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By E. R. Vance, D. R. M. Brew

"Historically, Ordinary Portland cement has been the preferred medium to immobilise arsenic. However, arsenic in cement gives rise to calcium-arsenic phases and their known decomposition to calcium carbonate and arsenic trioxide via atmospheric carbonation raises serious questions about the long-term suitability of cement for arsenic immobilisation. Alternative matrices such as low-temperature ceramics (LTCs) potentially offer superior resistance towards carbonation owing to the absence of calcium. Consequently, the potential for arsenic immobilisation using LTCs has been investigated. Both AsIII and AsV have been incorporated and samples assessed according to a standard leaching protocol. AsIII persists in the porewater of alkali-bonded LTCs as sodium arsenite rendering them unsuitable for immobilisation. Thermal treatment of these LTCs to consolidate the microstructure and reduce open porosity resulted in sodium-rich cryptocrystalline matrices that leached arsenic and sodium readily. The omission of sodium in acid-bonded LTC formulations resulted in leach data that were close to the target value of 5 µg/ml in Toxicity Characterisation Leaching Protocol tests.IntroductionArsenic is a carcinogenic substance and its adverse effects of on humans, flora and fauna have been well documented [1-5]. As a consequence, many papers have been written on the prospective handling of arsenic-bearing waste. These can largely be divided into: (a) cleanup of arsenic-contaminated water using bacteria, precipitation, and/or UV irradiation to generate arsenic-rich sludges for subsequent immobilisation; (b) cleanup of arsenic-contaminated soil via chemical extraction for immobilisation of the As concentrate; and (c) immobilisation of industrial waste contaminated with As."

Jan 1, 2008

By O. A. Bascur

Applying the latest information technologies in mining and metallurgical complexes has become a serious challenge to management and technical teams. Emerging component design is changing the way the user relates to the desktop. Connectivity between mining and metallurgical process operations and their business systems has become a reality. Expanded use of plant information on the desktop is a standard tool for revenue improvement, cost reduction and adherence to production constraints. The industrial component desktop support access to information for continuous improvement and innovation by staff personnel and engineers. Collaboration between groups enables the implementation of an overall process effectiveness index based on losses due to equipment availability, production recovery and quality rate. The integration of information from mining, mineral processing and metallurgical performance monitoring increases production efficiency, even when many elements cannot be measured directly. Three case studies of large mining/metallurgical complexes are highlighted.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jae-Chun Lee

Di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) is widely used for separating rare-earth elements. In commercial plants, rare-earths are usually stripped from loaded extractant streams using mineral acid, then precipitated as oxalates. Many rare-earth uses demand specific powder characteristics, which are obtained by secondary processing. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of combining the stripping, precipitation and powder processing stages, thereby achieving considerable savings. MEHPA solutions were loaded with yttrium, then emulsified with oxalic acid-HC1 solutions to precipitate yttrium oxalate, which was readily calcined to yttrium oxide. The precipitation kinetics and yield were sensitive to process conditions. The morphology and size of the yttrium oxalate powders varied with the concentrations of D2EHPA and oxalic acid, and the presence of SPAN 60, which affected nucleation, growth, and the emulsion characteristics.

