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By S. M. I Kytö, J .. K. Mäkinen, K. Saarhelo

"At the Outokumpu Oy Harjavalta Copper Smelter the control philosophy of the flash smelting process has been changed from the slow feed-back control to feed-forward control. This is important as the fluctuations in the flash smelting furnace matte grade and slag temperature are desired to be minimized.The system is based on a specially designed automatic sampling device and the Outokumpu Courier 20 on-stream X-ray fluorescence analyzer. A microcomputer-based Analyzer Operator Station (AOP) controls the system and calculates the process parameters for the furnace from the analyzed chemical composition and other existing data.A considerable reduction in the deviation of the matte grade and slag temperature has been gained. This has resulted in conservation of energy and refractories, lower copper losses and higher through-put in the flash smelting furnace and converters.1.0 IntroductionThe flash smelting technology for copper concentrates was developed at the Outokumpu Oy Harjavalta Smelter soon after the World War II. The incentive for this development was shortness and high price of any form of energy. The fact that smelting can be carried out autogenously, without external energy by utilizing the latent heat of sulfide combustion was known decades before, but Outokumpu Oy was the first company to take the advantage of this knowledge in practical operation. A further advantage of this technology was that the SO2 containing gases suited well for sulfuric acid production, thus minimizing the detrimental effects on the environment (1).The very heart of the flash smelting process is the reaction shaft of the flash smelting furnace (see Appendix I). Heating up of the dried feed mixture, dissociation of several compounds, ignition and oxidation of the feed take place very intensively in the reaction shaft during 2 - 3 seconds, which the fine grained particles reside in the reaction shaft. A very accurate control of the amounts of the feed materials as well as of oxidizing gases, fuel, etc. is of primary importance."

Jan 1, 1989

By Heinz Böni, Christian Ludwig, Bernhard Steubing, Uca Silva

"Chile will soon have to find solutions for dealing with rapidly growing quantities of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) due to its strong economy and fast increase of internet and communications technology usage. To support this process, the state of the Chilean recycling infrastructure as well as government, industry and consumer efforts to deal with ewaste were analyzed. Current e-waste quantities were assessed and future flows were predicted using a material flow analysis model. In this model computer hardware was used as tracer equipment for WEEE. Best available numbers indicate that today’s formal recycling infrastructure receives less than 3% of the annual quantities of computer waste. This study represents the most comprehensive analysis regarding e-waste in Chile, identifying relevant streams of e-waste and providing a basis for authorities and producers of electronic goods in order to take the necessary actions to establish an adequate recycling system.IntroductionSince 1991, Chile has experienced a period of strong economic growth. It is amongst the countries with the fastest development in the sector of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Latin America and the number of people with access to ICT has been growing rapidly. The high growth rates of the computer market over the last years are representative for the ICT sector with the consequence that the generated quantities of electronic waste are increasing rapidly [1, 2].Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) or e-waste is “any appliance using an electric power supply that has reached its end-of-life” as defined by the OECD [3]. Even though the overall waste management in Chile has improved much over the last decade, the issue of ewaste was hardly addressed. Due to the value of the materials contained in computer waste - such as precious metals, basic metals as copper or plastics - it may be assumed that an important quantity is already being recovered. This usually takes place on the informal market under questionable conditions for human health and the environment [1, 2, 4]."

Jan 1, 2008

By F. R. A. Jorgenson

The ignition of chalcopyrite and pyrite was studied using laminar flow furnace and thermal analysis techniques which were supported by XRD and optical microscopic examination of the products. In air, chalcopyrite and pyrite ignited at temperatures of 400-500'C and 500-600?C respectively. The phase assemblages predicted from thermodynamic analyses were compared with those found by experiment, and the onset of ignition was correlated against changes in the phase compositions. Pyrite and chalcopyrite ignited when pyrrhotite and intermediate solid solution formed thus opening up the structure and allowing ready access of oxygen.

Jan 1, 1989

By Lamar S. Todd

The direct production of metal from a sphalerite concentrate is an attractive route for primary zinc. A series of operations and conditions have been selected to efficiently cause the following overall exothermic reaction. The process uses a continuous circulation of molten copper for material and energy transfer between the unit operations. Sulfide concentrate is reduced with an excess of superheated copper to make a copper alloy and white metal. The alloy is stripped of volatile metals under vacuum and some metals can be separately condensed. The residual copper and the white metal are fed into a copper converter to be blown with oxygen for desulfurizing and the superheated copper is recycled. The paper will include a detailed material flow sheet for the process, discussion of the operating conditions of the individual units, behavior of minor elements, and zinc quality.

