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By Elias Rigopoulos

In the present study the reductive behavior of dust from the rotary kilns (RK), in ferronickel production from nickeliferous Greek laterites, is investigated. The study concerns dust of various origins (washing towers, electrostatic filters, polycyclones) and pellets made from the dust. Reducibility was studied in the temperature range of 700 °C to 850 °C in a laboratory tube furnace. Experimental results showed that reduction degree increases with temperature up to about 800 °C. The rate of reduction is great during the first minutes, giving a reduction degree R% equal to about 25%, in only a few minutes. After this, the rate is decreasing until it diminishes to zero after about 10-20 minutes of reaction. Maximum reduction degree achieved is 26 to 28%. Rates and reduction degrees at various temperatures are higher for the dust samples than those of the respective pellet samples. Keywords: Ferronickel, metallurgy, laterites, pellets, reduction

Jan 1, 2004

By M. Pakala, Z. Fan, Ray Y. Lin

Deposition of hard chromium coatings using electrodeposition is accompanied by emission of hexavalent chromium mists which is a carcinogenic. Hence alternative chromium deposition technologies are being investigated. Sputter deposition is a strong candidate to economically deposit hard chromium coatings in an environmentally friendly way. Chromium coatings of 2-3 µ m thickness were deposited on plain carbon steel coupons using RF magnetron sputter deposition. Depositions were carried out with 0 to 22 vol% nitrogen in the plasma. Structure of the coatings was studied using x-ray diffraction analysis With increasing nitrogen contents, formation of the two nitride phases was observed. The pure chromium phase was detected in coatings with up to 7% nitrogen in the sputtering gas. The solid solution of nitrogen in the pure Cr phase coating was identified by shifts of Cr x-ray diffraction peaks to higher d-spacing. The microhardness of the coatings deposited at a substrate temperature of 200°C showed an increase in hardness with increasing nitrogen content from 600 kgf/mm2 (5.9 GPa) at 0% nitrogen to I250 kgf/mm2 (I2.25 GPa) at 9.5 % nitrogen and a subsequent decrease in hardness to I 100 kgf/mm2 (11 GPa) beyond 9.5 % nitrogen in the sputtering gas. This corresponds to the formation of the hard Cr2N phase, at 9.5 % nitrogen, and CrN phase, at I5.7 % nitrogen. The reported bulk hardness values of Cr2N and CrN are I600 kgf/mm2 (I5.7 GPa) and I 100 kgf/mm2 (11 GPa) respectively. For pure Cr phase coatings, there is a slight increase in hardness for coatings deposited at 7. I % nitrogen from that without nitrogen in the sputtering gas. This could possibly result from the solid solution strengthening of the Cr lattice by nitrogen. For films deposited at 200°C, phases of the deposited films seem to be the overwhelming factor in controlling the microhardness.

Jan 1, 1998

By Chao Li, Shuai Wang, Hongxu Li, Lifeng Zhang, Xie Yang

The method of chloride-hypochlorite leaching has the advantages of short process, low pollution and higher in reaction rate compared with the traditional leaching method. In this research, NaCl - NaClO solution is used to leaching gold from a refractory gold concentrate, and the influence of NaCl and NaClO concentration, reaction time to the leaching rate were investigated in this experiment. The raw materials and the leaching residue were characterized by a series of analysis methods such as XRD, XRF, SEM and EDS. Results indicate that the leaching rate and the desulfurization rate can be achieved at 96.26% and 98% with most optimum conditions as follows: NaCl concentration 50g/L, NaClO concentration 200g/L, Liquid-solid ratio 10:1, the best reaction time was 150 mins. And these conditions should be guaranteed pH<8.0, ORP>900mV.

Jan 1, 2015

By D. C. Lynch

While a sizable amount of data exist as to the activity and distribution of minor elements between matte and metal, there has been no unifying theory presented delineating the form of dissolution of these elements in molten sulfides. In order to alleviate that deficiency the literature concerning the behavior of As, Sb, Bi and Pb in mattes is reviewed. Models present in the literature, regarding the thermochemical behavior of minor elements, are tested, and new models are presented and evaluated using thermodynamic theory. The results of those analyses are used to predict optimum conditions for the volatilization of minor elements. The dearth of data on the behavior of minor elements in nickel mattes requires that this review focus on copper- iron mattes. An effort is made, however, to utilize basic knowledge regarding nickel sulfides and the interaction of nickel with the minor elements to predict the behavior of those elements in nickel-copper and nickel-iron mattes.