Jan 1, 1992

By Baokuan Li, Fang Wang, Meilong Shan

"As the advantage of uniform bus loading, the electroslag remelting (ESR) furnaces with three - phase installation by delta or star connection are mainly used to produce the large or super large ingot. The electrical efficiency is significantly improved as the short circuiting through the molten slag. However, little is found about fiindamental research on the electromagnetic field of the ESR system with three -phase installation. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was developed to simulate the current density, magnetic field, electromagnetic force and Joule heating for a system of electrode, slag and ingot in the ESR system with three -phase installation.IntroductionThe metallurgical performance of the ingot is the fundament and precondition to obtain the large forging of high quality, which has a critical role in the producing of forging. The electroslag process (ESR) to product the metal materials of high homogenization and clarity become more and more popular[1].The electroslag process is a special smelting technology of producing small ingots, which originate in 1950[2].At present the three, four or six electrode is used in large scale electroslag furnace. It has been found that the deeper molten pool and the wider of the two-phase zone with only one large diameter of electrode to product large ingot effect the solidification microstructure of ingot[3]. However, the molten pool becomes shallow relatively with several electrodes producing the large ingot, which is benefit to the solidification microstructure of ingot. Three electrodes electroslag remelting furnace take the three phase equilibrium power supply to making the load and electric power network balance, avoiding the distortion phenomenon induced by single phase power supply and saving electric power. It also can uniformize the distribution of heat source."

Jan 1, 2012

By Suman Das, Justin J. Gambone, Rohan Bansal, Ranadip Acharya

"This paper focuses on modeling of the scanning laser epitaxy (SLE) process that is currently being investigated and developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology. SLE is a laser-based manufacturing process for the creation of equiaxed, directionally solidified and single-crystal deposits of nickel superalloys onto superalloy substrates through melting and resolidifícation of alloy powders using a scanning laser beam. The thermal modeling of the system, done in a commercial CFD software package, simulates a heat source moving over a powder bed and dynamically adjusts the property values for consolidating CMSX-4 nickel superalloy powder. The associated melting and re-solidification process is modeled using an immediate consolidation approach, and the predicted melt depth is compared with the experimental data obtained. For a given position of the beam, geometrical parameters of the melt pool are used to estimate the resulting microstructure. The influence of the processing parameters on the microstructural evolution is also discussed. This work is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research through grants N00173-07-1-G031, N00014-10-1-0526 and N00014-11-1-0670.IntroductionIn order to increase the operating temperature of gas turbine aero engines, investment cast equiaxed turbine airfoils are now often replaced with airfoils that have either directionally solidified columnar or single crystal (SX) microstructure. Wear and damage during operation limits the lifetime of these components and necessitates the replacement of numerous airfoils within the engines. Due to the high cost of producing SX cast turbine blades, the cost of replacing each blade can be several hundred to several thousand dollars. With each engine containing several hundred blades, the cost to replace all blades can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hence, it is of great interest to develop a process that can restore the single crystal microstructure at the locations of material loss and allow for the blades to be repaired and reused rather than be scrapped and replaced."

Jan 1, 2012

By Ramana G. Reddy

In the past, many lead-containing slags and wastes were stored in piles or landfills. However, shortages of landfill space as well as increased public, concern about the toxic nature of disposing lead containing industrial wastes in landfills have led to review of disposal methods. Several lead wastes are processed to provide commercial products. They are used on-site in land reclamation projects. or are processed and sold as a by-product. These by-products contain nutrient elements needed for plants or animals and also may contain heavy? metal contaminants such as As, Cr. Cu, Zn and Ph. Use of such by-products containing unacceptable levels of these contaminants could cause plant and animal toxicity. In this paper. role of viscosity in conversion of lead slag wastes into commercial products containing ,low content of lead and other, heavy metals is presented. Effects of slag viscosity on the velocity of movement of metal' and matte prills through themolten slag layer in the melting furnace is discussed. Current and emerging slag cleaning technology, foamed, granulated and pelletized slag technologies are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Alex Probst

With low metal prices and increasing value placed on plant water and tailings disposal areas, it is becoming essential to maximize the efficiency of solid-liquid separation processes. Since its inception over 25 years ago, the use of flocculants has grown exponentially. While flocculants play a crucial role in the sedimentation process, they are also a major operating cost. Recent innovations are revolutionizing the industry once again. New thickener designs are doubling thickener-loading rates while reducing flocculant consumption. The feedwell, as the heart of the thickener, is undergoing many significant metamorphoses. With CFD and other advanced computational analysis, feedwell technology is being examined more thoroughly than ever before, The result is that the thickener previously thought of, as a "Black Box" is now being mapped and controlled with state-of-the-art technology. This paper will examine recent design improvements in all aspects of thickeners in order to project the look of the thickener of tomorrow.

