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By Jean-François Domgin

This paper aims at presenting numerical results showing the impact of different parameters on the limitation of entrained slag from ladle to tundish during the ladle drainage. These parameters are process parameters, slag properties or external actuator acting directly on ladle slag behaviour. Numerical simulations based on the use of the CFD Fluent software illustrate the vortexing and non-vortexing phenomena appearing during the ladle drainage. This numerical tool validated by experimental data acquired on water model has been applied to industrial configurations. It shows that the slag properties (viscosity, surface tension?) or some modifications of parameters (slide gate opening, geometry of the ladle bottom?) have a positive effect on the slag entrainment and also on the decrease of the ladle heel. Finally, the modelling of the behaviour of an external actuator injecting some gas in the region of the nozzle reveals interesting possibility for reducing slag entrainment from ladle to tundish during the final steps of the drainage.

Jan 1, 2006

By Magdelinka Padenkova-Yaneva, Emilia Christova Kostakeva

"One of the methods for waste treatment is composting during which as a result of controlled biological decomposition of organic waste in aerobic conditions harmless materials are received. Composting takes place in suitably designed premises which ensure the optimal conditions for biochemical decomposition of the waste. A usual way to process composting is the spreading of the waste on a base made from reinforced concrete.In the paper the phases and basic technical features of the process of composting, the requirements and properties of the base and the ways of protection of concrete base against corrosion are revealed. Technical decisions for a specific construction site in Bulgaria are shown and the advantage of achieving durability of the concrete constructions in the plant while achieving simultaneous environment protection from pollution is discussed.IntroductionComposting is the process of controlled biochemical decomposition of vegetable and animal organic waste in aerobic conditions as a result of which harmless materials are obtained. The latter have better stability and are rich in humus substances which are useful for agricultural crops and can be used for restoring the soil fertility [1, 2, 3, 4].In modern waste treatment plants a composting technology is adopted in which the waste is spread on a concrete base as piles with certain dimensions [1, 3]. These piles are periodically stirred or air is blown through them in order to ensure the quantity of oxygen required for the process of aerobic decomposition of the organic matter. The fluids and gases formed in the course of the composting are take away in order not to pollute the environment – air, water, and soils. For this purpose the base on which the waste is spread must satisfy certain requirements, and the gases must be taken away and rendered harmless in order to protect the atmospheric air from pollution. This paper discusses the need for protecting the concrete base from corrosion and characterizes the stages and main parameters of the composting process and the possibilities for primary and secondary protection of the concrete base from corrosion. Specific technical decisions applied in a composting facility in the area of the town of Plovdiv are presented."

Jan 1, 2008

By Vittorio Basilico, Marco Quattrone, Mario Bassan

"In Italian building market one of the reasons that often stop building contractors from not taking into consideration the possibility to recycle rubble from building is represented by the increase of costs for rubble separation. However the recycling of C&DW can also allow a decrease in disposal costs and a reduction in raw materials requirement.In this paper the results of a testing conducted on a case study through economic and technical analyses are presented.Results highlight that a wise management of demolition and disposal processes can generate a remarkable saving and that it is possible, on the other side, to achieve environmental benefits such as reduction of raw material consumption and dump life lengthening.IntroductionTwo major factors have been found to have considerably influenced the market of recycled aggregates in Europe and Italy: the EU and national regulations and environmental awareness. The market of recycled aggregate has grown in countries with limited natural resources.Waste disposal has also been one of the top EU political and environmental priorities. In the complex interaction between human activities and the environment, waste is proved to be one of the most environment-degrading products.In 1972 the European Commission introduced measures on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. In 2006, directive 2006/12/EC (European Commission) on waste was issued. It covers the scope of minimizing the waste, prevent hazardous waste, maximize reclamation, reuse, recycling and energy-recovery.No specific directive refers to management and recycling of construction and demolition wastes. However, in 1992 the European Commission listed debris among waste management priorities because of its growing amount.Only recently, effective environmental policies have been implemented in Italy, even though relevant environmental issues started rising as early as the beginning of the 1970s. In the 1980s the Government undertook the first significant measures to handle the waste management."