Jan 1, 1993

By D. M. Wyslouzil

The fundamentals of dissolving silver and silver minerals are discussed in the following sections: 1) Basic chemical reactions in the silver system 2) Leaching of pure silver minerals 3) Leaching of silver-bearing ores 4) Description of processes The basic chemical reactions of silver are an important guide to the mineral processor or the extractive metallurgist, particularly for systems in which complex formations are balanced against solubilities. The competition of other cations for free ligands can shift the equilibrium to the detriment of silver. Solubilities of pure silver minerals in specific solvents may not be a good indication of the solubility of silver minerals in ores. The abundance of silver minerals which usually appear in a typical ore precludes the selection of a single method that would result in the best extraction of silver from all minerals in the ore. Frequently, the recovery of silver from host minerals requires a destructive pretreatment such as intensive leaching, oxidation with or without elevated temperature and oxygen pressure, or roasting. The transformation of the host or the silver minerals does not always result in a leachable species? and this requires additional treatment before the precious metal can be recovered.

Jan 1, 1990

By Toshiki Kabutomori

In fuel cell powered automobiles, hydrogen is required to be stored in materials that have a hydrogen storage density of over 4 mass%; further, these materials should be capable of supplying hydrogen by using the waste heat from a fuel cell, which is at a temperature of 373 K, in order to match the mileage of gasoline-powered vehicles. A Ti-Cr-V alloy, which exhibits a BCC structure and forms a solid solution, is a promising candidate for onboard hydrogen storage materials. Although it has a large hydrogen storage capacity of over 3.9 mass%, the rechargeable hydrogen capacity is limited to approximately 2.6 mass%. In this study, the effects of fine pulverization of the alloy on PCT (hydrogen pressure-composition-isotherm) characteristics were investigated in order to improve the rechargeable hydrogen storage capacity of the alloy. From the PCT measurements of the finely pulverized samples of the alloy, a plateau in the absorption curve was observed to begin at a hydrogen concentration of 0.5 mass%; further, a rechargeable hydrogen storage capacity of 3.3 mass% was obtained. This was greater than that obtained from the sample that was not finely pulverized, i.e., 2.5 mass%. However, the plateau width in the desorption curve was 2.5 mass%, which was the same as that observed for the sample that was not finely pulverized. The increase in the rechargeable hydrogen capacity during absorption is attributed to the precipitation of the -hydride phase (MH~2) directly from the metal phase (phase). The precipitation of the phase (MH~0.5), which should be formed in low hydrogen concentrations, is suppressed as a result of a possible reduction in the internal defects such as dislocations, vacancies, and grain boundaries by fine pulverization and annealing of the alloy.

Jan 1, 2006

By Michael S. Moats, Scott C. Campin, J. Brent Hiskey

"Electrochemical techniques are a valuable means of analyzing the passivation of commercial copper anodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) provides information concerning transport and reaction phenomena occurring at an electrode surface. Commercial. copper anodes of varying compositions have been examined using EIS. Experiments were conducted in a flat cell with an electrolyte of 40 gil Cu2 + and 160 gil H2S04 maintained at 65 DC. Impedance spectra were obtained at the potentials characteristic of the open circuit voltage and passive region for each anode. The spectra of the passivating films exhibited a flattened resistive/capacitive loop at middle to high frequencies and an inductive loop at low frequencies. An equivalent· circuit utilizing an inductor-resistor series in parallel with the double layer capacitance and charge transfer resistance was adequate in modeling the impedance data. The influence of anodes impurities on the components of the equivalent circuit is discussed and correlated with a hi-layer passivation model.IntroductionPassivation of copper anodes during industrial electrorefining has received considerable attention in the past few decades. Great strides have been made in understanding the roles of anode impurities [1-25], electrolysis parameters [20,26], and electrolyte chemistries [20,26]. Even so, passivation still occurs even in the most modem of refineries. The exact cause of passivation is not fully understood. It is known that the anode surface becomes covered by a passivating film. This film has been proposed to be CuS04'&5H20, Cu20, or mixed oxides. The localized concentrations of Ft, Cu+, and Cu2+ ions determines which phase is more favorable. The presence of these ions is controlled by the reaction kinetics and diffusion of species through the slimes layer.Reaction kinetics between Cu, Cu +, and Cu2+ are based on the dissolution mechanism of copper. There exists four different models to describe the dissolution of pure copper. The classical model of Mattsson and Bockris [27] involves two single electron transfers with the cuprous-cupric reaction being the rate detennining step. More recently, Wong, Collier, and MacFarlane [28] used ac impedance to elucidate a more complex mechanism involving the affect of pH and anions. Their findings indicate that the formation of cuprous ions in solution, Cu(I)so~ is favored over Cu(1I) ions adsorbed to the electrode surface in the presence of sulfate and as pH increases from pH 1 to pH 5."

