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By Wei Lv, Xuewei Lv, Senwei Xuan, Chenguang Bai, Kai Tang

The contact angle between six iron ores and water were determined by the capillary pressure method with cyclohexane as the perfect wetting liquid. The factors influencing the contact angle were discussed, and a relationship between the content of oxy–hydroxides and the contact angle of iron ores was obtained. The results show that the ore F has the lowest contact angle but the ore D get the biggest, which are 32.09° and 78.16°, respectively. The volume fraction of oxy–hydroxides is linearly dependent on the contact angle. The contact angle decreased with increasing the volume fraction of Fe2O3*H2O.

Mar 1, 2017

By M. Furuta, M. Hasimoto, Y. Komoda, K. Haiki

"Tamano Smelter & Refinery started its operation in 1972 with high current density electrolysis (350Nm2 of maximum) applying PRC technology. After the start up, four times of expansion have been done, the cathode production capacity has increased from- 84,000 t/y to 191,000 t/y. However, recent refining technology with permanent stainless steel cathode enabled to increase current density up to 300 Nm2 or more without PRC method. In order to increase current density more than 350 A/m2 , experimental work using commercial size cell has been carried out at several conditions, such as current density, PRC conditions, electrolyte composition and electrode condition. As a result, it was found that high quality (LME A grade) cathode can be produced at such a high current density as 405 A/m2•IntroductionWhen considering the production increase of electrolytic copper, what becomes important is the improvement of productivity per unit of production facility. Conventionally, production had been expanded by increasing the number of cells but a huge investment required for this had a influence to the business profitability. Because of this, increase of current density, which is one of the methods to improve unit productivity, 'was expected and this method at the same time has another advantage of shortening the retention time of copper and other precious metals in the cells. At present, the average current density at Tamano during full capacity production is around 350 A/m2 and this used to be the limit throughout the world (1)."

Jan 1, 2000

By D. H. Rubisov

The neural networks modelling approach is one of the most elegant black-box type methods to model industrial processes. In this paper, this approach is applied to model the performance of the CEZ zinc electrowinning plant. The model that was built was found to exhibit an excellent predictive ability for voltage and current density. The model was also used to investigate the sensitivity of the process to various key variables such as temperature, current density, zinc and sulphuric acid concentration, etc. Optimal regimes for zinc production were identified from the power consumption standpoint.

Jan 1, 1996

By Dominik Hofer

A broad spectrum of tantalum containing input materials can be processed for the production of synthetic tantalum concentrate (“SynCon”). The use of these low grade substances offers a secure alternative to mining of coltan in Central Africa. SynCon is produced in a multi-stage pyrometallurgical process, wherefore the melting behaviour of slags presents an important factor especially regarding the energy consumption and its optimisation. The characteristics of a slag comprising mostly Al2O3, CaO, SiO2 and MgO are influenced by the amount of other oxidic constituents which enfolds the main focus of this study. A hot stage microscope serves for the investigation of the slag behaviour in a temperature range from 1000 to 1600 °C under reducing atmosphere (CO/CO2 gas). The experimental results are compared with thermodynamic calculations (FactSage) to get a better understanding of the process.

By S. N. Monteiro, E. B. Zanelato, J. Alexandre, M. T. Marvila, A. R. G. Azevedo, G. C. Xavier

One of the parameters used in the study of mortars is the adhesion resistance, which indicate show much the mortar adhered to the substrate. The usual study is done at 28 days, to worldwide standardization. Few researchers study the adhesion of mortars to ages other than 28 days. In this scenario, the adhesion strength tests of conventional mortar with a 1:1:6 mass scale (cement, and sand) at 7, 14, 28, 56, 91, 182 and 364 days were performed in order to understand the behavior of this material. The usual characterization tests of the mortars were carried out to correlate the values obtained with the adhesion results. The obtained results demonstrate that the mortar continues to gain resistance with the passage of time. For the trait studied the gain was considerable, indicating that over time the cement continues to hydrate, reacting and contributing to the strength of the material.

Mar 1, 2018

By L. Xia

Sodium silicate(s), also known as “water glass”, are one of the oldest and most widely used industrial chemicals. Its first use in Canadian operations can be traced back to around 1925, which coincided with early use of xanthates in mineral flotation. Silicate functions as a sulphide and non-sulphide gangue mineral dispersant, depressant and modifying reagent in grinding and flotation operations. It is believed that soluble sodium silicate promotes selectivity of value added sulphides against gangue minerals, resulting in both grade and recovery improvement. This paper seeks to link improved grade/recovery to the interaction characteristics of minerals and the sodium silicate. A systematic study was performed with individual mineral species, an artificially designed model ore and the feed ore from a copper flotation operation. The function of sodium silicate was evaluated in the context of colloidal chemistry and linked to mineral surface chemistry. Measurement of pulp rheology and mineral zeta potential identified that sodium silicate works as a dispersant. The dispersion is accomplished by increasing a mineral’s net surface charge, resulting in a change in slurry viscosity. Bench scale laboratory flotation tests suggest that better dispersion leads to a diminished interaction of chalcopyrite with gangue. The improved Cu grade and recovery then are likely in response to an increased accessibility to collector along with a linked increase in particle bubble attachment resulting in better separation efficiency. ToF-SIMS surface chemical analysis of the flotation samples found a higher proportion of sodium silicate on minerals from the flotation tailings relative to the concentrates. Moreover, attachment of sodium silicate appears to be mineral specific; the data indicates that sodium silicate favours the surface of gangue phases over the value sulphides.