Jan 1, 2008

By F. Kongoli

A computerized thermophysicochemical database is being developed for various processes involved in nickel smelting and converting. This database includes optimized models for slag, matte, liquid and solid alloys in the multicomponent system(s) as applied to batch and continuous nickel smelting and converting processes. This database can be used to quantify the multicomponent and multiphase slag/matte/alloy/gas equilibria, liquidus and solidus surface, tie-lines, solubility and/or losses of nickel and other components in the slag, distribution coefficients, components activities, heat and mass balance, etc. The database also includes optimized models for the viscosity of the slags associated with any of the above processes. Both databases are coupled and this constitutes a very effective method to quantify the effect of each component on several parameters of the smelting and converting processes and to diffuse the confusion that exists in the literature. Several application examples have been given to demonstrate the usefulness of this database for quantitative prediction of the thermophysicochemical properties of the phases involved in actual or developing processes, even in the areas where experiments are difficult or impossible. The considerable cost reduction that results ftom the use of this database as compared to other methods in the improvement of existing technologies or in the development of new ones is discussed along with continuing new developments of this database.

Jan 1, 2002

By Viktor Mukhin

"Among the methods proposed for spent activated carbon regeneration, the most acceptable is, thermal reactivation, because in this case the existing equipment for manufacture of activated carbon can be adapted for this purpose.In order to conduct the process of thermal re-activation of spent activated carbon directly at gold mills, a fullscale drum-type furnace with external electric heating has been developed, i.e. EPV-300 model with a throughput rate of 50 to 120 kg/hour. Its use ensures restoration of the adsorption properties of carbon up to the level of fresh activated carbon with an insignificant (by 0.7%) decrease in strength and with a high (95% to 97%) yield of reactivated carbon.During the recent years, activated powder carbon has been extensively used in flotation processes for treating polymetallic ores at ore treating plants to improve recoveries of main metals (copper, lead, nickel, etc.).Especially large volumes of activated powder carbon are used at the Talnakh concentrator of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Complex in Russia for absorption of residual flotation reagents from recycled water in order to ensure efficient selective separation of minerals with similar physical and chemical properties.IntroductionSorption technology based on active carbons use starts being applied in such an important in the widest sense of the word strategical branch of economics as non-ferrous metallurgy. Thus since the middle ninetieth Russian gold extraction industry began to apply widely the processes of sorption from pulps and solutions by means of high-resistant granulated active carbons. That provided the start of gold ore minefield exploration, increasing of gold extraction from the ore and reducing its loss with the ""tails"" of process. At present more than 40% of Russian gold is extracted with the help of sorption technologies [1].Another field of active carbons application in non-ferrous metallurgy is the processes of non-ferrous ores floatation at ore-mining and processing enterprise. For that purpose powdered (less than l00µm) active carbons are used for providing the effective selection of minerals with similar physicochemical properties. This method not only increases the metal extraction level but provides deeper division of them."

Jan 1, 2008

By A. Cullaj

During a period of 15 years the metallurgical and chemical complex of Elbasan containing more than 15 principal plants, producing cast-iron, steel, coke, nickel carbonate, nickel, cobalt, chromium and other products, discharged into air, river water and soil an extensive amount of hazardous wastes containing high toxic substances. A monitoring study for the levels of heavy metals in soils nearby the former plant is carried out for the first time. Very high levels (total and extractable) of contaminants such as nickel, cobalt and chromium are found in samples taken from a relatively vast territory including the city of Elbasan, situated 8 kilometres far from the plant. The most polluted samples present a total content of 1211.8 ? 2949.6 mg/kg Ni, 97.0 ? 181.2 mg/kg Co and 1358.7 ? 4130 mg/kg Cr. These levels exceed several times the phytotoxic thresholds and present a potential hazard for the inhabitants. This study, as part of a bigger multinational project on solid decontamination, will also serve to the possible application of the new phytoremediation and phytoextraction technologies, being developed in parallel in this project.

