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By Satu Strömberg

A single-particle laminar-flow technique was used to study oxidation of two nickel concentrates and a granulated nickel matte (43 wt% of Ni). Experimental conditions were: reaction gas from N2 to N2 + 75 vol% O2; gas preheating temperatures ranging from 500 to 1100°C. The major nickel-bearing minerals in the two concentrates were pentlandite and violarite, respectively. Chemical analysis of the particles was used to determine the oxidation degree of the materials, and optical and scanning electron microscopy were used to detect their morphology and mineralogy. Total desulfurization of the nickel concentrates was achieved under the most oxidizing conditions, while the sulfur removal from the nickel matte was not as efficient, especially with the coarse size fraction. Pentlandite-based concentrate was found to be less reactive than the violarite-based.

Jan 1, 1995

By Volker Uhlenwinkel

The design of a free fall atomizer as well as the process parameters affect the particle mass flux distribution in the spray cone. The mass flux distribution is important in spray forming because of its influence on the deposit shape and enthalpy input into the deposit. In this article the effect of different process parameters on the mass flux distribution is shown. Furthermore, different melts were atomized with the same atomizer. An empirical correlation will be introduced to predict the mass flux in the spray cone. This correlation will be compared with experimental results.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jafar Safarian, Gabriella Tranell, Stine Espelien

Hydrometallurgical treatment of silicon is an effective process for the removal of metallic impurities for producing solar grade silicon feedstock. In the present research, the removal of impurities from silicon is studied through the addition of Mg into a commercial silicon, its solidi fication, and acid leaching. The effect of concentration of HCl, temperature and leaching duration on the removal of impurities are studied. It is shown that the impurities such as P, Fe, Al, Ti, Ca, …are effectively removed through the applied method and Mg improves the segregation and the removal of the impurities. Scanning electron microscopy examination of the samples indicates the disintegration and dissolution of Mg2Si phase in acid leaching which causes the chemical and physical removal of the impurities existing in the phases between the silicon grains. It is shown that the leaching process rate can be optimized through the control of the acid leaching conditions.

Mar 1, 2017

By D. Mishra

Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) generated during the recycling of steel- scrap is classified as a hazardous waste for landfilling. This is because it contains leachable heavy metals such as zinc, lead,... Recovery of these metals could result in both resources conservation and resolving waste disposal problems. A study of the thermal reduction of a sample of EAFD was carried out in an inert gas atmosphere using coke as a reducing agent. Preferential volatilization of zinc and lead was achieved during the reduction process at about 800 "C. More than 96 % of both zinc and lead were removed from the dust and were recovered in the condensates. The treatment residue was essentially composed of iron oxides and almost free from heavy metals.

Jan 1, 2002

By A. Mezei

A process has been developed to recover cobalt, gold and bismuth from the NICO deposit in Canada. The process consists of a bulk rougher flotation followed by an optional separation by flotation to produce a bismuth concentrate and a cobalt concentrate, grading on average 12.8 % Bi and 1.8% Co, respectively. Cobalt is leached by pressure oxidation at 97% efficiency, producing a pregnant solution suitable for further processing. Before optimization, about 38% of the bismuth is recovered in the selective concentrate, wherefrom it is recovered by ferric chloride leaching followed by cementation, at overall efficiencies exceeding 98%. The gold is recovered from the cobalt and bismuth leach residues by cyanidation, at 95% efficiency. Previous work described the results of the leaching of the concentrates, recovery of gold (Part I) and the recovery of bismuth (Part 11). This work describes the results of the cobalt recovery testwork and the resulting conceptual flowsheet. The sulfur dioxide-oxygen system was the most efficient for the oxidationlprecipitation of iron and arsenic from cobalt bearing pregnant leach solutions, producing purified solutions assaying <1 mg/L As and <8 mg/L Fe. The efficiency of cobalt solvent extraction (from the resulting purified PLS containing about 1 g/L Co) ranged from 9 1 to 98%; the co-extractions ranged from 88 to 100% for copper, from 28 to 33% for magnesium, from 6 to 7% for calcium and from 96 to 98% for zinc. Sulphide precipitation processes (using either sulfur dioxidelelemental sulfur or sodium sulfide) produced residual copper concentrations in the cobalt strip solution ranging from 0.1 to 2 mg/L Cu. About 90% of the calcium and magnesium were separated by scrubbing the organic with cobalt sulfate, producing residual concentrations of 12 mg/L Ca and from 180 to 330 mg/L Mg in typical feed solutions directed to cobalt carbonate precipitation tests. Cobalt carbonate precipitation efficiencies ranged from 75 to 78% when calcium and magnesium co- precipitations were restricted from 8 to 17% and 0.3 to 0.4%, respectively. The limits required by most stringent specifications on commercial grade cobalt carbonate products were met or exceeded.

