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By M. Cassir

"The unique properties of molten carbonates offer a large scope of applications in the field of energy. In effect, these molten salts are in the center of chemical and electrochemical reactions involving carbon and carbonaceous species, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, significant for energy generation or even for the production of fuels. Moreover, such media have also an oxidative character; they dissolve molecular oxygen and oxygen reduced species, O 2-, O22- and hypothetically o-, which may have an important role in waste treatments, homogeneous catalysis and synthesis of oxides. In this presentation, an overview will be given on the principal physicochemical properties of molten carbonates, before focusing on their main known application, the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Progress in other new fuel cells applications will also be analyzed, such as direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC), hybrid carbon fuel cell (HDCFC) and composite high-temperature fuel cells combining the features of MCFC and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Afterwards, membranes for the separation and capture of C02 will be reviewed. Finally, other topics, as the oxidative coupling of methane in molten carbonates, will be briefly mentioned.IntroductionIn the thirty past years, the molten carbonate science and advances have been mainly dedicated to the understanding and optimization of the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), which is still a major issue in the heart of a new vision of energy development. More recently, new topics related to other kinds of fuel cells (DCFC, composite SOFC/MCFC systems) and C02 capture have emerged and are concentrating important research and technological efforts. Moreover, new fields of implementation, related to molten carbonates, are also present: geology, glasses, production of nanocarbon particles etc. Considering other areas where this molten phase plays a major role, such as catalysis, waste destruction, surface treatment, it can be confirmed that the field of molten carbonates is very rich and offers many opportunities for fundamental science and competitive applications. Whatever their specific application, molten carbonates activity is associated to more efficient energy systems with low production of C02 and, in a prospective sense, to non-polluting energy using the value of C02. A recent event, the International Workshop on Molten Carbonates & Related Topics, IWMC201 I, held in Paris in 2011 , have put in evidence the importance to improve and exploit this investigation and technological domain."

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Wallin

Millions of tons of sludge from different metallurgical processes are produced worldwide annually, and the environmental impact of landfilling these often hazardous sludges stresses the need to understand their role as valuable resources. The current work explores the potential of producing a saleable low-phosphorous ferromanganese alloy by utilizing sludge from the silicomanganese industry together with an iron source. The aim of the project is to explore the feasibility and practical challenges related to reduction and dissolution of manganese and silicon from the sludge to liquid metal and slag. Parameters such as ratio of input material as well as the effect of adding limestone and coke to the mixture were explored by thermodynamic calculations and adapted experimentally. Results show that a ferromanganese alloy, in fact, can be formed, while silicon and calcium forms a complex slag that captures a significant amount of impurities.

The direct removal of lead ions from D2EHPA-kerosene using metallic zinc as the reducing agent was evaluated. The electrochemical process, called galvanic stripping, is a potential alternative stripping technique when standard chemical methods are not adequate. Four parameters found to be important in the rate of lead removal were studied in a factorially designed experiment. The variable evaluated included D2EHPA concentration, temperature, zinc surface area and solution agitation. Temperature and surface area were found to be the most significant, while agitation and D2EHPA concentration had less influence on the reaction. An activation energy of 22.5 Kcal/mole was calculated indicating a chemically-controlled process. The reaction was also sensitive to the concentration of oxygen in the system. The zinc required was considerably in excess of stoichiometry, possibly due to the dissolution and redeposition of lead: In general, the results were encouraging and demonstrated that lead impurities could be removed from D2EHPA using cementation type reactions.

Jan 1, 1995

By Yongbin Yang, Meixia Cai, Yufeng Guo, Guanzhou Qiu, Tao Jiang, Jianjun Fan

"A series of sintering and metallurgical experiments were carried out to optimize the blast furnace burden structure in this study. The results indicated that the sinter disintegrated seriously with basicity around 1.4, and after this “turning point”, the sintering properties were improved gradually with the increase of basicity of sinter. Based on the results, an idea was put forward which focused on producing two different kinds of sinter with different basicity. Different with the original burden structure of 85% sinter with basicity 1.4-1.5 + 15% pellets, an alternative new BF burden structure was proposed by the following structure?44% sinter with basicity 1.05 + 44% sinter with basicity 1.87 + 12% pellets. This new alternative BF burden structure has been adopted by some steel plants.IntroductionIn recent years, conventional blast furnace (BF) process was put into operation to produce hot metal in “A” steel plant. “A” steel plant owns two sets of sinter strands at present. Because the sinter production capacity exceeds the actual requirements of BF, a burden structure with 85-90% self-made sinter + 10-15% purchased pellets is adopted to take advantage of the low–cost sinter. But the serious problems encountered with the BF operators are that the sinter disintegrated easily during transportation and storage process. Therefore, the rate of return fines is very high after sinter being screened."