Jan 1, 1997

By Vasil Kopaleishvili

The bainitic Fe-C-Si alloys with optimum content of retained austenite serve as ?containers? for storing of hydrogen. Both the vacancies of fcc lattice and the possibility of forming hydrides of silicon and other alloying elements will be used. The idea is based on our scientific hypothesis. There is the silicon threshold (Si=0,50%) in "Fe-Si" system and Fe-C bainitic alloys, above which it causes self-organized phenomena: sudden increase of hydrogen solubility and amount of retained austenite in the alloy after ??ß transformation, formation of two supersaturated solid solutions <a??r>, "rejuvenation? and its reverse process. Rapprochement of iron atoms when Si=0,50%, causes appearance of new covalent forces where uncompensated electrons of 3d-subshell are involved and it provokes synergetic phenomena. They ?free? silicon atoms from the previous bonds. After that silicon itself becomes a getter of hydrogen using vacancies (14) of 3P2(6)d0(10) subshell and it results in sudden increase of hydrogen solubility in metal. Simultaneously sudden decrease of iron activity takes place. That in its turn ?releases? the carbon. Thus, its redistribution, controlling the bainitic transformation, is hastened. It stipulates for creation of ?brittle bainite" B[a(C,H)+?r(C,H)] after ??ß transformation. While weathering of metal, "rejuvenating", hydrogen diffuses in ?islets? of retained austenite and ?relaxed bainite? (B[(C)+?r(C,H+H)]) is obtained. When heating austenite ?(C,H) is obtained, and after cooling ?brittle bainite? is obtained, etc. Presented scientific hypothesis explains the available experimental facts ("rejuvenation? and its reverse process, graphitization, weldability, forming of flakes, reaching high strength, etc.) in a new manner, as well as, gives real opportunity for creating of new trends in many fields, e.g. iron based HAA. Provisional data having been obtained are encouraging.

Jan 1, 2006

By Won C. Park

Experiments showed changes in the mineral content of dolomitic oil shale at temperatures and exposure times which bracket conditions encountered during in situ retorting. Laboratory results correlate with cores from a spent in situ retort at Occidental&apos;s Logan Wash test site at Garfield County, Colorado. Dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2, decomposes rapidly to form periclase, MgO, calcite, CaCO3, and CO . Both calcite and periclase are intermediate products that can be stabilized by CO atmosphere at lower temperatures, while steam accelerates the formation 2 of silicates. The decarbonation of calcite appears to involve a direct reaction with both quartz and periclase in forming these silicates. Decarbonation preceeds the formation of akermanite, Ca2 MgSi 207, and diopside, CaMgSi 206, within several hours of heating and is followed by the nucleation of forsterite Mg2SiO4, and monticellite, CaMgSiO4. Under in situ retorting conditions, akermanite and diposide are the major minerals above 800°C. Equilibrium is not attained within 200-300 hours. In situ retorting temperatures above 800°C for extended periods of time should reduce potential ground water leaching by the formation of silicate minerals. These silicates are less soluble than free lime, magnesium or alkali oxides. There is a corresponding decrease in the natural pH of these silicates from approximately 12 down to 7.5 to 9:

Jan 1, 1981

By Alexey Lozhko

The technical-and-economic furnace exploitation indices are considerably influenced by the system of heat utilization. In the situation of total output decrease works are forced to exploit furnaces at the partial loading, sometimes even at the idle running for the sake of steam production. The furnace exploitation in this regeme is known to cause the increase of the heat portion, taken away together with waste flue gases. The losses can be partially compensated at the expense of heat exchange efficiency development in the recuperator or heat-exchanger. One of the well-known methods, characterised by high efficiency and low expenditures is the intencification of the heat exchange process by the means of pulsation method.