Jan 1, 2002

In low carbon TRIP steels, the formation of carbide-free bainitic ferrite is crucial for the stabilization of austenite. Based on experimental investigations modeling the bainite reaction is examined adopting diffusional and displacive mechanisms, as well as the semi-empirical JMAK approach. Transformation tests were carried out to study the isothermal austenite decomposition into bainitic ferrite for a model steel containing 0.6wt%C, 1.5wt%Mm and 1.5wt%Si which replicates the composition of remaining austenite at the start of the bainite reaction in a classical C-Mn-Si TRIP steel. In the diffusional approach, classical nucleation theory is employed and subsequent growth of bainite plates is modeled using the Zener-Hillert theory. In the displacive approach, the autocatalytic nucleation of bairtite plates is assumed to be rate controlling. The predictive capability of all models is evaluated for temperature ranges where different morphologies of bainitic ferrite have been detected, The shortcomings and inherent challenges associated with either of these modeling approaches will be delineated.

Jan 1, 2003

By Kelly J. Driscoll

Impure zinc (98.5%) was electrorefined to high purity zinc (99.995%) using a fused salt electrolyte of molar composition 1: 1 : 1 :2 ZnCI2:KCl:NaCl:LiCl with a current efficiency of about 90% at 723 K. A recessed channel electrorefining cell was developed which achieved excellent mixing of both the metal and the electrolyte and by ensuring a very small anode to cathode spacing the voltage drop across the cell was 0.16 V and at a current density of 7kA m-2. The physical characteristics of the cell were observed using a low temperature model which showed the formation of droplets and rivulets which provided mixing. The application of this approach to the refining of other non-ferrous metals is discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Sergio N. Monteiro, Artur C. Pereira, Foluke S. Assis, Henry A. Colorado

The fique fiber is an important natural fiber, originally from Colombia where it is used for sacks and crafts while its plant is used to contain slopes. However, few studies were realized with the fiber obtained from the fique plant leaf, its mechanical properties are superior in many aspects in comparison to some other lignocellulosic fibers. This work investigated the toughness behavior of polyester matrix composites reinforced with up to 30% in volume of a fabric made of fique fiber by means of Charpy impact tests. It was found that the addition of fique fabric results in a marked increase in the absorbed energy by the composites. Macroscopic observation of the post-impact specimens and SEM fracture analysis showed that transversal rupture through the fique fabric interface with the polyester matrix is the main mechanism for the remarkable toughness of these composites.

Mar 1, 2017

By Pengfu Tan

In order to understand and control the formation of dioxins and furans in iron ore sinter plants and to possibly avoid expensive end-of-pipe removal stages, thermodynamic calculations on the stability of PCDD/Fs have been combined with sinter process modeling by means of kinetic simulations and computational fluid dynamics. Three thermodynamic databases of PCDD/Fs, derived using the Group Additivity approach and two computational molecular modeling methods, MNDO and PM3, respectively, combined with the SGTE database have been used to model the PCDDIF formation and the PCDD/F isomer distributions in iron ore sintering. The results show very similar conditions for the PCDD/F formation using the different databases. Concerning the isomer distributions of toxic PCDD/Fs, the calculated data derived from the MNDO method showed optimum agreement with measured values from industrial furnaces. The thermodynamic calculations also proved that the isomer distributions found in combustion processes are equilibrium values, while the concentration ratio of PCDDs and PCDFs in the wind boxes does not represent an equilibrium state. A CFD model of iron ore sintering was developed including the kinetics of 15 relevant chemical reactions with the aim of describing the temperature fields and the gas flow patterns in the sintering bed. On the basis of these information and experimental observations reported in the literature possible pathways for the PCDD/F formation in sinter plants have been identified: PCDD/Fs are formed in the critical temperature region of 250 to 450 °C below the combustion zone, are then carried downwards with the gas and condensed close to the bottom of the sinter bed. Transported to the discharge end with the solid mixture, they are again released into the gas phase when the flame front approaches the bottom. PCDD/Fs are also formed in the last wind boxes when the hot off-gases cool down and reach the critical temperature range. Consequently, methods to reduce the dioxin formation reactions are proposed including inhibitor addition to the sinter feed and off-gas quenching.