Jan 1, 2006

By Guy Deschênes

In spite of the wide use of lead compounds to enhance cyanidation of free milling sulphide-bearing gold ores, an industrial control method was only implemented four years ago. This study presents the results of the investigation that led to the development of the on-line control technology. Two free milling sulphide-bearing gold ores and high purity minerals were used to develop and test the concept. The first ore contains 2.8 g/t Au, 6.2% pyrrhotite, 2.1% pyrite 0.6 % arsenopyrite, 0.1% chalcopyrite and 0.1% organic carbon. The second ore contains 10.4 g/t Au, 3.2% pyrite, 0.8% pyrrhotite and 0.38% chalcopyrite. The first ore showed a much higher oxidation rate in the pre-leach than the second one and consumed seven times more cyanide. A relation between the formation of thiosulphate and thiocyanate and the additions of lead nitrate were quantified. The ?reducing power?, a titration with permanganate, predominantly determines the concentration of thiosulphate and thiocyanate in cyanide solution. The relation between the reducing power and the addition of lead nitrate at various concentrations of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite in the ores was established, providing a monitor/control strategy for lead nitrate addition.

Jan 1, 2006

By W. L. Cornell

The processing of lead tailings for removal of the heavy metals produces concentrates upgraded in Co and Ni values. Reflected light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, image analysis, and Vickers hardness measurements were used to identify mineral species, associations, degree of liberation, and distributions to the test products. Siegenite and bravoite were the most common species encountered, but violarite and enriched pyrite and marcasite phases were also identified. Liberation for the Co and Ni minerals contained in the tailings was 20 micrometers or less.

Jan 1, 1993

By Zhong g. Shui-ping

A new type Pb-Ag (0.8wt%)-Bi (0~5.0wt %) alloy used as anode in electrowinning of zinc from sulphuric acid electrolytes was prepared. The electrochemical properties of this ternary lead alloys have been tested and compared with those of Pb-Ag (0.8wt %) anodes used in industry. Results show the anodic overpotential decreases with the increasing of Bi content in the alloys. When the content of Bi was 1.0 wt% and 5.0 wt%, the anodic overpotential is about 40?50 mV and 60?80 mV lower than that of Pb-Ag (0.8wt %) alloy, respectively. The formation of oxide layers on the surface of these alloys was traced by LSV methods and the composition of the anodic oxide layers was characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. The surface layer on the two type anodes examined is mainly composed of a?PbO2 and ß?PbO2. But different structure of the surface layer was observed, Pb-Ag (0.8wt%)-Bi (1.0wt %) has a more fine-grained structure as compared to Pb-Ag (0.8wt %). But the film on Pb-Ag (0.8wt%)-Bi (3.0wt %) alloy is rather friable, cracked and not tightly attached to the anode.

Jan 1, 2008

By J. E. Jacoby

Scrap recycling has become an increasingly important source of metal units for the aluminum industry during the past 25 years. Aluminum scrap from the manufacture and recycling of cans, automobiles, buildings and other products has created an industry that melts these products and delivers the metal in molten or sow form to companies that make cast parts or fabricated products This rapidly developing recycling industry has contributed a large number of severe (Force 3) molten aluminum explosions (25) with associated fatalities (19) to the Aluminum Association data accumulated during the past nineteen years. The explosions that occurred in recyclers plants represent 17% of the total explosions, 33% of the Force 3 explosions and 37% of the fatalities reported. These explosions can be prevented! This paper will identify causes of these explosions and procedures that can be used to prevent them.

