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By B. Bichel

For the last 70 years, molten blister copper has been transferred by rail in hot metal cars from the Copper Cliff Smelter to the Copper Cliff Copper Refinery (ex Ontario Refining Company) where it was processed in two (2) reverberatory anode furnaces by poling with logs, cast on four (4) wheels, and then electrorefined. This practice was modernized in 2001 with the installation of two (2) rotary anode furnaces at the. Copper Cliff Smelter which employ steam and. natural gas for reducing and which provide a significant reduction in emissions. A new casting shop with a single anode casting wheel is used to cast regular and stripper constant weight anodes which are transported by truck to the Copper Cliff Copper Refinery for anode preparation and electrorefining. This paper provides an overview of the copper circuit at the Copper Cliff Smelter and a description of the CDN$31 million capital project.

Jan 1, 2002

By Tiejun Chun, Jian Pan, Deqing Zhu, Zhiyong Ruan

"In this paper, the desulfuration of pyrite cinder pellets was carried out. Phase analysis shows that most sulfur of pyrite cinder exists in the form of elementary sulfur. Most sulfur was removed in preheating stage. 81.25% sulfur was removed and the average SO2 concentration of exhaust gas was 1365ppm when the pellets were preheated at 950oC for 9 min. The final product, assaying 62.42wt%Fe and 0.02wt%S content at 96.88% desulfuration was achieved under the conditions of preheating at 950? for 9 min and roasting at 1200? for 15 min, which can be used as the burden for blast furnace.IntroductionPyrite cinder, as a subsidiary product of sulfuric acid production by roasting of pyrite ores, was solid waste in sulfuric acid enterprises. According to the statistics, the annual production of pyrite cinder is about 15 million tons in China. Besides, there is lots of pyrite cinder deposited for many years [1-3]. The pyrite cinder consumed in the cement and other industries as auxiliary additives only accounts for less 30% of its total discharge and the left is stored in waste pond, occupying much land and polluting environment in China [4-5]. Moreover, pyrite cinder contains iron between 30-63% which can be utilized as a cheap raw material for ironmaking by sintering or pelletizing processes, which can not only prevent pollution but also provide cheap raw materials for ironmaking [6-7]. However, compared to traditional iron ore concentrate, pyrite cinder possesses higher sulfur content."

Jan 1, 2012

By Art Cooper

Granulation systems are customarily viewed as problem areas in metallurgical operations. The inherent risk of explosion when combining a high temperature melt with water creates a safety hazard. Separation of the granulated material from the quenching medium generally involves equipment that can have significant maintenance and operating costs. Granulation systems' reliability and availability can negatively affect the plant production. Against this background, granulation systems have been treated by design firms and producers as an add-on and a necessary evil. The technology is becoming better understood and solutions to common problems are being found. This paper will discuss typical problems in common systems, and some of the improvements that have been made, with particular reference to non-ferrous applications.

Jan 1, 2006

By Hong Yong Sohn

Keywords: Barium sulfate, Barium sulfide, Environment, Kinetics, Pollutants, Sulfur dioxide conversion, Thermodynamics Nonferrous smelters and coal gasification processes generate sulfur dioxide streams, most of which are treated to produce sulfuric acid with the accompanying problems of market shortage and transportation difficulties. While the conversion of sulfur dioxide to elemental sulfur has many environmental advantages, no processes exist that are environmentally acceptable and economically viable. A method for converting sulfur dioxide to elemental sulfur by a cyclic process involving calcium or barium sulfide and calcium or barium sulfate without generating solid wastes has been developed. In this process, the sulfate, as the starting raw material, is reduced by a suitable reducing agent such as hydrogen to produce the sulfide, which is used to reduce sulfur dioxide producing elemental sulfur vapor and regenerating the sulfate. The latter is then reduced to reproduce the sulfide. This paper describes work on the BaS/BaSO4 system. Thermodynamic analysis and experimental results indicated that the BaS-SO2 reaction produces mainly sulfur vapor and solid barium sulfate and that the gaseous product from the BaSO4-H2 reaction is mainly water vapor. The rates of the two reactions are reasonably rapid in the temperature range 700-1050°C.

Jan 1, 2005

By N. A. Warner

Fundamental studies on the reaction of limestone or dolomite at high temperature with S02 are extended to the realm of large scale primary copper smelting. Whereas flue gas desulfurisation in the electric power utility industry is concerned with S02 concentrations normally less than 0.5 percent, high temperature smelting gases can have S02 levels approaching 100 percent. The reaction involved is very exothermic so proposals are made in this paper for returning the heat generated in sulfur fixation directly back to the copper smelting process. This integration leads to metal production with lower energy requirements than current technology. The anhydrite reaction product can either be disposed of locally with minimum adverse environmental impact or upgraded to a value-added product. It is assumed, of course, that no viable market exists to support sulfuric acid production.

