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By Mojtaba Ahmadiantehrani

A previous study showed that up to 80% gold extraction could be obtained with 160 lbs/ton hypochlorite consumption at ambient temperature from a low grade Carlin-type carbonaceous ore. Crushing the ore to a finer size and agglomerating with cement decreases hypochlorite consumption by 60%; while, agglomeration and curing the cement-ore mixture with hypochlorite solution has no significant effect on total gold extraction. The high hypochlorite consumption is due to oxygen depletion as the solution percolates through the column, i.e., oxidation of gangue materials. These side reactions are reduced at sub-ambient temperatures resulting in a substantial further decrease in hypochlorite consumption. The optimum temperature range and additional reduction of hypochlorite consumption by introducing the reagent into the column at different elevations will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By D. A. Robbins

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. of 1976 (RCRA) requires testing of waste materials as part of the determination of whether these materials are classified and managed as hazardous wastes. The adoption of one standard testing procedure and its application to all types of waste materials has stirred much controversy. In the center of this controversy is the appropriateness of this testing procedure in characterizing non-ferrous metal intermediates and slags. The authors have evaluated the relative availability of metals in several types of copper and lead slags as defined by various testing protocols. Also discussed is the relationship between the chemical character of the slag and the availability of metals to leaching and certain metallurgical practices that can influence metals availability.

Jan 1, 1983

By Nathan A. Tiner

Sulfuric acid anodizing process is extensively used in many industrial and consumer products to provide corrosion resistance to aluminum alloys. The anodic coatings produced consist of amorphous alhnum oxide with a pornus structure which is easily sealed and colored with dyes. The coatings may contain defects due to surface flaws, canposition and microstructure of the aluminum alloy, and/or due to the anodizing process conditions. This paper will describe the techniques used in anodizing process, various defects which may be produced in anodic coatings and the methods to control them.

Jan 1, 1992

By N. A. Barcza

DC plasma-arc technology using a hollow graphite electrode (cathode) has been successfully implemented in the primary metallurgical industry in South Africa up to the 30 MW scale. Mintek has applied its expertise base, established over the past fifteen years, to testing the treatment of metallurgical wastes such as carbon- and stainless-steel plant dusts, lead- and zinc-containing slags, and residues from the base-metal industry. Favourable results have been achieved, and disposable products were produced. The evaluation of numerous wastes indicates that recovery of zinc as metal gives the best economic return from these sources. Direct recovery via a splash condenser or electrolytic zinc extraction from fume are the two preferred alternatives under review. In both instances dehalogenation is an important issue, but can be achieved by suitable treatment processes. The Enviroplas technology provides a flexible, commercially viable approach to the treatment of a wide variety of wastes. Mintek, together with its associate Pyromet CC, are installing a plasma- arc pilot-plant facility with both an ISP lead-splash condenser of about 5 t/d condensed zinc capacity and a combustion chamber to burn zinc vapour to zinc oxide. This will demonstrate the suitability of the Enviroplas technology for treating specific metallurgical wastes, so that customized industrial plants can be engineered based on large-scale testwork.

Jan 1, 1994

By Sabine Knott

The thermodynamic properties of four liquid ternary zinc alloys, Au-Sn-Zn, Ag-Sn-Zn, AI-Sn- Zn and Cu-In-Zn were measured with an electromotive force (emf) method at three or four cross-sections with an constant X:Sn or Cu-In ratio. At the Au-Sn-Zn and AI-Sn-Zn system calorimetric measurements were also carried out in order to compare the integral enthalpy of mixing from the direct measurements with the data of the emf measurements, which were derived by Gibbs-Duhem integration.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Y. Hwang