Jan 1, 2012

By W. G. Davenport

Chapter 10 showed that any given smelting task, e.g. production of 65% Cu matte, 1500 K, from CuFeS2, can be done with many different combinations of: blast%02 hydrocarbon fuel blast temperature. This chapter repeats the Chapter 10 calculations but reports the results in terms of the mass industrial oxygen mass hydrocarbon fuel blast preheat energy combinations that will produce 65% Cu matte, 1500 K, from CuFeS2 concentrate. It also determines the energy inputs equivalent to these combinations.

Jan 1, 2001

By Hsing Kuang Lin

Ferric chloride leaching w.as applied to a complex sulfide ore from Tok, Alaska to dissolve zinc, lead, silver and copper. Gold in the leaching residue, as well as in the ore, is found to be refractory to the conventional cyanidation process. Roasting, pressure oxidation and elemental sulfur removal followed by cyanidation were tested to improve gold dissolution. Also tested were thiourea leaching and high-pressure cyanidation. The readsorption of dissolved gold by carbonaceous matter in the chloride leaching residue was analyzed. Based on the experimental results, factors causing difficulty of gold dissolution from the leaching residue are discussed.

Jan 1, 1989

By Nural Kuyucak

Acid mine drainage (AMD) occurs at operating and abandoned mine sites as a result of oxidation of sulphide minerals, and is characterized by low pH and heavy metal contamination (e.g. Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Al, Mn). It usually requires treatment before release in order to meet regulatory requirements. Chemical methods, such as lime neutralization and sulphide precipitation, are commonly used to treat AMD. However, the conventional processes require high capital and operating costs, and constant attention for many years into the future. In addition, the amount of sludge produced by conventional lime treatment processes poses an increasingly significant disposal problems at decommissioned mining operations. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop passive, cost-effective processes for mitigating AMD and seepages originating from tailings and waste rock areas. Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) has been evaluating various methods being developed by other institutions, and exploring new ideas, to achieve passive in situ processes for treating AMD. These methods include anoxic limestone (ALS), lime-organic mixture (LOM), biosorbents (BIOS) and biotrench (BT). Current investigations at NTC involve preliminary bench-scale testing. Based on the outcome of the bench tests, a field test will be performed at a selected site. Details of the bench tests are discussed in the paper. Key Words: Acid mine drainage, treatment, metals removal, passive treatment, anoxic lime, limestone, biological treatment, sulphate reducing bacteria, biosorption, biosorbent

Jan 1, 1993

By Deborah A. Kopsick

Several minerals were observed and collected in a small gully originating from a weathered coal processing waste (gob) pile in Barton County, Missouri. The rapid alteration of these various minerals after collection suggested that they might represent a dehydration sequence. X-ray diffraction of the dehydrated and rehydrated minerals deposited on the gob pile indicated the presence of the monohydrate and heptahydrate forms of ferrous sulfate, szomolnokite and melanterite respectively. The occurrence of melanterite (FeSO4.7H2O), was limited to isolated areas of ponded water while szomolnokite (FeSO4.H2O), was associated with the outwash areas of the pile. Laboratory dehydration of melanterite collected at the gob pile revealed the formation of rozenite (FeSO4.4H2O), an intermediate form of ferrous sulfate. Szomolnokite was shown to be the stable form of these ferrous sulfates during these experiments while melanterite and rozenite were shown to alter readily. Chemical analysis of szomolnokite revealed enrichment in Fe, Mg, Zn, Cd, Cu and Mn relative to the chemical composition of the gob ad the lechate generated from the gob wastes. Although this gob pile had been weathering for more than 35 years, significant concentrations of trace metals were still being released from the pile through the generation of leachate and the formation of various soluble metal enriched ferrous sulfate minerals.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. R. Hartin

Traditionally, many of the advances in casting technology have been made by expensive and time consuming trial-and-error methodology. Modeling of the complex solidification process promises production of castings which are made "right the first time." Even though several models are available for simulation of conventional casting processes, none of them address this relatively new technology of investment cast titanium aluminides. In this paper, modification and application of a transient, three-dimensional, fully coupled fluid flow and heat transfer solidification modeling computer program to the analysis of centrifugally cast titanium aluminides is discussed. The predictive results of the program are compared to qualities of actual cast parts for validation.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. R. Odekirk

The nature of mineral distributions and locking characteristics in mill products are important factors in understanding mill performance. Such data are obtained by microscopic point counting methods. Reduction 'of point-count data from volume to weight percentages, and reduction of data for each size fraction back to a head sample requires lengthy hand calculations. The use of computer processing for such data reduction results in obtaining information on a realistic time basis. An example of computer processed point-count data is presented.