Jan 1, 1999

By Eduard Ouerra, Nuo Jin

"The use of polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE, as a solid sorbent for elemental sulfur during pressure oxidation of chalcopyrite was investigated. The effects of agitation, PTFE particle size and lingin sulfonate addition were evaluated using leaching conditions that were otherwise similar to those employed in the CESL process. The effects of these factors and their interactions on chalcopyrite oxidation are explained in terms of interfacial forces and solid-solid interactions. Using relatively fine PTFE powder with vigorous agitation resulted in about 100% copper extraction in less than 90 minutes without the need for grinding of the flotation concentrate.IntroductionThe extraction of copper from sulfide ores has always been dominated by the conventional pyrometallurgical smelting process. Though much effort has been made to develop various hydrometallurgical processing routes, smelting remains as the dominant process, treating approximately 80% of the chalcopyrite concentrates worldwide [1]. However, some of recently emerged techniques for treating chalcopyrite through hydrometallurgical routes are showing results that are competitive with smelting in terms of economical feasibility. Representative methods include: Activox Process, CESL Process, Anglo/UBC Process, High Temperature Pressure Oxidation, and Bio-Oxidation. Among these, the CESL processes operate at a medium temperature range (typically 140-150GC) and oxygen pressure of 100 psi, with chloride as a catalyst, and reportedly achieve copper extractions of about 95% with a light regrinding of flotation concentrate to a p95 of 45 ìðé [2]. In spite of this satisfactory extraction result, the leach residues contain significant amounts of conglomerates which contain a small amount of unreacted concentrate [2], The conglomerations are formed because the elemental sulfur generated is liquid and sticky (melting point of sulfur being 119°C), and has a tendency to wet the sulfide mineral surface, a fact which inhibits the oxidation of the minerals. The overall process chemistry of the CESL process may be summarized as follows [3]:"

Jan 1, 2012

By Junji Shibata

As one of the effective usages of various wastes discharged in non-ferrous metal industry, the synthesis of hydrotalcite was carried out using aluminum dross as a raw material. Hydrotalcite is one of the inorganic anion exchangers and has layered structure of complex hydroxide. The removal of toxic metal ions such as As(III), As(V), Cr(VI) and Se(IV) with the hydrotalcite was investigated, and the removal properties were compared from the viewpoint of the anion exchange amount and exchange rate. Hydrotalcite can be obtained by a co-precipitation method from the aluminum dross and the waste MgCl2 solution discharged in an aluminum regeneration process. Slight amounts of SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and so on remain in the reaction product as an impurity component. Interlayer distance of the obtained hydrotalcite is about 0.3nm. Hydrotalcite changes to Mg-Al oxide by the calcination at 773K for 3h, and then hydrotalcite is formed again by a rehydration operation after calcination. The toxic metal ions are removed from aqueous solution by the anion exchange reaction in the pH region where toxic metal ions exist as the anionic species like AsO2-, HAsO42-,CrO42-, and SeO32-. The exchange amount is considerably concerned with the valence of anionic species and the size of anionic species. The removal of toxic metal ions were investigated from the engineering aspects such as the low concentration limit to be removed, the amount of hydrotalcite to be used for the perfect removal of toxic metal ions and so on.