Microwave heating is an attractive alternative to conventional heating methods because heat is generated directly within the microwave absorbing materials. It has potential to be utilized for selective heating and removal of specified components from a materials mixture. This investigation was undertaken to explore the potential of selective heating and burning of binders for foundry sand reclamation. Selected raw materials and binders used in foundry operations were tested to determine their receptivity to microwave heating. Time needed to reach 600°C and/or the maximum temperature achieved for samples irradiated by microwaves for twenty minutes under 800 W microwave power are reported. The microwave heating characteristics of the selected materials are summarized and discussed. The interactions between microwaves and the raw materials used in a foundry. such as silica sand. chromite sand and bentonite (clay) binder were studied. The results showed that chromite sand coupled well with microwave energy at ambient temperature while silica sand did not. This was expected because the major component of chromite sand. iron chromite (FeCr2O4). is a good microwave absorber. while quartz, which is the major component of silica sand, is a microwave transparent material at ambient temperature. Bentonite absorbs microwaves well because it contains a hydroxyl functional group and water molecules in its structure. It was found that the structure of bentonite was changed through microwave irradiation. Microwave heating characteristics of silica sand mixed with different amounts of bentonite binders were investigated. The presence of bentonite in the mixture improved the microwave heating of silica sand significantly. and bentonite was deactivated by the microwave processing.

Jan 1, 1995

By C. Burton Clark

The important role of the petrographic microscope in the petrology of refractories is discussed, based on 45 years of industrial experience by the author. Highlights of his career are used to illustrate improvements in equipment and techniques during the period. Two specific investigations are described which emphasize the interrelated use of the petrographic microscope with other instruments such as the x-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope. Emphasis is placed on the use of phase equilibrium diagrams for guidance in predicting and interpreting reactions that occur under non-equilibrium conditions in the manufacture and use of refractories.

Jan 1, 1982

By Sabine Knoll

The thermodynamic properties of four liquid ternary zinc alloys, Au-Sn-Zn, Ag-Sn-Zn, AI-Sn Zn and Cu-In-Zn were measured with an electromotive force (emf) method at three or four cross-sections with an constant X:Sn or Cu-In ratio. At the Au-Sn-Zn and AI-Sn-Zn system calorimetric measurements were also carried out in order to compare the integral enthalpy of mixing from the direct measurements with the data of the emf measurements, which were derived by Gibbs-Duhem integration.

Jan 1, 2003

By V. D. Tathavadkar

Chromite ore is of immense importance for the extraction of metallic chromium and chromium chemicals. The mineralogy and crystal structure of chromite phase are therefore important part of our investigation on the extraction chemistry of chromium species. In this investigation, we have studied the effect of the processing parameters, i.e., the temperature and the oxygen potential on the microstructure and composition of mineral phases formed in the Cr2O3 ?Al2O3 -FexOy -MgO system. In particular the importance of the spinodal decomposition reaction is emphasized in the extraction of chromium as sodium chromite and sodium chromate. Experiments were carried out in order to study the differences in the crystallography of different chromite minerals. Phase equilibria in natural chromite minerals were investigated by calcining chromite mineral in air, argon, and 5% hydrogen + argon atmospheres over a temperature range from 200 to 1200 °C. The effect of the oxygen partial pressure and temperature on the phase constituents of the calcined product has been discussed. The microstructural changes were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the changes in elemental composition in different phases were analysed by electron probe micro analyser (EPMA). The results obtained from EPMA studies were used to calculate lattice parameter of the spinel lattice, and these values were compared with the values obtained from X-Ray powder diffraction data. On the basis of the experimental data, the mechanism of the spinodal decomposition of complex spinel phases is described under the influence of oxygen partial pressure and temperature.

Jan 1, 2000

By H. L. Fraser

A review of the possibilities of performing microchemical analysis in thin sections using a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy of x-rays is given. Particular attention is paid to the factors that limit accurate analysis at the highest spatial resolution. As an example of the use of these techniques applied to a potential problem in minerals processing, the identification of iron pyrite and pyrrhotite particles in Illinois, Herrin #6 coal is presented.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. Shang

The materials science and metallurgical engineering communities have expended enonnous resources in developing high fidelity process models. Exploiting these Models for Predictive Optimization (MPO) and Control (MPC) is a new frontier in Materials Process Engineering that will lead to exceptional process perfonnance. This paper will begin with a short survey of the development of high quality process models available in the literature and a discussion of how these could be used to improve process operation. A summary of the current "state-of-the-art" in process automation technologies and the traditional framework in which these technologies are deployed will be presented. An illustration of the use of MPO in process design and operations will be presented for the continuous casting of steel. In addition, a simple run-out table simulation will be used to demonstrate the power of the MPC technique.