By Jongmin Jeong, Jaehong Shin, Joo Hyun Park, Chul-Woo Nam, Kyung-Ho Park

Because sulfur and phosphorus are very harmful in steel products, there are increasing requirements for refining these elements from ferroalloys industries. Hence, in the present study, simultaneous desulfurization (de-S) and reducing dephosphorization (Rde-P) from silicomanganese (SiMn) alloy were investigated using metal-slag equilibration method under highly reducing condition at 1773 K. Experiments were carried out by equilibration between SiMn alloy and MnO-based slag in graphite crucible under p(O2) = 10−18 atm. Slag composition was designed by changing basicity (CaO/SiO2) and MnO content at fixed Al2O3 (=20%) and MgO (=5%) contents. De-S ratio increased with increasing basicity until C/S = 1.5 whereas Rde-P ratio was not significantly affected by slag basicity. This was because thermodynamic driving force of de-S reaction was greater than that of Rde-P reaction under present experimental conditions. The de-S and Rde-P ratios commonly increased with decreasing oxygen partial pressure.

Mar 1, 2017

By Vinicius Alves Gomes, Jean Igor Margem, Thallis Cordeiro, Frederico Muylaert Margem, Roberto Faria Jr., Sergio Neves Monteiro, Marina Rangel Margem

Natural fibers are attracting the interest of engineering sectors owing to specific advantages such as lightweight and lower cost as well as for their inherent condition of being renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and neutral with respect to CO2 emission. In particular, the fiber extracted from the malva plant stem is nowadays recognized as one of the strongest lignocellulosic fibers. However, the thermal properties of the malva fibers have yet not been fully investigated. The present work had as its objective to investigate, by photoacoustic spectroscopy and photothermal techniques the thermal properties of diffusivity, specific heat capacity and conductivity of a pressed malva fibers sample. The results revealed that these fibers showed a superior thermal insulation capacity.

Jan 1, 2015

By Jhon Cuya

Titanium dioxide is the well-known catalyst for the photodecomposition of water in UV region and its nanoparticles show better performance than its bulk materials. Furthermore, partially sulfurized TiO2 is expected to be chemically stable and have an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with TiO2. For this purpose, the sulfurization behavior of TiO2 nanoparticles was thermogravimetically (TG) studied by a thermo-balance with a quartz spring using CS2. From the TG curve of TiO2 nanoparticles, first, the weight decrease appeared down to around 8 wt% and then sulfurization reaction started at around 500 °C at heating rate of 1O 'Cumin. The weight increase curve showed a maximum of ca 30 wt% at around 750 T and then gradually decreased to ca 12w% at 1000OC. This would be caused by the formation of TiS2 followed by the decomposition of TiS2 to lower sulfides, such as Til.08S2 and Ti3S4. From the comparison of the sulfurization of TiO2 nanpparticles with that of anatase, rutile and Ti(OH)4, it was found that TiO2 nanoparticles showed a similar behavior to that of Ti(OH)4.

Jan 1, 2003

By Pedro Henrique L. M. Lopes, Édio Pereira Lima Jr., Fernanda Santos da Luz, Fábio de Oliveira Braga, Sergio Neves Monteiro

Several works have been dedicated to study the ballistic response of multilayered armor systems (MAS), including those using natural fiber composites as second layer. These composites disclosed good ballistic performance, having economic and environmental advantages. In the present work, the objective was to investigate the effect of areal densities of each MAS layer, in the overall performance of a MAS with an alumina ceramic front, a curaua fabric reinforced composite filling, and an aluminum alloy backing the target. Ballistic “backface signature” tests were conducted, varying the areal densities of the MAS layers according to a Box-Behnken design. The results showed a similar influence of the ceramic and aluminum layers in the MAS “backface signatures”, although deformation and failure mechanisms were significantly different. The composite also showed significant participation in the overall MAS performance. Since the composite is cheaper and lighter, a balance minimizing the other layers would be advantageous.