Jan 1, 1981

By Godwin Beene

During recent years, copper and acid production from Nkana Smelter has formed a significant proportion of ZCCM's total output, but a number of problems affecting the smelter over the last decade have only been recently overcome. This paper discusses recent developments in the smelting practice, highlighting some of the operational problems experienced and associated solutions. The smelter performance over the decade is discussed and the innovations in the smelting technology employed to sustain production in the wake of limited re-capitalization are dealt with in detail.

Jan 1, 1999

By Guan-zhou Qiu, Shui-shi Liu, Yu-feng Guo, Tao Jiang

"The preparation of high-quality synthetic ruitle from electric furnace titanium slag was systematically investigated by activation roasting followed by acid leaching process. The results showed that impurities such as Ca and Mg in titanium slag can be effectively removed and TiO2 grade of the product was markedly improved by the process. High-quality synthetic rutile containing 88.54% TiO2, 0.42% (CaO+MgO) was obtained under the conditions that roasted with 7.5%(wt) H3PO4 at 1000 oC for 2h, followed by two-stage leaching in boiling dilute sulfuric acid for 2h. Mechanism studies showed that anosovite solid solution and silicate minerals were reacted with phosphoric acid in the roasting process. As a result, titanium components in titanium slag turned into rutile (TiO2) and impurities were transformed into acid-soluble phosphate and quartz.IntroductionWith the gradual depletion of natural rutile and the rapid development of titanium industry in China, the natural rutile reserves cannot satisfy the requirement for production of titanium pigment and titanium sponge. Ilmenite is, therefore, becoming main raw material for titanium industry. However, because of its low TiO2 grade, it generally requires preconcentration to titanium-rich material such as titanium slag or synthetic rutile [1-3].Ilmenite resources are extremely rich in Pan-xi area of China, which account for 90.54% of total ilmenite reserves in China [4]. The titanium slag produced by electric smelting of ilmenite concentrate has high contents of Ca and Mg, and is not suitable as a raw material for chloride process and titanium sponge production. Therefore, upgrading titanium slag to prepare raw material suitable for chloride process and titanium sponge production has important significance for the development of China's titanium industry."

Jan 1, 2011

By Hemraj Dangi, S. Murali, Bhisham Yadav, Mohini Saxena, P. Asokan

"Demonstration studies were carried on the use of fly ash as soil modifier and supplier of micronutrients to improve the agricultural productivity based on the process optimised at lab scale at Advanced Materials & Processes Research Institute, Bhopal. The field trials were conducted in Uttar Pradesh (North India) Orissa (South Eastern India) and Madhya Pradesh (Central India) under different soil and crop conditions. 100-650 tonnes of fly ash per hectare were applied depending upon the soil and fly ash characteristics. Both short and long term studies on impact of fly ash on soil and food quality were conducted. With the fly ash application, the edible yield of tomato, cabbage, potato, wheat, pea, onion, paddy, sunflower, maize etc., were increased from 12 - 46% as compared to the control soil where no fly ash was used. The crop response to various elements mainly heavy metals grown in soil and fly ash applied soil was found comparable to that of control, which are within the permissible limits and meet the food quality standards. The results of impact of fly ash on biotic and abiotic properties of soil, along with the quantity and quality of agricultural produces generated under pilot scale demonstrations in three different parts of India are discussed in this paper. The outcome of this work could act as guiding force for confidence building and to maximise the use of fly ash, generated from thermal power plants worldwide as one of the major mineral waste for agriculture purposes.IntroductionThe advantages of application of fly ash in terms of improvement of soil properties and crop yields have been published by various researchers in India and abroad. Attention is also given about the possible negative and beneficial impact of pond ash in agriculture due to presence of heavy elements, radioactive nuclides and plant nutrients in fly ash. It is evident from the analysis of Indian fly ash that the presence of heavy elements and radionuclides levels are comparable with normal soil. The positive impact that has been reported is with regard to germination, yield and crop growth. The significant impacts are: long term effect of heavy and toxic elements content of fly ash on soil and up take of these elements by plant. Pilot scale demonstration studies have been completed with varying soil crop-combination under different agro-climatic conditions showed considerable improvement in the productivity of cereals, oil seeds and vegetables."