Jan 1, 2006

By Anish Kumar

Keywords: Ultrasonic velocity, Poisson?s ratio, Elastic constants A new correlation has been established between two independent elastic properties, ultrasonic shear wave velocity and Poisson?s ratio, in a wide variety of isotropic solid materials, such as pure metals, ceramics, polymers and intermetallics. It has been shown for the first time that Poisson?s ratio decreases with increase in elastic moduli, E & G and ultrasonic velocities. This new correlation between two independent elastic constants may lead to the reduction in independent elastic constants for isotropic solid materials from two to one, at least for a given alloy system with different microstructural conditions.

Jan 1, 2005

By Martin Brueggemann

In 1993, the El Paso Smelter began operation of the first commercial CONTOP copper smelting furnace. The CONTOP process was chosen for the plant modernization due to its low capital cost and the ease that it could be incorporated into a 100 year old existing smelter. After four years of operation, CONTOP has proved itself to be a reliable copper smelting technology. This paper will discuss a brief start-up history, current operation, and future modifications and improvements.

Jan 1, 1998

By Yongzhong Xiao, Tiejun Chun, Jian Pan, Zhen He, Deqing Zhu

"In this paper, the reduction kinetics of low grade hematite ore was calculated. Mineralogy shows that the ROM (run of mine) ore is of low grade hematite ore type, assaying 27.2 wt% Fetotal and with main valuable minerals of hematite. The reduction kinetics shows that the reduction reaction rates of pellets with additive and without additive are all controlled by diffusion through the product layer. The calculated apparent activation energy of pellets with 12 wt% complex additive is 8.55 KJ/mol, dropping 62.23% compared to that of pellets without additive.IntroductionWith the rapid development of iron and steel industry in China, there has been a soaring demand for iron ores in the past decade. The imports of iron ores have increased from 148 million ton in 2003 to 620 million ton in 2010[1]. Therefore, large quantities of low grade iron resources are necessary to utilize in China at the moment. During the past years, extensive research has been carried out on the low grade hematite ores [2-6], such as reverse floatation, gravity separation, high-gradient magnetic separation and direct reduction-magnetic separation. Direct reduction-magnetic separation is an innovation way to treat the low grade hematite [7]. However, the research of reduction kinetics of low grade hematite is few. Some research about the reduction kinetics of reducing iron oxides by CO was studied [8]. The results indicated that the apparent activation energy is 8.0-28 KJ/mol when the reducing reaction is controlled by internal diffusion. The apparent activation energy is 50-75 KJ/mol when the reducing reaction is controlled by chemical reaction. In this paper, the reduction kinetics of pellets was also been studied."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. Elliott, H. Bayati

"Effect of time and temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of an austempered ductile iron, ADI, of composition 3.6%C, 2.6%Si, 0.4%Cu, 0.2%Mn are reported. Xray analysis and. microstructural observations indicate that lowering the working temperature, aging temperature, increases the lifetime of ADI significantly. Results show· that lowering the aging temperature increases the strength and reduces the ductility of ADI. DSC traces for ADI austempered at 340°C are presented. Comparison of the DSC analysis and kinetic measurements demonstrates that the DSC traces can be· used to predict the life time of ADI successfully.IntroductionAustempered ductile iron, ADI, is one of the most significant developments in cast iron technology over the past two decades. Outstanding properties of high yield, ultimate strength, ductility, fatigue and wear· resistance make ADI suitable for a range of applications including gears, connecting rods, crankshafts and agriculture machine components. The austempering reaction in cast iron occurs in two stages, Fig. I, in contrast to the single stage reaction in steel. In stage I the relatively low carbon austenite produced during austenitising transforms into ferritic plates and high carbon austenite, a metastable structure called·ausferrite. The high carbon ailstenite and supersaturated ferrite produced in stage I decompose into ferrite and carbide in stage II: to form a structure similar to the bainitic structure in steel. This behaviour exposes a well-defined processing window, t1 - t2, over which the maximum amount of ausferrite is produced, Figure 1. Whereas the bainitic structure determines the properties of austempered steel, ADI properties are mainly affected by volume fraction of retained austenite (VRA), austenite carbon content (ACC), unreacted or martensite volume fraction (UA V), compositiori and amount of carbides, and morphology of ferritic plates[l,2]. Due to the detrimental .effect of martensite and carbides on properties of ADI, an ideal structure of ADI consists only of ausferrite [l,2]. Thus, it is common to determine the processing window for each austempering treatment in order to identify the optimized austempering time. Decomposition of austenite (stage II) signals the end of the life time for an ADI component, therefore, the aging behaviour of ADI at different working conditions can be studied by determining the t2."