Jan 1, 2003

By Yotamu Stephen Rainford Hara

"The aim of our work is to investigate a low energy and clean route for the recovery of copper and cobalt from complex sulphide mineral concentrates. The mineral concentrates were roasted in air, in the presence of CaO (MS + CaO + 202 =MO+ CaS04) at temperatures below 973K. The roasted products containing CuO, CoO and Fe203 were carbothermically reduced at 1073K within an hour to preferentially reduce copper and cobalt. The kinetics of reactions were studied using the thermogravimetric technique and by characterisation ofreaction products using the XRDSEM-EDX techniques. The effects of MS:CaO ratio, roasting temperatures and physical nature of the mineral concentrates were analysed. The method for capturing S02 by forming CaS04 was analysed for reuse in the process. The energy balance for the above process is compared with that of conventional continuous smelting/converting process.1.0 IntroductionCopper sulphide mineral concentrates from Zambia contains substantial amouot of cobalt. The cobalt metal content in the concentrates ranges between 0.7 and 2 % weight, which corresponds to 3 and 9 % weight copper, based on the spot price of copper ($7 386/tone) and cobalt ($31 000/tone). Although the traditional approach using a combination of roasting-leaching-electrowining steps can be applied to recover copper and cobalt from sulphide mineral concentrates [1-4], there are two major draw backs of the traditional process: (i) the S02 emitted during roasting is too lean for economical conversion for sulphuric acid manufacture, which causes serious environmental pollution. (ii) silver and gold which are normally present in the sulphide concentrates are lost out [5] because they are not leachable by H2S04 or HCl which are the common leachants. The above two problems have been overcome by adopting flash smelting in which a rich S02 gas above 20% is produced [1, 5] and successfully converted into sulphuric acid. The precious metals tend to partition to blister copper and recovered during refming. However, nearly all cobalt is lost into the slag phase uoder oxidising condition which prevails during flash smelting. It is important to note that the cobalt content in the slag can be up to 2.6 % weight [6]. The recovery of cobalt from the slag is a process which requires huge amouot of energy since the slag is smelted above 1873K [6]. With a view of minimising the amouot of energy and S02 emission during metal recovery, our investigation involves roasting the sulphide concentrates in the presence of lime and reducing the roasted samples with carbon."

Jan 1, 2013

By Y. Maeda

Kosaka Smelter is a copper smelter located at the nothern part of Japan? and has been treating. complex sulfide concentrates using flash smelting technology for a long time. The flash smelting technology has an advantage in the point of controllability of matte grade and heat balance in the reaction shaft. But the disadvantage of this process, is that the dust generation ratio is high compared with other smelting process such as injection smelting technology. This reason why is that the flash smelting process is the oxidation process for the fine sulfide concentrates applying flash reaction in the oxygen enriched stream In addition of this disadvantage, the sulfide concentrates contains much volatile impurities is resulted the dust; eneration ratio more. This paper outlines the recent improvement of the flash reaction in the furnace and the behavior of impurities in Kosaka Smelter.

Jan 1, 1998

By N. Pradhan, B. K. Mishra, B. D. Nayak, B. K. Mohapatra, R. K. Mohapatra

"Present study is about use of a group of Iron[Fe(III)] Reducing Bacteria (IRB) to convert the goethite (a-FeOOH) present in the original lateritic Nickel ore to magnetite under an anaerobic condition and subsequently release the bound Co(III) and Ni(II) through leaching. The lateritic Nickel ore contains 0.8% Ni, 0.049% Co, 1.92% Cr, 0.32% Mn and 50.2% Fe. An anaerobic dissimilatory Fe(III) reducing bacterial consortium capable of using acetate as carbon source (electron donor) and lateritic ore as terminal electron acceptor, changes the initial light brown color of the ore to dark brown. The change in color is due to the conversion of goethite to magnetite, which was confirmed by XRD. When the IRB treated sample was subjected to both bioleaching and acid leaching, it shows a greater recovery of Nickel and Cobalt values as compared to untreated original lateritic Ni ore. Further a magnetic separation method was used to separate the magnetic part of the treated lateritic ore and subjected to acid- and bio-leaching for better recovery of Nickel and Cobalt.IntroductionIt has been known that micro-organisms have the potential to reduce metals but more recent observations have shown that a diversity of specialist bacteria and archaea can use such activities to conserve energy for growth under anaerobic conditions [12]. Natural Fe(III) oxides are high in surface area and are reactive [1]. Fe (III) oxides adsorb a wide range of metal cations and anions by complexation to surface hydroxyl groups [17], and function as the primary redox buffering solid phase in many sediments and subsurface materials [5].Recently a number of bacteria have been isolated based on their ability to use metal ions, including Fe(III), as electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions. These are capable of producing energy by coupling the oxidation of organic compounds to reduction of Fe(III). Iron[Fe(III)]-Reducing Bacteria (IRB) have been isolated and identified from a wide variety of environments including freshwater and marine aquatic sediments and submerged soil [8]. The biogeochemical cycle of iron is linked to those of the trace metals, as many trace metals coassociate with Fe(III) oxides or reduced iron phases (e.g., magnetite, siderite, or iron sulfide). IRB can utilize Fe(III) oxides as terminal electron acceptors for respiration [18]; thereby reducing all or a fraction of the solid. The reductive portion of the iron biogeochemical cycle in non-phototropic environments (e.g., sediments and subsurface materials) is driven by the direct enzymatic reduction of Fe(III) oxides to Fe(II) by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria [13,14]."