Jan 1, 2003

By Zhou Shu-cai

"A method has been proposed for the pre-treatment of high phosphorus iron ore by carbothermic reduction assisted with microwave irradiation and magnetic separation on a laboratory scale. Chemical analysis of the reduced ore sample, the metal sample and the slag sample were conducted. Based on the above research, the influences of carbon addition, microwave power and microwave irradiation time on the recovery of Fe and dephosphorization were discussed. It indicated that the increase of microwave irradiation time and power had substantial effect on the recovery of Fe while the influence of carbon addition was not obvious and the highest iron recovery ratio reaches some 95.5% when the dephosphorization ratio was 37.68%. A high iron recovery ratio and a reasonable dephosphorization rate were incompatible under the conditions investigated in this study due to the reduced iron and because unreduced P-contained gangues were not efficiently separated. This method may provide a reference for the future utilisation of high-phosphorus iron ore.IntroductionWith the rapid growth of crude steel production in China, the source of iron ore tends to become increasingly strained and is facing the risks of raw material shortage for the iron and steel industry. In order to decrease the production cost, China has to focus on the utilization of its domestic low grade iron ores for the iron and steel plants [1-2]. China has a large deposit of high phosphorous iron ore with a reserve of 7.45 billion tons which is unused in any large scale [3]. Therefore, the development of a successful and economically viable technology for high phosphorus iron ore is of profound importance. To remove phosphorus from the high phosphorus iron ore, several mineral and metallurgical processes have been proposed, such as bio-leaching [4], roasting reduction plus melting separation [5], pre-reduction and screening methods combined with mechanical crushing or air jet milling[6] selective agglomeration plus reverse flotation [7]. However these processes are not cost effective or are time consuming. The traditional pyrometallurgical process( BF+ BOF) refuse this kind of ore mainly because that molten iron is saturated with carbon or high carbon content and thus all phosphor us in the burden goes to the molten iron[8]. Therefore, it is important to exploit the cheap and abundant high phosphorus iron ore as a resource in ironmaking. In recent years, the microwave was widely introduced as a heat resource for extractive metallurgy of iron ore or other minerals. For example, microwave assisted ore milling, microwave assisted carbothermic reduction of metal oxides and microwave assisted mineral leaching issues[9-10]"

Jan 1, 2014

By D. L. Yopps

Platinum-group metal (PGM) flotation .. concentrate from the Stillwater Complex, MT, was subjected to biooxidation using Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in an effort to break down the sulfide minerals and liberate the ? associated PGM's for subsequent chemical leaching. Bacterial treatment oxidized up to 94 pct of the sulfide present, destroyed the PGM-bearing pentlandite [ (Ni,Fe),9Ss) mineralization, and dissolved most of the nickel in the concentrate. Results showed that increased sulfide oxidation during the biological stage led to improved PGH recovery in the subsequent. chemical leaching stage. cyanidation at 80° c proved to be the best chemical leachant tested. It removed 7.6 pct of the palladium, 94 pct of the rhodium, 97 pct of the gold, but only 34 pct of the platinum from the biooxidized concentrate.