Jan 1, 2006

By Rzyman Michal, Nakamura Takashi, Shibata Etsuro, Grabda Mariusz, Oleszek-Kudlak Sylwia

"Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and many systems based on the synergistic effect of brominated organic compounds with Sb2O3 are extensively used as effective brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in many materials such as plastics and textiles. Thermal degradation of BFR containing plastics leads to the formation of hydrocarbons and gaseous compounds such as HBr and SbBr3. Our thermodynamic considerations indicate that these gases can act as bromination agents for metallic oxides such as ZnO, Cu2O, CuO, PbO and FeO. Moreover, these metallic oxides have the thermodynamic tendency to brominate easier than does Sb2O3. The aim of this study was to investigate experimentally the reactivity of ZnO with 1) HBr originating from the thermal decomposition of TBBPA and 2) SbBr3, which is formed during thermal degradation of brominated flame retardant plastics. The thermal treatments of the mixture of compounds of interest were investigated by thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry.IntroductionTetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and many systems based on the synergistic effect of brominated organic compounds with Sb2O3 are extensively used as effective brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in materials such as plastics and textiles. For instance, 4.5 million tons of flame retardant plastics containing BFRs are produced in Japan each year. Thus, in thermal treatments such as the incineration and melting of solid wastes, BFR containing plastics are intentionally or unintentionally included in the wastes. Thermal degradation of BFR-containing plastics leads to the formation of hydrocarbons and gaseous compounds such as HBr and SbBr3 [1-5]. Our thermodynamic considerations [6] indicate that heavy metal oxides such as ZnO, Cu2O, CuO, PbO and FeO should easily react with HBr prior to Sb2O3 and also with SbBr3, the main gaseous product in the thermal decomposition of TBBPA, forming low boiling point metallic bromides suitable for the volatile separation of heavy metals. The metal oxides are also expected to qualitatively and quantitatively affect debromination and decomposition of the flame retardant."

Jan 1, 2008

By Liping Li

A comprehensive three-dimensional two-phase mathematical model was developed to represent a channel type reactor with intense bottom gas agitation. Tracer dispersion and particle tracing methods were used to conduct the analysis based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. Different operational parameters, such is gas volume flow rate. bubbler separation aspect ratios and liquid Input flow rates, were investigated for the purpose of reactor optimization. The numerical calculations were compared with experimental results obtained at the University of Missouri and a good general agreement was observed. Relatively low longitudinal mixing was observed characterizing the system as a "plug-flow" type reactor, in contrast to the intense vertical mixing, under the conditions investigated. Some general mixing characteristics are also discussed In connection to the behavior of other metallurgical reactors.

Jan 1, 1996

By Anurag Tripathi, J. K. Saha, S. K. Ajmani, J. B. Singh

"The quality of steel is a major concern in the metallurgical industry. The control of liquid steel temperature can enhance the level of cleanliness in steel. Ladle is one of the major vessels used to transfer liquid steel between different stations. The heat transfer phenomenon taking place in this vessel needs to be monitored for controlling the liquid steel temperature. A CFD model was developed for prediction of liquid steel temperature during complete process cycle of ladles in direct heats. The model was validated with liquid steel temperature measured at on-line purging station and tundish during teeming from one of the actual steel plant. The accuracy of model was 96 %. The results obtained show insignificant effect of slag thickness, tapping temperature and ladle life on liquid steel temperature in the ladle. However, the importance of initial refractory temperature was noticed. The CFD model developed in present work can generate the thermal history of liquid steel and refractory walls of any ladle at any stage.1. IntroductionThe control of liquid steel temperature is desired to achieve required steel quality. The low casting temperature is detrimental and may result in nozzle blockages due to premature solidification in the tundish. The phenomenon of heat losses taking place in ladles needs to be understood for prediction of liquid steel temperature. The assessment of thermal profile of liquid steel from BOF converter to caster can be done through consideration of heat losses at all points. Hlinka and Miller [1] showed that the ladle pouring temperature varies due to heat losses from molten steel into surrounding refractory layers. The phenomenon of thermal stratification was numerically simulated by Ilegbusi and Szekeley [2]. The effects of slag cover on heat loss and liquid steel flow in ladle before and during teeming to a continuous casting tundish was numerically simulated by Chakraborty and Sahai [3]. Investigators also developed some simple models to predict the steel temperature for some of the processes taking place in ladles [4-9].The present work is an effort to generate the full information about the temperature drop taking place in any ladle throughout its process cycle. This information can be used to predict liquid steel temperature and to take decisions to minimize heat losses."