Jan 1, 1996

By Ann M. Hagni

Microscopic and sub-microscopic gold commonly occurs in the sulfides pyrite (FeS2) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS). To recover refractory gold from pyrite and arsenopyrite, these sulfides are roasted to create porosity and permeability prior to cyanide leaching. A new technique of adding Ca(OH)2 and roasting. lime roasting. is being tested for retention of contaminant sulfur and arsenic and effectiveness of gold extraction. The lime roasting of pyrite at 500°C contains anhydrite (CaS04). oldhamite (CaS). calcium sulfite (CaS03). hematite (Fe2O:J), magnetite (Fe304). and minor amounts of pyrrhotite (Fe1.xS) and pyrite. At 600°C. 650°C and 700°C. the main constituents are anhydrite. oldhamite. and hematite. At 750°C. 800°C. and 850°C. anhydrite and hematite are the predominant phases with minor oldhamite. The roasted arsenopyrite at 450°C contains arsenic sulfides. calcium sulfite. hematite. and minor oldhamite. magnetite. and pyrrhotite. At 650°C. 700°C, 750°C. and 800°C, anhydrite, oldhamite. arsenic sulfides, and hematite are present. At 850°C. the same minerals are present with only minor oldhamite. The textures indicate excellent porosity and permeability at high temperatures. At lower temperatures, rims of low porosity and permeability surround many of the pyrite and arsenopyrite particles, and the complete oxidation process from pyrite to pyrrhotite to magnetite to hematite can be observed in individual particles. Additional process mineralogy techniques employed in this study are electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and cathodoluminescence microscopy (CIM) in the determination of the calcium-sulfur-oxygen phases. Automated scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy was utilized to analyze particles for gold content. Reflected light microscopy (RIM) revealed arsenopyrite and pyrite encapsulated in quartz particles of the gold-bearing concentrate, gold roast calcine, and cyanide leach residue.

Jan 1, 1991

By Yamei Han, Jiang Du, Jinhui Peng, Mengbi Fu, Libo Zhang, Zhengfu Zhang

"A continuously pilot synthesis by microwave-heating was used in preparing the cathode material LiNi113Co113Mn11302 for Li-ion battery, which used Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3(0H)2 and LizC03 as raw materials. Decomposition of the raw materials and synthesis of LixNi113Co113Mn11302 would be fmished in single roasting process. In addition, using microwave-heating would reduce the reacting time largely. Furthermore, the yield of LixNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/302 synthetized in single roasting process was 50 kg. Meanwhile, the effects of Li:(Ni+Co+Mn) molar radio (Li:(Ni+Co+Mn)=l.06, 1.075, 1.09, 1.15) was studied in this paper. XRD, SEM and EIS were used in characterizing the cathode material. The results showed that the best Li:(Ni+Co+Mn) molar radio was 1.075. It was found that the LiNi113Co113Mn11302 synthetized with Li:(Ni+Co+Mn)=l.075 had homogenous distribution of particles and ideal layered structure. The galvanostatic charge-discharge(O. l C, 2. 75-4.3V, vs. Lt /Li) tests showed that the initial discharge capacity of the LixNi113Co113Mn11302 was 159.5mAh·g-1, and the discharge capacity was 157.6mAh·g·1after10 cycles.IntroductionRecently, as the cobalt was expensive and the restriction of dynamic power, the commercial cathode Li2Co02 which was expensive, toxic, and high pollution had exposed its defects[1·2l. Since T.Ohzuku[3l first reported the layered LiNi113Co113Mn11302, this material had high reversible capacity and caused the attentions of researchers[4l. Its reversible capacity was l 60mAh/g and 200mAh/g in the voltage range of 2.75-4.3V[5-61. But for the present, preparing LiNiwCowMnw02 by traditional had lots of disadvantages, such as the long heating time, the high cost and the volatizing of lithium and so on[7-9l. According to these, traditional prepatation wasn't good for sustainable development and energy conservation."

Jan 1, 2013

By WU Jian-hui

Keywords: metallic material, precursor synthesis, precipitation, nickel, fibrillar powder The composition and morphology of the precursor of fibrillar nanocrystalline nickel powder prepared by oxalate precipitation are characterized by XRD,IR and SEM analysis, and the effects of temperature, nickel concentration, pH, surfactant and drying process on the morphology and the dispersion of the precursor are investigated. By the experiment results, the fibrillar precursor is a complicated nickel salt. The precursor prepared in the of 60~70°C,0.6~0.8 mol/L nickel ion, pH=8.4~8.6 and with addition of PVP surfactant is well dispersive and in fiber form. The powder dried by azeotropic distillation is dispersive.