Jan 1, 2008

Reduction of titania and ilmenite ores by Cf4-H2-Ar gas mixture was investigated in a laboratory fixed bed reactor. Titania was reduced to titanium oxycarbide in the temperature range of 12OO-1500°C. At 1400-15000C, the extent of reduction of titania to titanium oxycarbide achieved more than 85% in 90 min. Optimum conditions for titanium oxycarbide synthesis by reduction of titania include temperature in the range of 1300-1450°C, methane content 8 vol% and hydrogen content above 35 vol%. Ilmenite ore was reduced by Cf4-HrAr gas mixture to metallic iron and titanium oxycarbide. Metallic iron catalyzed methane cracking and solid carbon deposition. Titanium oxycarbide formed at temperatures as low as 950°C. The optimum temperature for reduction of ilmenite is 1200°C and the optimum methane content is 8 vol%. Increase in hydrogen content increased both rate and extent of reduction. With 5 vol% CH4-75 vol% Hr20 vol% Ar gas mixture, the reduction of ilmenite completed in 60 min. Reduction of titanium oxides to oxycarbide with following chlorination may be an efficient alternative technology for processing of titanium minerals.

Jan 1, 2001

By Munyaradzi Kwatara, Ron Schonewille, Edgar Peek, Juzer Tayabally

"The potential recovery of nickel from a South-American saprolitic laterite ore using the segregation roasting technique was investigated. The ore was heated to temperatures that ranged between 900 and 1 000°C in a rotary kiln. In all the tests, the laterite ore was first mixed with a predetermined amount of calcium chloride and either coal or coke. By varying the temperature, calcium chloride and reductant in the different tests, a preliminary set of optimal conditions was established for the specific laterite ore that was tested. A combination of chemical analysis and electron-probe-micro-analysis (EPMA) were used to determine and evaluate the effectiveness of segregation roasting on the recovery of nickel. The present paper describes the test procedure and the results that were obtained.IntroductionIt is known that laterite ore resources account for an estimated 72% of the world's nickel resources, with sulfide sources accounting for the remaining 28%. Yet sulfide resources account for 58% of the world's primary nickel production while laterite resources account for the remaining 42% [I]. There are numerous reasons for this discrepancy, but the most important one is the mineralogical and compositional complexity that is associated with laterite ore deposits. For example, this complexity currently offers only limited opportunities for upgrading, thereby creating capital intensive whole ore processing facilities. It then follows logically that the identification and application of a low-cost processing option for the treatment of laterites could potentially open up an opportunity for exploiting these vast untapped laterite resources.To this end, a preliminary screening investigation was initiated by Xstrata Process Support to evaluate the potential application of the so-called (nickel) segregation process as a unit operation that could potentially be integrated into a laterite processing flow sheet. Laboratory bench tests were performed on this segregation process and this paper details some of the findings from this preliminary investigation."

Jan 1, 2011

By Zbigniew Zurecki

The selection of atmosphere composition is critical for controlling surface quality of reactive aluminum alloys during solution treatments. An improper selection of annealing atmosphere can result in surface blistering in AI-Mg and sub-surface depletion of lithium in AI-U ingots. To determine optimum atmosphere compositions for homogenizing A1-Mg and Al-Li alloys, Ii number of exploratory experiments were carried out in air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide based atmospheres including reactive impurities or additive such as moisture and sulfur hexafluoride. This paper describes the influence of these atmospheres on high-temperature oxidation and sub-surface defects. The results are discussed in terms of the change in Pilling-Bedworth ratio.

Jan 1, 1996

By R. Escalera-Lozano, M. Herrera-Trejo, M. A. Pech-Canul, J. López-Cuevas, A. L. Leal-Cruz, M. I. Pech-Canul