Jan 1, 1999

By Shadia J. Ikhmayies

"Cadmium sulfide (CdS) in the form of thin films is an interesting material because it has a large variety of applications ranging from photovoltaic to luminescent devices. N-type CdS is usually used as a window layer in the heterojunction CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. A review of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra ofn-type CdS thin films prepared by different techniques was performed. The effects of different dopants and impurities and the effects of temperature and deposition parameters on the PL spectra were discussed. Annealing in different atmospheres causes the changes in material structure and phase change from cubic to hexagonal phase which can be detected through the variations in the PL spectra. CdCh heat treatment improves the cystallinity of the films and enhances the exciton peaks and the green band in the PL spectra.IntroductionThin CdS films deserve attention because their expected gap emission lies very close to the highest sensitivity of the human eye. Thus, one might assume that thin CdS films are an appealing host for photonic devices [ l]. They have been used in a lot of applications including electronic and optoelectronic devices [2]. Thin films ofn-type CdS are widely used as a window layer in heterojunction solar cells such as CdS/CdTe solar cells. Doped and undoped CdS thin films can be obtained by different techniques such as; spray pyrolysis (SP) [3], chemical bath deposition (CBD) [2, 4], pulsed laser deposition [5, 6, 7], laser ablation [l], thermal evaporation [8].Several experimental techniques have been used in order to study semiconductor defects. In particular, photoluminescence (PL) has been shown as a powerful and sensitive tool in examining the crystal quality of polycrystalline thin films. PL can be used in the detection of defects which are radiative active. These defects can also act as traps in the transport of carriers [9]. The photoluminescence (PL) of thin film CdS is strongly influenced by the unbalanced stoichiometry, which is typical for CdS and is in general evoked by a Cd surplus. With increasing Cd content, the emission spectra move far below the gap to the red spectral range. Besides stoichiometry problems, independent of the material deposited, the PL properties of thin films depend on surface features and the influence of the interface between the film material and the substrate [10]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Yuanbo Zhang, Ruijun Wang, Qian Li, Zhao Jing, Guanghui Li, Zhengwei Yu, Chen Liu

The high content of sodium and potassium in sinter is harmful for blast furnace ironmaking. Reductive sintering technology can remove more alkali metals than conventional sintering process. In order to improve the removal ratios of Na and K, reductive sintering with both CO-containing flue gas circulation and carbon-bearing pellet was conducted in this study. Experimental results show that all indexes except the VSV and P were improved in reductive sintering with CO circulation. Flue gas circulation technique combined with carbon-bearing pellets were beneficial to reductive sintering, because it could maintain good sintering indexes and enhance the removal of Na, K. The best removal ratios of Na, K and reduction degree of iron oxides were 20.37%, 63.73% and 23.76%. In reductive finished sinter, silicate mineral becomes the important binder phase, and main iron mineral phases are wustite (FexO) and magnetite (Fe3O4).

Jan 1, 2016

By Migen Dibra

Antitrust and competition laws are designed to protect the free markets and promote competition in order to assure a dynamic and efficient economy and to provide competitive prices for quality products and services. They apply to mergers and acquisitions as well as to joint ventures especially among competitor companies who possess market power and these include collaborations on research and development. If it is determined that these actions are likely to substantially prevent or lessen competition the courts might dissolve, stop, alternate them, etc. Two new factors affect this process today: The role of new technologies and the markets globalization. They both have a considerable effect on the way these laws are interpreted by the courts and on their eventual amendments in order to reflect the new reality. A new applied technology and the globalization separately or together may change the factors that determine how anticompetitive a merger or acquisition between competitors may be and may also serve as a basis for amending the antitrust and competition laws. In this paper, a short review of the recent mergers and acquisitions of various companies has been carried out along with an abridged analysis of the current antitrust and competition laws in USA, Canada and European Union in the view of their capacity to handle the new reality. Some related court decisions are also examined and several examples are given in order to illustrate the influence of new technologies and globalization in interpreting the existing laws and on their amendment possibilities.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. M. Blount

