IntroductionCopper Isasmelt has been developed over the past 15 years by Mount Isa Mines Limited and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The process is based on the Sirosmelt lance, invented by researchers at the then Division of Mineral"" and ProcessEngineering ofCSIRO in 1973.The first two commercial scale copper furnaces were commissioned at Mount Isa and the Cyprus Miami Mining Corporation smelter at Miami, Arizona in August and June 1992 respectively.The process concept, the history of the development, and the Mount Isa plant have been described (1, 2, 3).This paper sununarises heat balances obtained on the furnace, the impurity distribution among the output streams and lance injection characteristics."

Jan 1, 1996

By Qingcai Liu

The effect of the TiC addition on corrosion resistance of the Al2O3-C refractories in smelting reduction melts has been studied by quasi-station immersion and rotary immersion. The corrosion rate of Al2O3-C refractories is decreased with the TiC addition. The corrosion mechanism of Al2O3-C refractories is oxidization of graphite carbon by the oxides of the melts and the formation of deteriorate layer.

Jan 1, 2006

By Yoshio Waseda

A laser flash method has been applied to obtain the thermal diffusivity values of Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 alloy in the liquid, glassy, crystallized and supercooled liquid states. The electrical resistivity of this particular alloy was measured in the glassy, and crystallized states by a direct current four probe technique. A specific heat of Zr55Al10Ni5Cu30 alloy was also determined by a differential scanning calorimeter in the glassy state. On the other hand, thermal diffusivity values for two alloys of Zr60Al15Ni25 and Zr65Al7.5Cu27.5 were measured in the crystallized and liquid states. The thermal diffusivity values of three Zr-based alloys in the liquid state are summarized in the linear equations with positive temperature dependency and it is noted that the lower the thermal diffusivity values of Zr-based alloys at liquidus temperature, the lower the critical cooling rate to obtain metallic glass phase becomes. The thermal diffusivity values of Zr-based alloys were compared with those of Pd-based alloy case. These results suggest that thermal diffusivity of alloy liquids might be an indicator of the glass-forming ability of Zr-based and Pd-based alloys.

Jan 1, 2006

By Vladyslav M. Sokolov

The cost effective and environmentally friendly recycling technology was developed and tested. It enables utilization of the fine nickel-base superalloy scrap in a form of heavily oxidized scarfing granulates. The process of granulates generation was discussed in details. Their properties were investigated. The results of literature search showed anticipated sufficient improvement of the properties of cast iron by its alloying with the elements from the scarfing granulates. The novel alloying approach is based on the two stage reduction operation. Firstly thegranulates were partially reduced in a solid state by their exposure with powdery carbon at the range of 1550 ? 1700°C. Then the gotten product was efficiently introduced into liquid iron since it has a form of fine natural agglomerates for arranging the optimal conditions for reduction of the granulates. The thermodynamic evaluation demonstrates higher reduction efficiency of carbon and silicon dissolved in iron than of the same elements in a form of the separate phases. The considered process partially provides itself by energy since the reaction of reduction of the chromium oxide by silicon dissolved in liquid iron has exothermal character. The mostly complete extraction of Ni was received. The sufficient reclamation of Cr was gotten at the same time.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jeaneth S. Benedetto

The physical and chemical processes developed for recovery of uranium and phosphor from phosphoro-uraniferous ore bodies consists of three basic steps: concentration of the phosphate bearing uranium by flotation, chemical dissolution of the concentrate by wet phosphoric acid and extraction of uranium by solvent. In this process two products are obtained: 1) uranium and 2) phosphoric acid. The purpose of this work was to develop technological know-how of phosphoric acid purification though an extraction of P2O5 by solvents. It was investigated by two lines of research. In the first one the uranium was extracted before the phosphoric acid purification. In the second, the phosphoric acid was extracted before uranium recovery. The comparison of the two processes is shown in this paper. Experimental work was developed on a laboratory scale to select and optimize the process variables. After the laboratory study, the research of extraction and stripping was continued on a pilot scale in pulsed perforated-plate columns in order to investigate the main operational and process conditions. The first phosphoric acid extraction experiments showed good results using a raffinate sample obtained from the uranium extraction process. It was possible to obtain a high purity phosphoric acid.

Jan 1, 2003

By L. L. Sutter

Fly ash is a by-product produced from the combustion of most hels including municipal solid waste. Currently, most combustion residuals are disposed of in landfills at a continually increasing cost and with questionable impact on the environment. Due to the presence of heavy metal compounds, municipal waste combustor (MWC) fly ash has the potential to leach these metals (e.g., lead and cadmium) above regulatory limits. The heterogeneous nature of MWC fly ash makes detailed characterization difficult. This research focuses on the identification of lead compounds in MWC fly ash. Samples obtained from the Olmsted Waste-to-Energy Facility in Rochester, Minnesota were examined in this study. The fly ash was fractionated into six size ranges and prepared as geological thin sections for analysis. The worked discussed in this paper involves using an electron microprobe analyzer to determine phase composition in MWC fly ash. In addition, backscattered electron imaging, digital image processing, and mineral liberation analysis software were used to determine phase distributions and phase associations as a function of particle size. Several lead containing compounds in several forms are identified. The results of this study show that lead can be identified in small sectioned particles which would not be apparent using normal backscattered electron imaging.

Jan 1, 1994

By Fathi Habashi

Solid gas reactions of metallurgical importance can be classified into three groups: Physical processes, e.g., drying and sublimation Chemical processes which may be an addition or a thermal decomposition reaction Electrochemical processes which may be addition, oxidation-reduction, or displacement reactions. Examples are given and the role of the boundary layer is emphasized.

Jan 1, 1996

By Feng-guang Li, Rui Guo, Ju Zhang

Cooling stave is one of the most important equipment of blast furnace for iron making. The heat transfer performance and service life of the cooling stave, to a large extent, determines the efficiency and economy of the iron making process. In this paper, a 3-D heat transfer model of cooling stave was founded by ANSYS based on FEM theory, and the heat transfer characteristics of cooling staves which were made of different materials (cast iron, cast steel and copper) were analyzed. Then, several suggestions on choosing material of cooling staves were given according to the calculation results and the actual working conditions of the cooling staves.

Mar 1, 2017

By Zhenzhou Yang, Zuotai Zhang

In the present study, we proposed a method that using sewage sludge (SS) as alternative fuel and raw material to produce cement clinker. It was found that the increasing amount of SS can favor for the formation of tricalcium silicate (C3S) but the excessive amount can cause the impediment effect. Furthermore, SS contains high contents of trace elements, especially for zinc and manganese. The thermodynamic equilibrium calculation of Zn and Mn are also conducted to further understand their transformation behaviors and the results show that zine is predicted as a volatile element while manganese shows great condensed potential during the cement clinker calcination process.

Mar 1, 2017

By T. V. Jayaraman

Fe-Ga alloys, with compositions around 27.5 at % Ga, can be heat treated to obtain ? (ordered bcc), DO19 (ordered hexagonal), and L12 (ordered fcc) ordered structures. Our earlier work using polycrystalline samples had shown that magnetostriction is strongly influenced by ordering in this alloy. Here more detailed study of the correlation between ordering and magnetostriction using single crystals of Fe 27.5 at. % Ga alloys is reported. Single crystals of Fe 27.5 at % Ga were grown using Bridgman single crystal growth technique. X-ray and electron diffraction were used to study the ordering in this alloy. Magnetostriction measurements were carried out at no load conditions. Elastic constants were measured using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy.

Jan 1, 2006