Jan 1, 2000

By Jari Aromaa, Antti Kekki, Olof Forsén

"The deposition of copper on inert substrate depends on the number of active sites that will react at certain overpotential. The critical overpotential depends on surface morphology, surface film resistance and additives on cathode surface. The effects of surface properties on copper nucleation and growth rates were studied for used stainless steel blanks from several tankhouses. The surfaces of the blanks were characterized with electrochemical and mechanical methods. Electrochemical deposition tests were done at current density of 300 A/m2 for 10, 30 and 60 seconds. The nucleation density and copper coverage were estimated using image analysis. The surface film resistance did not correlate with copper growth. Increasing surface roughness correlated with lower copper growth.IntroductionStainless steel cathode blanks in copper electrorefming are usually made of AISI 3 I6L type steel. They have a typical lifetime over 10 years. During use the surface will collect deposits and become rough due to wear and corrosion. These factors can affect the nucleation and growth of copper. The nucleation and deposition of copper on inert substrate depends on the number of active sites that will react at certain overpotential. The critical overpotential can depend on surface film resistance, surface morphology, and additives adsorbed on cathode surface.The deposition potential of metallic ions on a foreign substrate is usually higher than the deposition potential on the electrode made of the same metal due to crystallographic substrate/metal misfit [I]. If the substrate has traces of the depositing metal they will be preferential growth sites. For a smooth deposit a large number of simultaneous nuclei is necessary. However, excessive nucleation density can lead to porous deposits [2]. Surface films of good conductivity are needed for dense nucleation and small nuclei. On cathode blanks the number of active sites increases with increasing surface film conductivity [3-5] and/or surface film porosity [6]. On AISI 3 I6 L stainless steel a more resistive oxide has been found to limit favourable sites for copper nucleation and more conductive film promoted high-density copper nucleation [7]. Also Urda-Kiel et al. have concluded that thicker oxide layers on AISI 304 stainless steel resulted in lower nucleation [8]. Increase in overpotential or current density activates more and more of the potential nucleation sites and this can be seen as higher number of nuclei [9] or smaller average distance between nuclei [10]."

Jan 1, 2012

By G. C. Yao

Branch and needle-shaped intermetallic compounds of iron, silicon and aluminum normally exist in the molten aluminum. If a suitable amount of manganese metal is added into molten aluminum, the shape of the intermallic compound particles may become lumpish and spherical. According to the difference in electric and magnetic properties of these impurity particles and molten aluminum, these impurity intermetallic compound particles can be separated by applying an alternating magnetic field. In this experiment the alternating magnetic field was formed by a "c" type loop with AC (50Hz) current. The inner vacuum of the fireclay refractory separator is 25xl5xl30mm3 with a lateral baffle inside. The separator was put into the interspace of the "c" type loop. It was found that the longer the separation time, the larger the amount transferred of impurities. The amount of transferred impurities increases with the increase of separation time and intensity of magnetic field. The addition of manganese metal enhances significantly the efficiency of impurity separation

Jan 1, 2003

By Scott W. Jorgensen

Hydrogen storage research has a long history, with a recent surge of new materials and new concepts. Important progress has occurred in the area of solid phase materials for storage, tank materials and engineering, and new types of materials. More importantly, an understanding of these materials is beginning to allow prediction of hydrides with improved properties. The performance of these new hydrogen storage systems begins to approach that of physical containment methods. The next step is to directly target performance that will permit commercialization.