In 1983, a final ruling of the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) specified that chemicals containing >0.1 % of a carcinogenic substance or > 1 % of a substance hazardous to health must be labelled. Amphiboles of the fibrous or asbestos-type must be quantified at levels of 0. I % whereas the status of non-fibrous types is not finally determined at this time. Tremolite and actinolite can possibly be measured to 0.1 % by XRD, but anthophyllite cannot be so measured. Recently the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) has designated quartz as a suspected carcinogen, and its quantity must be measured to the 0.1 % level. Thus, it has become Increasingly important to be able to detect and quantify minerals in bulk samples down to low or "trace" levels. It has been found that minerals needing to be quantified can often be concentrated by microcentrifuge and counted by means of polarized-light microscopy. For example, amphiboles in talc samples can be separated by using a heavy liquid (thallium formate-malonate) of density 2.810. Talc floats, and amphiboles sink. After centrifuging, the denser particles are removed from the bottom with a Pasteur pipette and placed in a clean centrifuge tube. Distilled water is added to the tube containing the denser minerals and the tube centrifuged again. After several washings with distilled water, the sample is removed along with a drop of water to a clean glass slide. A drop of 1 .584 refractive index liquid and a cover glass are placed over the dried sample. The slide is scanned for particles greater than 5 um in length and having an aspect ratio greater than 1:3. These are checked for refractive index, sign of elongation and extinction angle to differentiate them from talc particles on edge and other minerals. Amphiboles have all indices greater than 1.584, and talc has all indices equal to or lower than this value. Alternately the heavies at the bottom of the centrifuge tube can be filtered through a nucleopore filter. After the filter has been washed with distilled water and dried, a 1.584 refractive index liquid renders the filter transparent in two of the four extinction positions so that a count of amphibole particles can be made directly on the filter. The refractive index-density method which is so useful for talc powders should be equally useful for other nonsoluble industrial minerals.

Jan 1, 1989

By KNona C. Liddell

The ion interaction model Pitzer proposed twenty years ago is today the most widely used method for calculation of osmotic coefficients and electrolyte and single ion activity coefficients in aqueous solutions. This is due in part to the accuracy of the results that have been obtained for many concentrated electrolytes. An additional factor is that, compared to alternative activity coefficient models, there are many more parameter values available for the Pitzer equations. The important features of this model are reviewed. Published parameter values for Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Fe are tabulated, and applications of interest in the aqueous processing of these metals are described.

Jan 1, 1993

By Y. K. Rao

In the carbonyl process for the refining of crude nickel CO(g) reacts with nickel in the 310-370K range producing nickel tetracarbonyl, Ni(C0)4(g). Iron and cobalt impurities also form gaseous carbonyls but their partial pressures are low. The carbonyl is led to a decomposer plant wherein the gas disproportionates in the 500-600K range depositing pure metal on nickel pellets that move countercurrent to the gas-flow. This system serves to illustrate the fundamental principles involved in the vapor phase mass transport of elements, against temperature-gradient, under the influence of chemical potential gradient. Unlike in the crystal growth, the source is at a lower temperature (say 350K) whereas the seed is in the hot-zone (say 550K) of the closed ampoule-type reactor. By assuming virtual gas-solid equilibria in the end zones, with diffusion of gaseous species between them acting as a slight perturbation, the quasi-steady- state mass-transport rates are computed for a range of CO-pressures and temperatures.

Jan 1, 1993

By D. E. Woolley

The rate of reduction of iron oxide from calcia-silica-alumina slag by carbon in liquid iron has been measured over the temperature range 1400-1600°C by monitoring the rate of carbon monoxide (CO) evolution. Slags containing ferric iron have been used in order to study the reduction of both ferric and ferrous cations. Results show that ferric iron is reduced before ferrous iron, so that the ferrous iron concentration increases initially. It is also shown that the rate constant, k, decreases at low reaction rates, or, equivalently, at low concentrations. The authors conclude that the reaction occurs in two periods. During the first period, ferric iron is reduced to ferrous iron. During the second period, ferrous iron is reduced to metallic iron, and the rate-limiting step during the second period is the mass transfer of ferrous cations in the slag phase to the slag-metal interface.