Jan 1, 2005

By Napisporn Memongkol

Syntheses of Al-TiC-Al2O3 and Al-SiC-Al2O3 composites were obtained in situ by carbothermal reduction of mixtures of Al powder, TiO2 powder and activated carbon powders and Al powder, SiO2 powder and activated carbon powders. The reductions were carried out in a horizontal tube furnace under flow of inert gas. The standard Gibbs energy minimization method was used to calculate the equilibrium composition of the reacting species. The synthesized products were mixtures of aluminum reinforce with titanium carbide and alumina and aluminum reinforce with silicon carbide and alumina. The effect of the reaction temperature (1000 o C ? 1200 o C) and condition of precursors on the Al powder, TiO2 powder and activated carbon powders and Al powder, SiO2 powder and activated carbon powders were investigated using XRD and SEM method. The synthesized products showed those composites with aluminum matrix and titanium carbide and alumina as reinforced phases and aluminum matrix and silicon carbide and alumina as a reinforced phase was formed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Isadora Dias Perez, Monica M. Jimenez Correa, Jorge A. Soares Tenorio, Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa

The generation of mining waste has been the subject of environmental, economic and social concern. Alternative and sustainable methods of recycling metals technologies are desired. The present work focuses on the application of the ion exchange technique for the extraction of metals contained in a lateritic nickel mining effluent. The Purolite S950 chelating resin was used in the present work because it has the ability to adsorb transition metals present in an acidic solution. The experiments were carried out in a batch varying the pH in the range of 0.5–2.0. 1 g of resin was placed in contact with 50 mL of solution and stirred for 120 min at a speed of 200 rpm and temperature at 25 °C. The results demonstrated that the affinity of the resin varied with pH. The adsorbed metals were only copper, manganese, magnesium and zinc. The most extracted metal was copper, corresponding to 37%, when the solution was conditioned at pH 2.0.

Mar 1, 2018

By Pengfu Tan

Converter slag chemistry control has played an important role in optimizing converter operations. A thermodynamic model of copper P-S converter has been developed to predict the behavior of magnetite in the converter slag. Predictions of bath temperature, slag and matte compositions, and magnetite content in the slag have been validated by industrial data. The effects of fluxing strategy, returns and skim charges, oxygen enrichment, and temperature on the magnetite formation in the slag have been predicted and discussed. Some improvements of the industrial operations have been presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By Fumito Tanaka

The Mitsubishi Process is the sole pyrometallurgical process for the continuous production of blister copper from copper concentrates. Continuous converting originates from the application of the proven technology of a lime-ferrite slag (CaO-FeOX-Cu2O) on the Converting Furnace (C-furnace). Recent improvements on the C-furnace operation have included increasing the processing of recycled materials and the investigation of alternative fluxing agents. However, some minor oxides adversely affect C-furnace operation, with respect to magnetite behavior of the slag, with the most significant impact having been observed with the silica content of the slag. This paper will quantify the impact of silica on the lime-based slag, and discusses the controls that have been identified to sustain continuous converting operation.

Jan 1, 2005

By Kenneth N. Pike

The need to comply with environmental regulations and increase production has resulted in modifications to the East Penn blast furnace operation. Changes made include furnace design modifications, closed loop water cooling with heat recovery, automated weighing and charging, automated tuyere punching, ammonia scrubbing of tail gases and improved metal and slag handling to minimize environmental impact. These changes have resulted in a marked increase in yearly production and compliance with many of the air, water and solid waste regulations.

Jan 1, 1990

By Xiao Caimei

The method of Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) provides a helpful tool for the study of the industrial metabolism of a certain metal within a regional level, such as copper, lead etc. In this paper the flows and inventory of cobalt in China, 2008, were traced with the STAF model, and the situations of production, fabrication and manufacturing, use and waste management in China were introduced. The result revealed that the resource of cobalt in China was so poor that a large amount of cobalt material or cobalt products needed to be imported, and there was lack of recycling of cobalt resources.0

Jan 1, 2010

By Yong-Moo Cheong

When the zirconium pressure tube(PT) is in contact with the calandria tube(CT) in the pressurized heavy water reactor(PHWR), the temperature gradient between the inner and outer wall of the PT results in a thermal diffusion of hydrogen(deuterium) and hydride blisters are formed on the outer surface of the PT. Since Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes have a high risk for the formation of blisters during their operation in a PHWR, there is a strong incentive to develop a method for the non-destructive detection of the blisters grown on the tube surfaces. However, because there is little mismatch in an acoustic impedance between the hydride blisters and zirconium matrix, it is not easy to distinguish the boundary between the blister and the zirconium matrix with the conventional ultrasonic methods. This study has focused on the development of an ultrasonic method to detect the hydride blisters formed on Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes. Hydride blisters were grown on the outer surface of a Zr-2.5Nb pressure tube using a cold finger attached to steady state thermal diffusion equipment. Ultrasonic velocity ratio method as well as conventional ultrasonic parameters with an immersion technique was developed to detect small hydride blisters on the Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jacques J. Eksteen