Jan 1, 2009

By Yijun Cao, Shengpeng Su, Guihong Han, Xiangyu Song, Yanfang Huang

Binder is indispensable in the production of iron ore pellets and the quality of pellets seems to be related to the interactions between binders and iron minerals. Humic acid is proved a suitable binder for iron ore pelletizing. In this paper, the interactions between humic acid and iron minerals were investigated by adsorption experiments and molecular dynamic simulations. Adsorption experi- mentalresultsshowthattheadsorptionofhumicacidonhematiteiseasierthanthat on magnetite, and the maximum adsorption capacities of humic acid on hematite and magnetite reach 17.1, 7.39 mg/g, respectively. The results of adsorption iso- therms indicate that the Langmuir model provides the best correlation of the experimental data, while the thermodynamics results demonstrate that the adsorp- tion process is a spontaneous exothermic process. Molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the interaction between hematite and humic acid is stronger than that between humic acid and magnetite. (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1)

Mar 1, 2018

By Xueming Lv

The rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF) process is the main method for producing ferronickel from nickel laterite ore. However, this process is energy intensive as it involves several high temperature steps. Therefore, a novel process is proposed to directly produce ferronickel from nickel laterite ore by semi-molten reduction, which is expected to be realized in a rotary hearth furnace (RHF). The RHF process is able to shorten the flow sheet, decrease the reaction temperature as well as reduce energy consumption. In this study, the influence of basicity on reduction of nickel laterite ore was investigated. The results showed that it is possible to produce the ferronickel nugget directly at 1400 °C when the quaternary basicity [(mCaO + mMgO)/(mSiO2 + mAl2O3)] was fixed at 0.60. Under this experimental condition, the grade and the recovery ratio of nickel reached 11.53% and 98.59%, and the grade and recovery ratio of Fe were 84.16% and 68.72%, respectively.

By M. A. Neri

A lead-free solder alloy Sn-57.5Bi-0.5Ag has been developed by mechanical alloying and foundry processes, and has great potential as a lead-free solder system, to low temperature applications. The mechanical alloying powders show a microstructure different to the microstructure obtained by the foundry process for the same alloy. Its melting point of 142°C is slightly higher than that of eutectic tin- bismuth solder. Examination of the microstructure revealed that eutectic microstructure is refined by the mechanical alloying process Ag additions. The lamellar structure of tin-bismuth gradually disappeared with the process of mechanical alloying, while intermetallic compounds AgaSn phase was formed. The Cu-Sn intermetallic compound layer formed at solder-copper interface is the Cu6Sn5 phase. Keywords: Lead-free solder, Microstructure. Mechanical alloying

Jan 1, 2003

By Gudrun A. Saevarsdotti

For decades tile aluminium industry has been practicing gas treatment of aluminium melts. This treatment is of great importance because of its influence on &apos;impurity" and inclusion removal from the melt. The gas-melt interaction is greatly influenced by the gas composition, melt temperature etc. This paper gives an overview of the interaction between argon-chlorine gas mixtures and the aluminium melt. It covers the thermodynamics of the reaction between the chlorine and a number of different elements commonly found in liquid aluminium, and discusses the behaviour of reaction products in the melt. The paper reports an experimental study of the behaviour of the chlorine-molten aluminium interface, using sodium contaminated aluminium melt with and without the addition of grain refiner.

Jan 1, 1996

By P. R. Taylor, B. N. Carlson

Rare earth magnets play an increasingly important role in high end technology, and the manufacture of rare earth magnets, such as the NdFeB type, consume a large amount of the rare earths produced. Recycling of this material could provide an important domestic source for these materials. A selective sulfation roast has been proposed; the central principle of which is to take advantage of the differing stabilities of the rare earth sulfates as compared to those of iron under an air/SO2 atmosphere. Experiments show iron is found to be stable as an oxide, however, neodymium is found to form an oxy-sulfate phase.