Jan 1, 1998

By T. Shoji

"The human history is characterized by social development based on mineral and energy resources, and many conflicts to take the resources by power. This is shown by not only world wars but also many local conflicts as well as international supremacy.IntroductionThe world population after B. C. 10000, which is summarized in several papers, is approximated by four straight lines on a semilogarithmic diagram as shown in Figure 1 [l]. The annual rates of increasing are 0.0041, 0.071, 0.53, and 1.85 % from the old and young periods. The boundaries among four periods are approximately B. C. 4600, AD. 1670, and 1930. The start of the second period seems to correspond to the beginning of agriculture and cattle breeding. Precisely speaking, the usage of natural energy resources such as woods and domestic animals already began, but is inferred to have become common after the age. The third and fourth periods are characterized by the common usage of coal and oil, respectivety. Not only energy resources but also mineral resources including gold, copper, iron and others are also important for the human history.Mineral and energy resources have supported the development of the .human civilization, and have caused many conflicts because of this reason. Every day newspapers report conflicts, such as Chechnya, East Timor and Ache. We can easily point out the facts that the conflicts closely relate to mineral and energy resources. Groznyj, Capital of Chechnya, is located on the western margin of Caspian oil field. Many mineral deposits occur in Kavkaz Mountains running south of Chechnya. Subsea oil fields occur in Timor Gap located between East Timor and Australia. Ache is also one of oil fields in Indonesia. It is very difficult to state present conflicts independently of a political view of point. For this reason let us try to historically review the relation between mineral and energy resources and international domination and conflicts [2] based on many papers [3]."

Jan 1, 2000

By G. L. Peralta

Geothermal energy is an important source of power in more than 12 countries and is a potential source in 50 countries. However, the exploration and use of geothermal resources generate residues such as scale and sludge. The scale is from the steam distribution pipes while the sludge is from cooling ponds. These solids contain significant levels of elements which are of environmental importance notably, arsenic, sulfur, copper, zinc and lead that require safe treatment and disposal. The compositions, phases, textures, morphologies and size of scale and sludge particles have been studied by laser particle size analysis, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction. In addition, their leachability was tested with protocol leaching procedures and sequential extractions. The detailed spatial relationships and speciation of the environmentally significant constituents have received particular emphasis. The information obtained is useful in understanding how the scale and sludge are formed, their leaching behavior if disposed of in a landfill and in developing appropriate treatment strategies.

Jan 1, 1994

By G. St-Amant, V. Cloutier, E. Ghali, S. Jin, G. Houlachi

During the casting of lead-silver anodes, variations in cooling rates result in the formation of an uneven microstructure. The slowly cooled areas (SCA) have a coarser microstructure than that of the remaining part (called "the general zone"). The effect of anode microstructure on the electrochemical behavior was investigated using galvanostatic, potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance techniques. The results show that the resistances for the two steps of the oxygen evolution reaction on the slowly cooled areas of Pb- Ag anodes are higher than that on the general zone. The double layer capacitance for the first step of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the pseudocapacitance of the second step of OER on SCA are smaller than those on the general zone. The potentiodynamic results show that the amount of lead dioxide formed on the SCA is greater than that of the general zone of the anode. The potential decay curves after 30 minutes of galvanostatic polarization at 45 mA/cm2 show that the corrosion potential of the SCA is 200 mV lower than that of the general zone. This can lead to perforation because of the formation of a galvanic cell with a small anode and a large cathode.

Jan 1, 2000

By K A. Pericieous

"Magnetic fields have many actual applications in the metals processing industry. Externally applied magnetic fields give rise to electromagnetic (Lorentz) forces formed by the cross product JxB, between the induced current density J and the magnetic field density B. When the metal is in liquid form, the Lorentz force generates motion in the fluid which in applications of practical interest becomes turbulent. In modelling terms, the Lorentz force appears as a source in the momentum equations. In addition, the induced current generates heat (Joule heating) in the metal that is in proportion to J2, with a corresponding source of heat in the energy equation. Whether as heat or as a force, these effects represent action at a distance - a most useful attribute when dealing with hot metal. The Lorentz force is used to stir solidifying alloys, pump liquid metal in conduits, dampen the flow in the meniscus of a continuous caster, levitate metal drops, induce artificial gravity conditions in suspensions or contain liquid metal. Elsewhere, the Lorentz force may be a by-product of some other operation, so leading to wave excitation in aluminium electrolysis cells, or altering the shape of the weld pool in arc welding. Joule heating is most commonly used with applied AC fields, to melt metal in induction furnaces.The author and his colleagues have been involved in the modelling of most of these processes in the past decade. Modelling is not however straightforward, since most of the examples mentioned represent genuine multi-physics challenges. There is a strong coupling between the flow field and electromagnetic field. The addition of a dynamically varying metal free surface and the moving solidus front means the flow, heat and electromagnetic fields need to be computed simultaneously. In situations involving metal containment, the metal free surface position is governed by the interplay of gravity, Lorentz force, surface tension and fluid inertia. Since all the interesting effects often happen in thin boundary layers at the surface due to the skin effect, mesh generation and mesh control during the computation become non trivial problems that need to be addressed. This paper presents a review of numerical methods used to model droplet levitation, semi-levitation melting and cold crucible induction melting of metals. The first method is based on spectral collocation techniques and the second is the traditional FV approach. Steps taken to validate the computations and typical transient results are also given."