Jan 1, 2012

By Donato Firrao, Giorgio Scavino, Paolo Matteis

"The fatigue behavior of two high-strength sheet steels used to produce car bodies, a dual-phase steel and a TWIP one, both with ultimate tensile strength close to 1 GPa, is investigated.Unnotched tensile specimens are fatigue tested at room temperature with constant load amplitude and zero load ratio, in order to determine their 1 million cycles fatigue limit, both in the asfabricated sheet condition and after the resistance spot welding of one small homologous sheet square onto the calibrated length of the tensile specimen. Moreover, pre-cracked compact tension specimens are tested with load ratio 0.1 to determine the Paris fatigue crack growth curve.The fatigue results are completed with crystallographic, microstructural, tensile, and fractographic examinations, and the influence of the microstructure and of the welding processes is discussed.IntroductionCar bodies are increasingly made with high-strength weldable steels, in order to reduce vehicles' weight (to save fuel and reduce air pollution) and to improve the vehicle occupant safety in case of car crash. The main mechanical requirements of these steels in service are fracture strength and energy absorption, relevant for crashes, as well as fatigue endurance, relevant for ordinary car usage. [1]Steel sheets for car-body applications are usually made by continuous casting, hot rolling, cold rolling, continuous annealing (or other continuous heat treatment), and protective coating (in some cases). The sheets are then cold formed (deep drawn) to produce car body parts. Finally, the car bodies are built by assembling several deep-drawn parts, often consisting of different steels, usually through the Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) process, whereby two or three overlapping sheets are welded by local Joule-effect heating [2].Dual-Phase (DP) steels are widely used, low alloy steels with a microstructure consisting of ferrite and martensite, obtained from a final heat treatment which consists of heating at an intercritical temperature and then quenching. [3,4]"

Jan 1, 2012

By Felipe P. D. Lopes, Jr. dos Santos, Sergio N. Monteiro, Frederico M. Margem

"Continuous and aligned fiber composites provide the highest possible reinforcement for a polymeric matrix. In particular, the impact resistance is significantly increased in comparison with a low energy absorbed brittle polymer. For this reason, investigations have been carried out with both synthetic and natural fibers as a way to improve the toughness of polymeric composites. Among the natural fibers, ramie was not yet been studied for its reinforcement effect to make tougher polyester composites. Thus, the present work assesses the impact toughness of polyester composites incorporated with different amounts of ramie waste fibers.IntroductionIn most engineering and other technological areas, the use of materials associated with low energy processing conditions is gaining attention for the possible environmental benefits. This offered an incentive towards the substitution of natural renewable and biodegradable materials for the traditional energy intensive synthetic materials [1]. Natural fibers from both origins: animal, such as silk and wool, and vegetable, such as cotton and jute, are typical examples of those environmentally friendly materials. Low cost and highly reduced processing machinery wear are important advantages of the natural fibers over the most common synthetic ones such as glass fiber and nylon. For these reasons, polymeric composites reinforced with natural lignocellulosic fibers have nowadays been the subject of investigation [2,3].The mechanical strength is one important property of lignocellulosic composites to access the possibility of uses like structural materials for building parts such as doors and panels, as well as furniture. In this case, mechanically strong fibers like sisal, jute, curaua and ramie [4-7] are most convenient. Moreover, the relatively low fiber/matrix interfacial shear stress in these composites is associated with higher impact energy. In fact, a greater energy has to be expended for the rupture of a weak interface. The many cracks that are formed by impact tend to branch during the fiber pullout from the matrix [8]. A larger number of cracks correspond to a greater fracture surface and consequently higher toughness."