"The use fly-ash (FA) and rice-hull-ash (RHA) offers the potential for the manufacture of hybrid Al/SiCp/spinel composites via reactive infiltration, both with recycled aluminum. The main reason behind this statement is the beneficial role that both waste materials play in preventing the degradation of SiCp reinforcements when the composites are processed with aluminum in molten state. Experimentally, MgAl2O4 is formed in situ during the infiltration of SiCp-preforms in the temperature range 1050-1150 oC for 50-70 min in argon atmosphere at a pressure slightly above to that of the atmospheric pressure. Results reveal that both FA and RHA help in preventing SiCp dissolution and the subsequent formation of the unwanted Al4C3; and although FA-composites still might be susceptible to corrosion via Al4C3 -by the interaction of native carbon in FA with liquid aluminum- a proper FA treatment significantly mitigates its deleterious effect. Primary corrosion mechanisms and strategies to overcome the potential degradation effects are outlined.IntroductionOwing to inherent materials characteristics and post-processing complications –such as corrosion damage- development of metal matrix composites (MMCs) from recycling/waste sources might be a challenging task. Fly-ash (FA) and rice-hull-ash (RHA) are two primary waste materials that offer excellent opportunities for the development of Al matrix composites. Due to its singular hollow-spherical shape and low density, FA has attracted the attention of many researchers. For this reason, most of the efforts to develop Al-based composites from waste materials have been centered on the use of fly ash. Extensive research efforts in the use of FA for Al-based composites have been undertaken by Rohatgi and coworkers [1-4]. In addition to lowering costs, incorporation of fly ash into aluminum has been proved to decrease the materials’ density, increase their hardness, abrasion resistance and stiffness [1]. One of the major outcomes from the mechanical evaluation of aluminum composites prepared with fly ash is that related to their compression characteristics. Typical compressive stress-strain curves form A356/hollow fly ash composites show a linear elastic region followed by a plateau (associated to the collapse of the hollow particles), and then an increase in stress, representing densification of the foam. The crushing of the cenospheres in the composites has been related to an enhancement in the energy absorption capabilities of the material and to a better damage tolerance [4]."

Jan 1, 2008

By Jay Black

In the thiosulfate gold leaching process gold is oxidized to Au+ by a copper(II) ammine catalyst and complexed by thiosulfate. Copper(I) complexes, formed during gold oxidation, are reoxidised to Cu(II) complexes by oxygen. In this study, we present the results of a spectrophotometric study of the Cu(I)-NH3-Cl system, which follows on from our recent investigations of speciation in the Cu(I)-Cl and Cu(I)-S2O3-Cl systems and is part of a detailed study of copper(I) speciation associated with the gold leaching process. Formation constants for Cu(I)-NH3-Cl complexes have been determined by modeling the systematic changes in the UV spectra that occur as the concentration of the components is varied. The analysis of the data indicates that three Cu(I)-ammonia complexes are present, i.e., [Cu(NH3)2]+, [Cu(NH3)Cl2]- and [Cu(NH3)2Cl] and their respective log Kf values are 11.13, 8.33 and 10.79 at 25°C. Investigations of the oxidation of Cu(I)-NH3-Cl solutions by oxygen in the atmosphere are also presented. These experiments indicate that the reaction of copper(I) complexes progresses through various intermediates. The presence of many copper(I) and copper(II) complexes in ammonia thiosulfate solutions complicates the task of determining optimal conditions for gold leaching. Further studies are needed to identify the complexes and chemical processes that are important in the Cu(I)-NH3-S2O3-Cl system.

Jan 1, 2003

By Keith E. Forrester

This paper presents results of laboratory and field optimization of a proprietary processes developed by FESI for the stabilization of heavy metal bearing wastes. The specific waste studies presented within the paper include foundry ash, aluminum sweat furnace ash and a heavy metal contaminated soil. The FESI process chemistry and engineered processes were found to be the most cost efficient demonstrated and available method of stabilizing heavy metals and highly successful in passing regulatory limits.

Jan 1, 1994

By Marcelo B. Mourao

Interactions of carbonaceous materials with liquid Fe-C melts have been investigated experimentally by determining the volatile yield due to rapid devolatilization (Flash Pyrolysis) and rates of dissolution at temperatures ranging from 1623 to 1873 K. The volatile yield increased with increasing the temperature. The comparison of results of different types of carbonaceous materials was possible by expressing the volatile yield in terms of Enhancement Factor, fE. The rates of dissolution of spectroscopic graphite and an industrial coke seemed to obey the correlation for natural convection under turbulent conditions. The experimental data for the graphite suggested that the rate of dissolution was controlled by the mass-transfer in the liquid boundary layer adjacent to the solid sample. The value for the empirical parameter correlating the dissolution coefficient and the operating variables was found to be 0.19 which was close to that reported in the literature. The comparison of the results obtained for the coke samples with those for the graphite revealed that the impurities and the porosity of the samples can effect the dissolution rates.

Jan 1, 1992