Jan 1, 2001

By N. Menad

. Electronic wastes are heterogeneous mixture, with mainly copper, aluminium and steel attached to or mixed with various types of plastics and ceramics. In general, small amounts of precious metals are incorporated in this mixture. Today, these components constitute an environmentally problematic fraction in disposal. Their physico-chemical characteristics have been investigated through chemical, x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. P. Evans

The modem copper smelter today utilizes tonnage oxygen for smelting concentrates, generating a high strength S02 off-gas leaving the smelter vessel. This gas stream, which also contains any unreacted oxygen, plus C02, N2 and H20, also carries with it the volatilized portion of heavy metals in the feed, plus partly oxidized sulfide concentrates. The time/temperature history and subsequent treatment of this off-gas stream emerging from the smelting furnace exit up to the acid plant can influence the partitioning and segregation of heavy metals in the off-gas circuit. Depending on this history, the type and characteristics of the chemical and physical reactions which. occur in the gas handling system can be influenced. This fact can also be used as a tool to adjust the separation of copper from heavy metals. In this paper, the impact of different time/temperature histories of the gas, due to different furnace geometries .and design, on the subsequent formation and characteristics of the smelter dust is examined. Based on the available data, several case histories drawn from examples using both bath and flash smelting technologies are analyzed from this perspective.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. L. Paverd

The petrology of a number of pyrometasomatic mineral deposits in north Queensland, Australia, were studied to evaluate the use of mineralogy and major element chemistry in the exploration for copper, lead and zinc-bearing skarns. Results indicate a direct correlation between the character of the mineralization and the composition and nature of the host rock. The study of garnet compositions proved the most useful. Economic mineralization was limited to limestone-derived skarns containing garnet of And60-90, whereas skarns containing garnet of less than contained less than 1And55 contained less than 1% total sulfide. Skarns containing garnet of And60-8S host the best mineralization; above And8S' copper, lead and zinc sulfides decrease and magnetite and pyrrhotite become the dominant ore minerals. Similar correlations were found for pyroxene, amphibole and 'the bulk composition of the skarns.

Jan 1, 1981

By Paul E. Queneau

The QS (Queneau-Schuhmann) copper converter is a gently sloped, stepped, horizontal kiln-type tilting reactor in which desired bath oxygen activity, compositional and temperature gradients are created by countercurrent flow of matte and slag phases through a series of controlled bubble plume, mixer-settler configurations. Flow of gas and slag is normally concurrent. Copper sulfide concentrates are top-fed, employing oxygen flash burners. Oxygen and oxygen-carbonaceous fuel mixtures are bottom-blown into the smelting bath through judiciously located, independently regulated submerged injectors. Composition and mass flow rates of injector inputs are controlled to produce bubble plumes of desired character, without jetting through and out of the bath. The mixer-settler pattern can be reinforced if desired by employment of suspended shallow baffles. State-of-the-art instrumentation provides timely information required to govern key process variables. The outstanding capabilities of the QS converter for coppermaking have now been indicated by the current success of industrial QSL (Queneau-Schuhmann-Lurgi) leadmaking reactors. Modified converter designs are employed for leadmaking, nickelmaking and steelmaking.

Jan 1, 1993

By P. A. Botha

The coal seams in the Waterberg basin occur in correlates of the Vryheid and Volksrust Formations as developed in the main Karoo basin. In the Vryheid Formation, five thick seams of predominantly dull coal are present, whereas a multitude of thin, lenticular seams (a few millimetres to 2 metres}, predominantly of bright coal, are developed in the overlying Grootegeluk Formation. During exploration, the coal seams were divided into 11 zones. Analytical data on float and middlings fractions (RD less than 1.40 and between 140 and 1.80, respectively} were used mainly for stratigraphic correlation of the zones in the Grootegeluk Formation. The affinities of the major and trace elements for different mineral phases and/or organic material are discussed on the basis of correlation matrices and vertical variation diagrams. Titanium and vanadium clearly show some degree of organic affinity. P 205' AI203 and alkaline-earth elements are also positively correlated by the presence of goyazite in the coal. This type of investigation gives an indication of the degree to which undesirable elements like P and S can be removed during coal beneficiation, of which coal zones are unsuitable for the production of metallurgical coal on account of a high content of these elements, and to what extent the blending of different coal zones is required to keep the concentration of these elements within acceptable limits.

Jan 1, 1991