Jan 1, 2008

By Antonio de Ita, Isaias Hilerio, Miguel Barron

"The influence of an unconventional lance with a central nozzle on the multiphase fluid flow in a steelmaking converter is studied in this work by means of computer simulations. The lance has four peripheral supersonic nozzles and a vertical central nozzle. Besides, the oxygen flow in the central nozzle is considered independent from the main oxygen supply. Transient two-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out considering just molten steel and gaseous oxygen as the existing phases. Numerical results show that bath agitation and droplet generation are enhanced as a result of the central nozzle. However, the performance of this lance strongly depends on the distance of the lance tip to the molten steel surface and the velocity of the oxygen jet.IntroductionCurrently, two thirds of the world crude steel is produced through the steelmaking oxygen converter [1]. Given the unquestionable economic importance of this technology, any improvement or optimization proposal is welcome. In the majority of current oxygen converters a top oxygen supersonic jet is blown onto the molten steel through a water-cooled lance to eliminate by oxidation some impurities such as carbon and phosphorus. Conventional lances have inclined peripheral nozzles whose number depends on the converter capacity. During the process, a large amount of gases evolves, forming metal droplets and a metal-slag-gas emulsion [2]. The droplets and the resultant emulsion increase the reaction interfacial area, promoting in this way carbon removal and dephosphorization of the molten steel bath [3]. However, during the blowing stage, the emulsion rises towards the lance and converter mouth and frequently forms layers which accumulate in the lance, reducing the life of the lance tip [4, 5]. It is possible that some freezing of the molten metal occurs due to the low oxygen injection temperature, however there are no reports on this. Besides, frequently undesirable operating phenomena such as spitting and slopping may arise as a result of inappropriate blowing practices or bad lance design. In the oxygen steelmaking industry, novel lances design are needed in order to enhance the decaburization rate and the slag formation and, at the same time, preventing operating practices that decrease productivity and move away the shop from safety standards."

Jan 1, 2012

By J. Garvey

The new Cyprus Miami electrolytic copper refinery was commissioned in October 1994. The refinery has been operating at its design capacity of 190,000 short tons per year, and in recent months to 110% of design capacity, producing high-grade electrolytic copper cathodes. Basic and detailed engineering, performed by Fluor Daniel Mining and Minerals, incorporated state-of-the-art technology, including stainless steel cathodes, automated electrode handling, fine-filtering of the commercial electrolyte, autoclave leaching of the anode slimes and other techniques. The major design goals have been safety of operation and quality of the product. Relatively high cathode current densities of 30 amperes per square foot and greater have been applied since start-up. Cathode current efficiencies of over 94% have been achieved since the latter part of 1997. The cathodes were certified on the Comex and LME markets during 1996. ISO- 9002 certification is in progress and should be completed during the first quarter of next year. This report discusses some of the studies that were performed to obtain an optimum layout for efficient materials handling and to create optimum conditions for producing high quality cathodes. A description of the design and operation of the anode slimes facility, including decopperizing with autoclave leaching, is provided. Finally, a description of the start-up experiences and present operation of the electrorefinery are presented.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. Save, N. Menad