Mar 1, 2018

By Leonardo Mota, Felipe Perissé Duarte Lopes, Marcelo Gomes da Silva, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Helion Vargas

"Natural fibers, as a class of material, are attracting the interest of engineering sectors owing to specific advantages such as comparatively reduced cost and lower density as well as environmental benefits associated with renewability and biodegradability. For industrial applications, thermal properties, among others, are required. These are major requirements, especially in the case of an insulating natural fiber. In the present work, thermal properties of the curaua were investigated by photothermal techniques, i.e., the open photoacoustic cell and a method based upon the monitoring of the temperature evolution as a function of time. This investigation, in tum, permitted to evaluate two important thermal properties: the thermal diffusivity and the specific heat capacity of the curaua fibers. Indirectly, by means of simple mathematical relations, the thermal conductivity was also obtained. The results were compared with other materials and characterize the curaua fiber as an efficient insulator.IntroductionMaterials are gaining attention in recent years owing to their benefits for the environment as compared to synthetics. Being biodegradable, yearly renewable and recyclable, the natural planted-based are considered fully sustainable [1]. In particular, their life-cycle, from growing to industrial processing, absorbs as much C02 as it is emitted and makes them neutral with respect to greenhouse gases responsible for global warming [2]. Typical examples of these environmentfriendly materials are the lignocellulosic fibers that have been used in simple items such as ropes, baskets, textile, modest roofing, etc, since the beginning of our civilization [3]. In the past few decades, these natural fibers have been extensively investigated [ 4-1 O] as a possible reinforcement phase of polymer composites in substitution for synthetic fibers. In fact, engineering application of lignocellulosic composites are today in the market, especially in the automobile industry [11-13]. Out of the hundreds available natural fibers, only part of them exhibits superior properties to be qualified for composite reinforcement."

Jan 1, 2011

By L. A. André Santos

Atmospheric processing of nickel lateritic ores with low costs has been encouraged. In this work the kinetic of atmospheric acid leaching of a northern- Brazilian ore with 1.63% Ni and large amount of fine particles (d50 ≈ 0.075 mm and 40% below 0.038 mm) is presented. Chemical analysis showed a trend of Ni and Fe concentration in finer fraction (−0.075 mm) and Si and Mg in the coarsest one (−0.500 + 0.150 mm) associated to distinct mineral phases. Nickel is widespread in the mineral matrix. Distinct behaviors were observed as a function of particle size associated to the distribution of silicates and iron oxides in the ore. The kinetic modeling indicated that leaching is controlled by porous layer diffusion at 65 °C, but at 95 °C exhibits a mixed control by porous layer diffusion in initial minutes (60 min) and by chemical reaction or diffusion through the pore layer in final minutes (60–240 min) depends on metal evaluated.

By Versiane A. Leão

The adsorption of oleic acid and amine, by Expanded Hydrophobized Vermiculite (EHV) was studied. In appropriate conditions EHV is a good adsorbent for these flotation re-agents and the best results are obtained at situations where the chemicals are at non-dissociated form. The adsorbent shows good chemical stability and may been used in many adsorption-desorption cycles.

Jan 1, 1996

By H. H. Kellogg

The thermochemical properties of molten solutions in the binaries Cu-Bi, Cu-Sb and Bi-Sb, as well as the ternary Cu-Bi-Sb, have been correlated and described in mathematical form by use of the associated species concept combined with the three-suffix Margules equations to account for the non-idea 1 behavior of the solution species. Agreement of the correlations with experimental data is excellent (relative deviation of less than 2.5% in the values of the activity coefficients) in most cases. The correlations are applicable over the entire composition range of each system, and in the temperature range 700°-1250°C.

Jan 1, 1985

By Timothy W. Ellis, John A. Howes

The production of lead-acid batteries is defined by a closed-loop product life-cycle. Active material and grid alloys converge on an adaptable specification that improves both performance and recyclability. This mapping of product requirements for lead-acid batteries has taken over 80 years to develop. But, as the use of batteries made with other chemistries continues to grow, the need for a comparable life-cycle management process becomes increasingly apparent given societal needs to manage raw materials, e.g. the European Union Battery Directive recycling targets. What has taken more than 80 years for lead-acid to evolve in a closed-loop paradigm must now be accomplished in less time for batteries using other chemistries and technologies. End-of-life costs are embedded in the product cost of lead-acid batteries. However, end-of-life costs are not reflected in the product cost of batteries made with other chemistries. Those costs are borne by other constituencies with often inefficient and environmentally damaging results. Lead-acid is a materials technology management model for other products.