Jan 1, 2000

By Theodore Ineich

The “BIOMOre” project aims to prove the technical feasibility of indirect in situ bioleaching of sulfide minerals contained in a deep underground deposit, by bringing together the disciplines required to make a success. The underground location in Poland was provided by project partner KGHM inside an operating copper mine. Key components of this project were the design and construction of a pilot plant, and its operation in an underground environment. This project also included a ∼250 t (100 m3) fragmented rock reactor hydraulically connected to the pilot plant. The pilot plant consisted of several tanks and pumps, a fluidised bed ferric iron generating bioreactor containing immobilised acidophilic iron oxidation biomass, and all the required instrumentation and utilities. Before the bioleaching phase could start, the rock reactor had to be flushed continuously firstly with water to remove chloride salts that are corrosive and also harmful for the bacteria used in the bioreactor, and secondly, with sulfuric acid solution to react with the carbonates present in the ore matrix. This paper summarizes the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of the pilot plant.

By Eleazar Salinas R., Miguel Perez L., J. Cesar Juarez T., Martin Reyes P., Eduardo Cerecedo S., Isauro Rivera L., Francisco Patino C., Juan Hernández A.

"A complete characterization of burrows from Mining district of Pachuca - Real del Monte, in Hidalgo state Mexico, was done. These kind of residues had not been formally characterized, founding an average chemical composition of 70.43 % wt. of Si02, 7.032 % wt. of Ah03, 2.69 % wt. of Fe20 3, 0.70 % wt. of Mn, 3.98 % wt. ofK20, 3.34 % wt. of CaO, 2.50 % wt. ofNa20, 1.01 % wt. of MgO, 0.26 % wt. of Ti02, 0.04 % wt. of Zn, 0.026 % wt. of Pb, 56 g/ton of Ag and 0.6 g/ton of Au; In the same way, the residues present as majority mineralogical phases the following: Quartz, Berlinite, Orthoclase, Feldspar, Anorthoclase and Calcite. By the other hand, joint with the big volume that present these residues and the chemical and mineralogical characteristics, these materials or sub - products can be used for production of ceramics, into mixes forming some materials for architecture (bricks, blocks, and tiles), refractory bricks, in the production of cement and to get some metallic values such as gold and silver involved in these residues.IntroductionActually the mining residues in Hidalgo State, Mexico are the result of more tan 500 years of mining, leading so a great volume of deposits, which we can classify in different types, among the most communes we have: Acid Mining Waters, Waters of solid transport and elements in the form of radicals, deposits of abandoned minerals without processing, and mining wastes of processed minerals known as burrows or dumps, being these the most abundant in the Hidalgo State [1-4].Form the metallurgical point of view, it is known that a characterization study if fundamental to find the viability of reuse of these kind of residues, leading so an additional use and the opportunity of get an alternative use into several industrial processes, due to its contents of oxides of silicon, iron, aluminum, calcium, sodium and potassium, principally, besides of its mineralogy and distribution of chemical elements into its primary and secondary phases [ 1-2, 5- 6]."