Any effort to improve the metallurgical control of industrial furnaces employed in the primary extraction of high carbon ferroalloys are bound to fail unless the variability of the melt is not fully accounted for. A number of sampling campaigns were performed on both 3phase AC submerged arc and single phase DC open arc furnaces at different smelter sites in South Africa where High Carbon Ferrochrome is produced. It was found that the heterogeneity between multiple samples during a single taps were much higher that for heterogeneity found within a sample. Moreover, this heterogeneity (as quantified by the relative standard deviation per tap) varied with the operating conditions of the furnace, the element monitored and the type of furnace. A relationship was found between the relative standard deviation of certain elements and the degree of subcooling of the melt.

Jan 1, 2006

By Alex Del Castillo

The mineral processing industry has followed the development of database control systems, and various systems have been installed in existing and new plants. The goal is to improve product quality, raise productivity and lower production costs. Improvements in different units for mineral .processing .have been applied. This has led to increasing information for the operators. To support the operators and for an easy overview of the process, a complete concept for an integrated process-control system is required. This paper describes the plant-wide [process control system for the Collahuasi copper project located in northern Chile. The total investment for the project was $1,700,000,000 and included a port area and two copper processing plants, an oxide plant with a cathode production of 50 tons per year and a sulfide plant with a concentrate production of 330 kilotons per year. The main characteristics of the plant-wide process control system include a 200- kilometer long redundant control network and a 24-kilometer long redundant serial network providing coverage for the entire plant. The plants are located around 4,700 meters above sea level, serial communication lids allow the integration of over 2,700 SCADA data units, and the system handles over 7,500 physical signals plus the SCADA data integration. The main equipment consists of 39 different sized controllers, 16 operator stations, 5 engineering stations, 2 information management systems and 4 X- terminals. The project management, control configuration, factory acceptance test, system integration test, training, commissioning and start-up were carried out in close cooperation with the customer. The result was completely satisfactory for the customer.

Jan 1, 1999

By Trevor Saldanha, Nawshad Haque, Will Sikora

This study reported life cycle assessment (LCA) of six copper mines in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Portugal. Inventory data was sourced from published papers, sustainability reports by mining companies, independent technical reports and previous CSIRO studies. Sima Pro software and various databases were used to evaluate life cycle based environmental impacts. The impact indicators were: global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential, water footprint, ecotoxicity potential, ozone depletion potential and human toxicity potential (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic), abiotic resource depletion potential (minerals and fossil fuels), particulate matter and ionizing radiation. Generally, open pit mines were found to have a GWP of approximately 1.0 t CO2-eq/t Cu concentrate while underground mines had approximately 1.3 to 1.8 t CO2-eq/t Cu concentrate. Environmental impacts varied between mines considerably due to several factors, most notably: ore grade, mining method, flowsheets and ore mineralogy. Energy consumption and sources were significant contributors to most impact categories.

Mar 1, 2018

Kosaka Smelter & Refinery has a history of more than a century as a metallurgical department belonging to Kosaka mine. It has treated for a long time the "Black Ore" or the complicated concentrates dressed from it. The "Black Ore" is composed of black sulfides. It contains not only valuable metals such as gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc but also some impurities like arsenic, antimony and bismuth. With the development of Kosaka's floatation technology, five kinds of concentrates (copper, zinc, lead, pyrite and barite) have been separated from the "Black Ore" but the separation was not complete and each concentrate contained some unfavorable impuritie. In 1980s the highly appreciated yen and the drop of the metals priees forced many domestic mines to close their operations. Since then Kosaka Smelter has changed its way of operation to a custom smelter. Now more than 95% of copper concentrates are imported to take advantage of this technology of "Black Ore" treatment. It mainly treats the raw materials that contain high gold and silver like the "Black Ore". Recently, Kosaka has been working on the recycling of the metals from the printed circuit board scraps and sludge which contain some precious metals. The volume of the recycled metal is continuously increasing.

Jan 1, 2003

Gas-liquid contacting in the packed bed is a common operation in metallurgical reactors. Research has shown that, unlike wetting flow, non-wetting liquid flows in the form of discrete droplets or rivulets. Thus, modeling of the liquid phase as a continuum is in contradiction to the observations. Also, for the non-wetting case, continuum models have failed to describe liquid flow path when the liquid source is a point source. The aim of the current work is to put forward a combined Lagrangian-Eulerian approach to model the liquid and gas flow in the packed bed. Liquid is assumed discrete and modeled using a force balance approach. Gas is assumed to be interpenetrating continua and modeled using k-emodel for turbulent flow. Structured packing is assumed and x- ray imaging technique is used to visualize liquid flow lines in the bed. Simulation results for liquid flow path compared with the experiments.

Jan 1, 2006