Mar 1, 2017

By Corby G. Anderson

Hydrometallurgical technology for the pretreatment of refractory gold concentrates has been developed at Sunshine Mining and Refining Company. It employs a patented nitrous-sulfuric acid pressure leaching process which' was proven industrially at the Sunshine refinery. Additionally, pretreatment for removal of antimony and some other impurities is done with alkaline sulfide leaching. This paper will discuss the successful application of these two technologies for pretreatment of a refractory gold concentrate prior to CIL gold recovery. A complex gold concentrate composed of pyrite, arsenopyrite and stibnite was tested. Results of antimony leaching in alkaline sulfide media will be discussed including some details of a novel and selective recovery method for gold leached by polysulfide or thiosulfate" Also, the factors important in and the results of the application of nitrogen species catalyzed pressure leaching to refractory gold concentrates will be detailed.

Jan 1, 1996

By Christopher M. Moore

DK Recycling und Rohelsen GmbH converts 380 000 annual tonnes of iron containing waste materials Into pig Iron. Zinc Is the main reason that these materials are classified as waste. The materials are processed In the conventional way by making sinter which is then smelted in a blast furnace to foundry grade pig iron. The trick lies not in the unit operations which are quite standard but rather In the modifications made to the plant and operating procedures to cope with the much higher levels of tramp elements.

Jan 1, 1995

By V. Reiter, K. Reinharter, C. Wenzl, D. Gregurek, A. Spanring

The refractory linings in lead furnaces are exposed to several stresses rather complex in their interaction. In the present study the magnesia-chromite brick out of a lead recycling furnace suffered from a high chemical attack by the process slag. The high CaO, BaO and sulfur bearing silicate slag, as well as a high NaO2 supply from soda resulted both in a deep-reaching infiltration of the brick microstructure and a severe corrosion of the brick components. Both the sintered magnesia and chromite were attacked chemically. The FactSage calculations showed the formation of high amounts of liquid phase in the infiltrated microstructure. Further phenomena affecting the refractory performance such as iron oxide attack, redox effects, and boron attack are also discussed in the paper. The obtained information and insights serve as a basis for improving refractory materials (i.e., choice of refractories for individual process and new developments) and consequently furnace operations.

Mar 1, 2017

By J. J. Talja

An investigation of oxidation of various nickel concentrates was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The aim of this study was to determine the ignition temperature and investigate other oxidation behavior of various sulfide-based nickel concentrates. Variables in the experiments were mineralogy, particle size and partial pressure of oxygen with temperature increasing linearly at 25 K/min from 323 to 1023 K (50-750 °C). The igni¬tion temperature was determined to represent the starting point of rapid oxidation. The reac¬tion enthalpies of the concentrates were determined and the amount of heat generated up to various time were used to calculate the extent of reaction. Mineralogical changes at various stages of oxidation were also investigated. For this purpose a second set of DSC-experiments were carried out in which each experiment was interrupted at a desired temperature between 673-873 K. From these tests the weight loss of samples were determined and changes in the individual constituent of sulfide minerals were analyzed. For pentlandite-based Ni-concentrates the ignition temperature was 705-710 K (approximately 435 °C). Pyrite was the first sulfide to oxidize. Reactivity of the violarite-based concentrate was greater than those of the pentlandite-based concentrates. The stoi-chiometry of pentlandite changed before ignition because of preferential oxidation of iron. Rapid oxidation of the pentlandite mineral occurred at about 823 K (550 °C). By 900 K about 90 % of the iron in pentlandite was converted to hematite, and NiS containing some iron was formed.

Jan 1, 1994

By Mark Jolly

"Instead of using the traditional batch casting process, the CRIMSON [1] (Constrained Rapid Induction Melting Single Shot Up-Casting) method employs a high-powered furnace to melt just enough metal to fill a single mould in a closed crucible. The crucible is transferred to a station for computer-controlled counter gravity filling of the mould for optimum filling and solidification. The CRIMSON method therefore holds the liquid aluminium for a minimum of time drastically reducing the energy losses attributed to holding the metal at temperature. With the rapid melting times achieved, of the order of minutes, there isn’t a long time at temperature for hydrogen to be absorbed or for thick layers of oxide to form. The metal is never allowed to fall under gravity and therefore any oxide formed is not entrained within the liquid. Thus higher quality castings are produced leading to a reduction in scrap rate and reduced overall energy losses.IntroductionEngineers at the University of Birmingham, England, with local company, NTec, have invented a new casting process that will reduce the energy costs of light-metal foundries. The technology, entitled CRIMSON, means that foundries need only heat the quantity of metal required to fill a single mould rather than large batches that use unnecessary energy and create waste. The complete concept of CRIMSON requires a change of philosophy in the approach to casting and requires the user to think holistically in order to reap the full benefits from the process. This paper will discuss the various aspects of energy wastage within the foundry sector and discusses the processes whereby the energy can be reduced. Primarily the author focuses on the aluminium sector but CRIMSON can be applied to many of the non-ferrous “light” alloys. Ferrous materials and non-ferrous “heavy” alloys can also benefit from some of the ideas but not necessarily directly from the application of CRIMSON."

Jan 1, 2010