Jan 1, 2006

By Lianjun Liu, Ying Li, Qianyi Zhang

"Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by H2O for production of Cl fuels (CO and CH4) was studied using copper and iodine co-modified TiO2 (Cu-IffiO2) nanocomposites, with copper deposited on the surface and iodine doped in the lattice. The nanocomposites were prepared via a combined hydrothermal and wet impregnation process. All I-doped samples demonstrated visible light activity. Under UV-vis irradiation, co-modification of Cu and I significantly increased TiO2 photoactivity compared with bare TiO2 or those modified with only one species.IntroductionThe photoreduction of CO2 into fuels on photocatalysts such as TiO2 has been regarded as an important approach to solve both energy shortage and globe warming problems [1]. However, the wide band gap and fast recombination ofphotoinduced hole (h+) and electrons (e"") limited the application of TiO2 in CO2 photoreduction reaction. Extensive research has been conducted to improve the photocatalytic ability ofTiO2 by depositing or doping foreign ions that can enhance charge transfer and/or creates intra-band-gap states to induce visible light absorption at the subband- gap energy. Compared with mono-doping, co-doping of metal/nonmetal species has been reported to have higher photocatalytic activity for TiO2 [1-3]. Our previous studies showed that Cu deposited on TiO2 [4] or iodine doped in TiO2 [5] significantly enhanced the catalytic efficiency for CO2 photoreduction and increased the response to visible light. We hypothesize that there could be a synergetic effect if TiO2 is co-modified by both Cu and I species resulting in further improvement in CO2 reduction efficiency. In this work, we synthesized and characterized Cu-IffiO2 samples and investigated their activity toward CO2 reduction under visible and UV-vis illumination, respectively.Experimental MethodsMaterialsTitanium tetra-isopropoxide (TTIP, 98%) and isopropanol (C3HsO, 99.8%) were purchased from Acros Organic. Iodic acid (HIO3,99.8%) and Copper Chloride (CuCh, 99.9%) were purchased from Alfa Aesar. All other chemicals were analytical grade and used without further treatment."

Jan 1, 2012

By Mokka Rao, Arturo Valles, Jose Rodríguez

"This paper shows a mathematical model based on finite elements, applied to bottom poured shell ingots of C.V.G. Sidor Plant. The model was used as a strategy to determine the thermal effects that are produced when solidification conditions are modified without interfering with the production process. The modification consisted of placing a thermal insulator on top of mould.The results obtained by the model indicated that the solidification time increases with insulator on base of the mould. With these results a significant number of casts were run with and without insulator. Latter by means of a metallurgical analysis it was determinated that the ingots cast with insulator reduce the level of non-metallic inclusions and the presence of internal blistering in seamless pipes.IntroductionThe process of fabrication of seamless pipes in SIDOR involves various steps of processing, such as heating the ingots, fabrication of the prelaminated, fabrication of the bored pipe, lamination of the pipe by passing through the pellegrine mill, heating the pipe in a walking bean furnace and final calibration through a calibrator mill. The material utilized for producing these pipes is provided entirely from a electrical arc furnace and casted ingots, especifically, from the superintendence of bottom pouring.The process of bottom pouring consists of positioning twelve moulds of diameters 415, 480 or 505 mm over a plate of grey cast iron in which exists a system of communicating vessels. The ingots are distributed around a central duct from which the steel flows down and filling gradually, each one of the moulds (Fig. 1)."

Jan 1, 1997

By A. V. Tarasov, A. D. Besser

A processing flowsheet has been developed for treating substandard lead-containing polymetallic bulk concentrates and intermediate flotation products containing precious metals, which comprises oxidizing roasting in a calcination kiln and electrothermic smelting generating low volumes of off-gas. The proposed flowsheet also incorporates a dust collection system and sulfur dioxide recovery from off-gas. It is proposed to implement this process by using a reaction smelting technique. For this purpose, the charge to be fed to the smelting furnace after its calcination in a drum-type rotary kiln must have a ratio of sulfide sulfur to sulfate sulfur of at least 1 :2. Electric smelting makes it possible to produce lead bullion that also collects the precious metals contained in the feed, as well as copper-lead matte and slag containing zinc. The recovery of lead into lead bullion and into matte is approximately 83% and 14%, respectively (thus the overall recovery is 97%); the total recovery of gold and silver into lead bullion and matte is 98%; th\lt of copper into matte is 89%; the recovery of zinc into slag is 96%; and that of sulfur into sulfuric acid or gypsum is 90%. After the recovery of zinc from slag, the latter can be utilized in the construction industry.