"This paper gives the overview of different alternatives to recycle the following wastes: slag, dusts, wastes of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) and auto shredder residues (ASR). Based on modified Bogue calculations, steelmaking slags were combined in order to produce a belite-rich clinker activated with sulphoaluminate. The EAF dusts containing significant amount of metals can be recycled in different ways: The carbothermal treatment and INTECT process are reported. The results obtained from the model of Auto Shredder Residue injection into blast furnace show that ASR can be used as reducing agent in the BF process if certain conditions are met. The particle size of this material must be controlled to ensure optimal gasification of the material in raceway. The non-ferrous contents may affect the pig iron quality, which is difficult to rectify at a later point. It seems the pyrolysis is the most attractive process to handle ASR. The BRGM flow sheet of WEEE treatment is also reported.I. Introduction The activities of human been may generate wastes and by their accumulation during several years, these wastes may have an impact on the environment and on the human health. These wastes can be generated in the forms of solid, liquid and gas. A variety of industrial wastes can be recycled for use as products. There are three ways in which industrial waste recycling occurs: at the facility itself (on-site recycling), at commercial facilities that gather waste streams from several companies (off-site recycling), and at a company that uses as inputs in its production process the waste products of another company. The industries producing iron and steel may generate different solid wastes which are classified in three main categories: 1. Ferrous material (mainly dusts and sludges from gas cleaning), 2. Slags (these by-products are generated from different process stages), 3. Others by-products (including refractories and material generated from engineering activities). According to this review, the most quantity of the metallurgical wastes is deposed. Currently, the public opinion opposes the creation of new sites. This leads to the growth of the waste disposal costs. Such situation reduces the enterprise competitiveness and decreases their market share on regional and/or national and/or world scales. In these conditions, the economical activities can be decreased leading probably to social problems. The problem of wastes and/or by-products can be treated on three levels:"

Jan 1, 2008

By J. B. Vander Sande, I. G. Solórzano, B. S. You, P. M. Jardim, W. W. Park

"Alloys with six different compositions in the system Mg-Ca-Zn were produced by melt spinning. The aging behavior of alloys was investigated by measuring the changes in microhardness after isochronal aging and the microstructure was analyzed by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All six compositions in the as-solidified condition show a difference in microstructure between the wheel contact side (zone A) and the free surface side (zone B) as a result of the differences in the solidification rate across the ribbons. One of the alloys (Mg-l.5wt%Ca-6wt%Zn) was chosen to be more deeply investigated in this work as it exhibited grain boundary films and an age hardening behavior was produced in that alloy.IntroductionMagnesium is the lightest of all the commonly used metals, and very attractive for applications in transportation. It also has a number of other desirable features, including good ductility, better damping characteristics than aluminum, and excellent castability. However, there are some negative features, such as high reactivity in the molten state, inferior fatigue and creep resistance as compared to aluminum, poor corrosion resistance and high production cost.In recent years there has been a significant increase in magnesium use as a structural material. These structural applications include aerospace, automotive and nuclear industries as well as appliances and sporting goods (1 ). According to reports on Mg-Zn alloys, the addition of Zn (2) in magnesium increased strength. Also, since the maximum solubility of Zn in magnesium is 6.2wt%, a considerable amount of Zn can be retained in solid solution in magnesium alloys by rapid solidification. In addition, Ca is known (3) to be one of the most potent alloying elements for refining the microstructure and precipitates in magnesium alloys, and also to improve mechanical strength and corrosion resistance."

Jan 1, 2000

By Melvin A. Jennings

Ion-exchange technology for precious metals recovery is at a turning point. Some very exciting technology has been developed in the past five years which should lead to commercialization of the process. Ion-exchange will allow not only for the recovery of gold and silver, but also will allow for the recovery of cyanide form plant tailings. This process may soon be competitive with Merrill-Crowe for silver and once this occurs, it will become the process of choice.

Jan 1, 1991

By S. Redik, C. Wenzl, D. Gregurek, A. Spanring

Zinc is a component of many input materials used in various pyrometallurgical processes, for example primary lead and zinc production from Pb/Zn ores and recycling processes dealing with zinc-containing residues (e.g., copper recycling, WAELZ process). Hence, zinc and its compounds are present in the respective metallurgical vessels and interact with the refractory lining. In the present work the zinc attack on the refractories out of various primary and secondary furnaces is briefly introduced and discussed. At the prevailing processing temperatures in the metallurgical vessels, zinc oxide is highly corrosive for the brick components. The knowledge of the wear behavior is based not only on a detailed chemical and mineralogical characterization carried out on provided post mortem samples, but also on FactSage calculations. This together with results obtained by practical testing in the RHI pilot plant represents an important prerequisite for product development and brick selection for the individual customer application.

Jan 1, 2016