Mar 1, 2017

By Mingming Zhang, Marcelo W. Andrade

The evolution of microstructure and mineral phases in iron ore sinters have been investigated by scanning electron microscope and QEMSCAN (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy). It was found that MgO, basicity and Al2O3 content play an important role in the formation of mineral phases and microstructure in sinter. The low Al2O3 (<2.0 wt%), medium MgO (2.0–2.5 wt%) and high basicity (>3.0) sinter showed higher low temperature degradation index (LTD) due to the presence of silico ferrites of calcium and aluminium (SFCA), and magnetite phase, and lower pore phase as compared to low basicity iron ore sinter.

Mar 1, 2017

By P. F. Stratton, M Huggahalli, N Saxena

"Several studies have been carried out to determine how the optimum atmosphere conditions in the heat treatment of metals can be established for a given product by using different gas injectors and varying atmosphere flow rate and composition. The most common approach taken to gain insight into furnace atmospheres has been to use commercial computational fluid dynamics codes and examples of their use are shown. However, the complexity of these codes, the difficulty in establishing boundary conditions, their cost and computational demands limit their usability in solving day-to-day production problems.A simplified, web-based model of a furnace atmosphere is described where the conservation equations are solved to determine the composition profiles of the atmosphere in the furnace. Although the model is restricted in scope to certain types of furnace, it is shown to give better results than CFD when boundary conditions are uncertain. The application of the model to the understanding of existing furnace conditions and to determining ways of optimising the use of gases are discussed. IntroductionThe important role of protective atmospheres during heat treatment of metals, furnace brazing of assemblies and soldering of printed circuit boards is well established. The atmosphere in the furnace prevents air ingress and oxidation of the parts, helps flush away any flux or binder from braze and solder pastes and provides an important mode of heat transfer [1]. In a batch furnace having typically one or two gas injectors, the gas utilisation and process can be optimised by minimising air leaks and mantaining atmosphere homogeneity with fans or other atmosphere circulation techniques. In a continuous furnace, however, atmosphere optimisation is more difficult as furnace inlets and exits can also let in air. The atmosphere requirements of different stages of heat treatment, brazing or soldering vary [2]. Achieving these atmospheres in different sections of the open-ended furnace is a relatively complex task. Methods such as atmosphere zoning and the use of physical curtains and gas injectors have evolved with time, though it is hard to predict how effective these techniques will be for a given furnace and process. Experts in the field tend to rely on experience and rules-of-thumb rather than scientific method to achieve the required results."

Jan 1, 2001

By Ying Mao, Zhancheng Guo, Long Ma, Huiqing Tang

"A new 2D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was developed for the gaseous reduction of iron ore fines in an innovative reactor-multilayer moving-fluidized bed. The solution of the proposed model was performed by integration of FLUENT and PHOENICS. Numerical results of cold state were compared with the experimental data and the agreement between them was good. A hot case-gaseous reduction of iron ore fines using syngas with this reactor was simulated using the present CFD mode. Results indicate that under the given simulation conditions, total pressure drop is 90 Pa less than that under cold state though the gas supply rate is increased about 4m3 under hot state. Gas temperature decreases from 1073 K at the bottom to 500 K at the top, Utilization efficiency of the gas reduction potential is about 27 %. For ore fines reduction, the final reduction fraction could reach 0. 70 and solid temperature 900 K.IntroductionWith the development of coal gasification technology, various coals could be converted to Syngas with air or steam. Therefore gaseous reduction of iron ore fmes becomes an acceptable alternative process for iron making besides blast furnace route[!] and moreover it still has some advantages in processing low grade iron ore fines[2]. Gaseous reduction using fluidized bed technologies is the most competitive in all direct reduction iron-making processes up to now. It has the advantage that ore fines can be directly charged to the process without prior treatment while its disadvantages are particle agglomeration and high gas/solid ratio[3]. To avoid these advantages, a new reactor, multilayer moving-fluidized bed reactor has been developed for carrying out the gaseous reduction. Hydrodynamic behaviors of gas and fines in the reactor were studied and the results were satisfying[4]. However, due to its unique structure of the multilayer moving-fluidized bed and unique gas-solid flow pattern, models of multiphase flow as IPSA, DPM and Eulerian Model could not give a satisfying solution. The current paper is developed a new CFD model and a new solution approach for simulation of the reactive gas-solid flow in the multilayer moving-fluidized bed for its optimization, design improvement and future scale-up."

Jan 1, 2013