Jan 1, 1991

By H. Y. Sohn, M. Y. Mohassab-Ahmed

"As part of research to develop a novel flash ironmaking process using reduction of iron ore concentrate by natural gas or hydrogen, sulfur and phosphorus distribution ratios between MgOsaturated slag and iron were determined in the temperature range 1550-1650°C under three different gas atmospheres: H2/H2O, H2/H2O/CO/CO2, and CO/CO2. The distribution coefficients of sulfur (Ls) were 4.0, 2.0, and 0.8, respectively, under these atmospheres. The distribution coefficients of phosphorus (Lp) were, respectively, 8, 17, and 20 under these atmospheres. In the flash process over -25 wt% P and S volatilize during ore concentrate downward flight in the reactor shaft in addition to avoiding coke. Therefore, iron produced by the flash ironmaking process would have much lower sulfur contents than the typical hot metal produced by the BF.IntroductionGiven the issues related to large carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption in the existing ironmaking technologies, a novel flash ironmaking technology was conceived by Sohn [1-3] at the University of Utah. This technology is the first ironmaking process that will convert iron ore concentrate directly to metallic iron in-flight. This process will produce iron directly from concentrate without requiring pelletization or sintering and avoid the need for coke. In addition, this process concept takes full advantage of the fine particle size of concentrate with a large surface area, which permits rapid reduction by a gas. In this novel ironmaking process, potential reductants and fuels are H2, natural gas, and coal gas. Therefore, an iron-slag bath is expected to be at equilibrium with gas atmospheres of mainly H2/H2O or CO/CO2/H2/H2O, respectively, corresponding to the use of H2 or natural gas/coal gas. Since the effects of an H2O- containing atmosphere on slag properties have not been studied before, it is critical for the development of the novel flash process to determine these effects. In H2-H2O-CO-CO2 gas mixtures under ironmaking conditions, H20 was found to have the most pronounced effect on the slag chemistry [ 4, 5]. In addition, it was found in this laboratory that water in the gas atmosphere affected the distribution of Mn between slag and molten iron [6]. Most previous work used CO/CO2 gas mixture to control oxygen partial pressure (p02) [7, 8]. Others used only inert atmospheres [9], although Kor and Richardson [10] used a mixture of C02/H2 to control p02. For phosphorus, previous research focused on Ar [11], Ar-CO mixture [12], CO [13], CO/CO2 [14] or N2/CO [15]. Therefore, it was necessary to investigate the effect of water vapor content in H2-H2O-CO-CO2 mixtures on the equilibrium distribution of sulfur and phosphorus between CaO-MgOsatSiO2-Al2O3-FeO- MnO (0.2-0.8 wt%)-P2O5 (0.1-0.9 wt%) slag and molten iron as part of the development of the novel flash ironmaking technology."

Jan 1, 2014

By Yoshio Waseda, Tetsuya Uda, Tom H. Okabe

"Halide salt has been tested as a reductant for producing titanium powder directly from TiCl4. From the results of thermodynamic investigation for several rare earth chloride systems, DyCl2 was found to be used for the reduction of TiCl4 instead of the conventional metallic reductant. When TiCl4 was fed into molten salts containing DyCl2 at 1073K, titanium powder of several ten micron meters in diameter was obtained. In contrast to the sponge titanium produced by the conventional Kroll process, the present new process using a halidothermic reduction in a reactive molten salt appears to be suitable for producing metal powder. From the thermodynamic point of view, the resultant DyCl3 can be reduced to DyCl2 by magnesium. By utilizing the multivalent halide redox couple, some possible ways of titanium powder production directly from TiCl4 by magnesiothermic reduction are shown to be feasible. This can also be applied to the development of a new continuous titanium reduction process.1 IntroductionTitanium and its alloys show attractive mechanical properties such as strength-to-weight, rigidity-to-weight ratios and excellent corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, the application of titanium alloys is limited compared to other structural materials (e.g. steels, aluminum alloys) because of its high cost of production. Currently, almost all of titanium is produced by metallothermic reduction of TiCl4 by magnesium (Kroll process)[1] in an airtight metallic reactor. This process is batch type and labor intensive. Therefore, many attempts to develop new process for producing titanium are investigated so far."

Jan 1, 2000

By Kenneth S. Coley, Michael Pomeroy, Elaine Chen

Recent work on modeling of BOF steelmaking is reviewed, highlighting the critical aspects of each approach. It is concluded that the most successful models should be based on a deep understanding of the mechanisms and kinetics of the critical reactions. The importance of the decarburization mechanism is discussed with particular reference to its role in droplet swelling or bloating which has a profound influence on the droplet residence time in the slag. Conditions which cause bloating are discussed and the rate determining step is proposed to be primarily nucleation of CO bubbles inside the metal droplet with some influence from growth by reaction at the bubble/metal interface. The discrepancy in the super-saturation ratio required for classical nucleation is discussed and an approach using a surface tension modifying parameter is illustrated. Finally, the role of CO nucleation in controlling the driving force for dephosphorization is discussed.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. Mishra

