Thermodynamics of Cobalt Oxide in Iron Silicate-Based Slags

The classical metal-slag-gas equilibrium technique was used to study the thermodynamic activity of cobalt, iron and their oxides in iron silicate based slags containing under controlled oxygen potential (3.70 x 10-8 to 2.95 x 10-7 atm) at 1573 K. The measured activity of cobalt oxide in FeOx-25 wt per cent SiO2 slags showed positive deviation from ideal behaviour for melts with up to ten wt per cent CoO. At higher silica contents, the behaviour became closer to ideal and in accord with previous studies on silica saturated slags. The activity coefficient of FeO in these slags had virtually no dependence on the CoO content. Partial substitution of silica by lime resulted in an increase of the activities and activity coefficients of CoO, FeO, Fe2O3 and Fe3O4. The results indicate that saturation of the slag with a magnetite phase occurs at CaO contents of five wt per cent and higher. Phase equilibria studies SiO2-FeO-Fe2O3-CaO slags containing cobalt were also carried out using the drop-quench technique. Results from these experiments confirmed the formation of a magnetite solid solution containing about three wt per cent CoO at lime contents of five wt per cent and higher at 1573 K and 2.9 x 10-7 atm of oxygen.