Jan 1, 2011

By H. H. Kellogg

The Process Fuel Equivalent (PFE) for nine different flowsheets for production of anode copper from sulfide concentrates has been evaluated and compared for a set of uniform conditions and a "standard" concentrate analysis. The processes considered are: reverberatory smelting, (wet-charge and hot-calcine charge), electric furnace smelting, Outokumpu flash smelting (2 versions), mom flash smelting, Noranda Continuous Process (2 versions), and the Mitsubishi Continuous Process. The energy required for the numerous processes auxiliary to the principal smelting processes-¬roasting, drying, air compression, gas handling, dust collection, slag cleaning, acid manufacture, etc.--are separately evaluated and incor¬porated into the process comparisons. The factors in process design that lead to important energy savings are: use of fuel rather than electric energy; use of oil or coal rather than natural gas; maximum use of oxygen enrichment of the process air; drying of charge before smelting, or, even better, drying and preheating of charge by partial roasting in a fluid-bed; recovery of waste heat from all major hot process gases.

Jan 1, 1976

By David A. Neudorf

Known resources of nickel laterites considerably exceed nickel sulfide resources and there is a growing consensus that most new nickel production will be sourced from laterites. The development of nickel laterite projects is very capital intensive due to inherently low grades, inability to concentrate ore prior to processing, complex processing technology and typically large infrastructure requirements. This has resulted in most recently proposed projects being "mega-projects," to achieve economics of scale. However, this may result in unacceptable project risk in many cases. Furthermore, many known laterite resources are not large enough to support a mega-project. This paper describes an alternative model for nickel laterite project development that allows, smaller scale and reduces capital exposure. The requirements of this model in terms of process technology, infrastructure and commercial innovation are described. Keywords: Nickel, Laterite, Project, Economics

Jan 1, 2004

By Donald R. Sadoway

"Molten salt electrolysis is a proven technology for the extraction of metals -- all· the world's primary aluminum is produced in this manner. The unique properties of molten salts also make them excellent media in which to treat a variety of forms of waste. Of special note in this regard is electrolysis in molten oxides, a concept put forward by the author, initially as a ""clean technology"" for producing primary metal. However, in the context of waste treatment, electrolysis in molten oxides is a process offering the prospect of changing the-valence of dissolved heavy metals while making pure oxygen gas as the main by-product. Laboratory tests conducted at a temperature of 1550°C on chromate sludge dissolved in an melt composed of Al2O3, SiO2; CaO, and MgO have confirmed electrochemical production of oxygen on a carbon-free anode. IntroductionMolten salt electrolysis is the electrolytic decomposition of a compound dissolved in an ionic melt. The prime example of this process can be found in the production of aluminum. The compound, alumina (Al2O3)' derived from the mineral bauxite, is dissolved in an ionic melt comprising a multicomponent solution of cryolite (Na3AlF6)' aluminum fluoride (AlF3)' and calcium fluoride (CaF2,). The products of electrolysis are molten aluminum and carbon dioxide, the latter due to the attendant consumption of the carbon anode. Primary aluminum is produced in a reactor known as the Hall cell.' Alternatively, the compound undergoing electrolytic decomposition can be derived from waste. Processing in molten salts, with their capacity to dissolve materials to very high concentrations compared to those attainable in aqueous solutions, can be rather advantageous. High solubilities lead to high limiting current densities, and this, in tum, results in high productivities: For a primer on molten salt electrolysis and a review of the basic literature in the field of molten salts the reader is directed to an earlier publication of the author (1)."

Jan 1, 1996

By T. V. Swaminathan

Monazite sand is normally processed by, the caustic soda route to produce mixed rare earths chloride, thorium hydroxide and trisodium phosphate. Bulk of the mixed rare earths chloride is used for the preparation of FC catalysts. Recently some of the catalyst producers have shown preference to cerium depleted (lanthanum enriched) rare earths chloride rather than the natural rare earths chloride obtained from monazite. Therefore, a process for producing cerium depleted rare earths chloride, cerium p thorium and uranium from Rare earths + thorium hydroxide obtained by treating monazite based on stepwise hydrochloric acid extraction, was developed in our laboratory. The process involves drying of the mixed rare earths-thorium hydroxide cake obtained by monazite-caustic soda process followed by stepwise extraction of the dried cake with hydrochloric acid under specified conditions.

Jan 1, 1989