The application of various bydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes in the extraction, purification and production of radioactive metals as well as the use of various materials, eg. metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, etc. in the process, construction and handling equipment in the nuclear industry has generated a large stockpile of radioactively contaminated waste material and scrap metal which can not be directly discarded, recycled or considered for long-term storage due to its volume and potential hazards, without the separation of radionuclides. This paper reviews the emerging methods that have been 'investigated and suggested for dealing with some of these wastes' and scrap material. The separation technologies studied for the recovery of radioactive components from the pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processing wastes have been discussed in details with results from some of the recent theoretical and physical modeling work as well as the data obtained? from the actual waste treatment. Specific processes shall be described in terms of its advantages and limitations. These emerging separation technologies are being considered by the US Department of Energy as alternatives for dealing with the issues of environmental management [EMI' and decontamination and decommissioning [D&D].

Jan 1, 1996

By D. E. Woolley

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

Jan 1, 1998

By B. Mishra, W. A. Averill

"The application of various hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes in the extraction, purification and production of radioactive metals as well as the use of various materials, ego metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, etc. in the process, construction and handling equipment in the nuclear industry has generated a large stockpile of radioactively contaminated waste material and scrap metal which can not be directly discarded, recycled or considered for long-term storage due to its volume and potential hazards, without the separation of radionuclides. This paper reviews the emerging methods that have been investigated and suggested for dealing with some of these wastes and scrap material.The separation technologies studied for the recovery of radioactive components from the pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processing wastes have been discussed in details with results from some of the recent theoretical and physical modeling work as well as the data obtained from the actual waste treatment. Specific processes shall be described in terms of its advantages and limitations. These emerging separation technologies are being considered by the US Department of Energy as alternatives for dealing with the issues of environmental management [EM] and decontamination and decommissioning [D&D].IntroductionThe high temperature carbothermic or metallothermic smelting reduction methods for metal production are associated with the generation of significant quantity of waste as slags, flue dusts, sludges, residues, effluent salts etc. Certain hydrometallurgical processes also generate lots of aqueous waste due to the inherent nature of the technique. Also, the gas-based reduction processes are not applicable to many stable metal compounds, such as alumina, titania, beryllia, lanthanide and actinide oxides, etc. due to thermodynamic considerations. All these methods cause substantial environmental hazard. There is a need to develop alternative processes which have low waste or ideally a ""zero-waste"" generation.Pyrochemical processes using molten salts provide a unique opportunity for the extraction and refining of many reactive and valuable metals either directly from the beneficiated ore (aluminum, beryllium, neodymium, plutonium, uranium, etc.) or from other process effluent that contain reactive metal compounds. The processes reduce metal compounds electrolytically (A12O 3 and BeCI2) on a carbon anode or by calciothermic reduction (Po, Nd). The by-product, in the latter case, is a calcium oxide saturated halide salt. The waste-treatment to recycle the halide has to be done as a separate step or stored as a contaminated waste. A successful separation technology can provide a new insight to the waste minimization strategy for the nuclear industry."

Jan 1, 1996

By Daniel K. Kim

The charge for the copper refinery is a mixture of anodes produced at San Manuel from BHP source concentrate and copper purchased from external sources. Control of unwanted impurities in the tankhouse - is very important and beneficial. Currently available removal/recovery technologies were reviewed for the control of bismuth and antimony levels in the electrolyte. Recent studies have focused on solvent extraction (SX) technology and generated successful results for the removal and subsequent recovery of bismuth and antimony. The SX system employs the reagent, ACORGA SBX-50, in conjunction with a patented high chloride stripping system. The latter enables recycle of the eluant, avoiding the high costs associated with conventional systems, such as regeneration of resin. Concerns over potential transfer of organics and chloride ion to the electrolyte were readily addressed, solved and demonstrated using conventional, established technology. This paper describes the benefits of electrolyte purification, the flexibility afforded by the SX system, the operational practices necessary for maintaining adequate control of bismuth and antimony impurities in the electrorefining environment and possibilities for future development /exploitation of the Zeneca SX system at the San Manuel refinery.

Jan 1, 1998