Jan 1, 2000

By P. G. McCormick

The refining of rare earth metals by the direct solid state reduction of their respective chlorides during mechanical alloying has been studied. Erbium and gadolinium were synthesised by milling their respective chlorides with calcium. The mechanical alloying of SmC13 with calcium resulted in partial reduction of SmC12. Examination of the milled powders using X- ray diffraction and analytical electron microscopy has enabled characterisation of product structure and morphology. The synthesis of Fe17Nd2 by the mechanical alloying of NdC13 and Fe with calcium has also been studied. The Fe17Nd2 phase forms during heat treatment of the mechanically alloyed powder.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. Lupi

The electrorefining of primary copper is a well known technology: in this work copper scrap was directly processed in the same way. he copper and copper alloy scrap was previously pressed by means of a 20 tons apparatus in order to avoid pyrometallurgical operations. The samples obtained in this manner showed a good compactness so that they were used as anodes in the electrorefining tests. The tests were carried out on anodes made by copper scrap, copper alloy scrap and a mixture of the two. The electrorefining tests were performed at both 303 and 333 K, in a perspex cell having a volume of 500 ml using a current density of 250 A/m2. The cathode used was always a sheet of pure copper and the electrolyte composition was 40-50 g/l Cu as CuS04 and 150-200 g/l H2SO4. Current efficiency in the range of 92-97% and specific energy consumption ranging from 0.14- 0.20 kWg of copper were reached in all the tests. The refined copper deposits were analyzed by AAS to verify their purity and observed by SEM to highlight their morphology.

Jan 1, 1998

By Neusa Alonso-Falleiros, Aristeu Braz da Veiga, Marcelo B. Mourão, Adriano Pescarmona, Antonio Alberto Froes Schettino, Cyro Takano, Carlos A. S. Giraldo

"The Caron process of nickel extraction from lateritic ores produces a fair amount of an inert residue, the so-called “black sludge”, that is disposed in a dam according to the required environmental regulations. On the other hand, it represents an opportunity to resource recovery. This work presents the characterization of the residue, discusses some possible ways to recover the valuables, and presents experimental results of pyrometallurgical runs aimed at recover nickel as an iron-nickel alloy. It has been shown that the residue contains large amounts of silicon, iron, aluminum and magnesium, in the form of oxides and silicates, and small quantities of nickel, cooper and cobalt, besides several other elements. It has also been shown that gravimetric or magnetic concentration methods do not present promising results. On the other hand, it is possible to obtain iron-nickel alloys by high-temperature carbothermic reduction of the “black sludge”.IntroductionThe Caron process consists of a combined pyro-hydrometallurgical process to extract nickel from high iron limonitic lateritic ores, recovering also the cobalt present in the ore. The main steps are the reduction roasting of the ore, aiming at a selective reduction of nickel and cobalt to the metallic state, avoiding as much as possible iron reduction, followed by leaching with ammonium carbonate solution and the recovery of metal from the pregnant liquor [1,2]. As a result, significant amount of tailings are generated, that are disposed in appropriate dams. This residue, called “black sludge”, contains significant proportion of silica and iron, and also small amounts of nickel, cobalt, cooper and some other elements. Due to diminishing deposits of nickel ore, high metal prices and a significant amount of “black sludge “ available after several years of operation of the plant, Votorantim Metais, who operates a facility in Brazil that uses the Caron process, decided to explore the possibility of recover nickel from the residue. This paper presents the characterization of the residue, and the results of experimental work aiming recovery of nickel from it."

Jan 1, 2008

Mineralogical and metallurgical scoping testwork were carried out to investigate the production of separate, marketable gold and platinum concentrates. The study utilized a flotation concentrate assaying approximately 5 wt% gold and 5 grams per tonne platinum. The gold-platinum mineralization was recovered from a placer deposit. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis identified gold as zoned Au- Ag and Au-Ag-Cu alloys. Platinum primarily occurred as weakly zoned, variably magnetic Pt- Pd-Fe alloys. A combination of gravity and magnetic separations resulted in a gold concentrate grading 86.9 wt% Au (and 9.lwt% Ag) and a separate platinum concentrate grading 400 g/t Pt with recoveries of 94.5% and 96.7%, respectively. Magnetohydrostatic separation (MHS) using the Magstream 200 Separator indicated promising results.

Jan 1, 1994