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By Vinod K. Sikka, René Cooper

"Cohoes, New York 12047 Intermetallics are an attractive class of advanced materials. The aluminide intermetallics offer advantages including: (1) lower density, (2) oxidation resistance, (3) carburization resistance, and (4) interesting mechanical properties because of their ordered crystal structure. Even though the attractive properties of the aluminides and other intermetallics have been known for nearly four decades, their practical applications have not been developed for two reasons: (1) the poor ductility (in some cases, both ambient and high temperatures) and (2) the lack of processability into meaningful components. Recent advances such as ductilization of Ni3Al by small additions of boron and the knowledge that environmental effects are the major cause of poor ductility in Fe3Al and FeAl systems have brought the intelmetallics into the forefront of research and their commercial applications. This paper has described a method for melting Ni3AI-based alloys that successfully utilize the exotherrn for the formation of NiAl from the elemental materials. The reaction-synthesis method has also been utilized for the production of NiAI and NiAI-based alloy powders from the elemental powders. The reaction-synthesized powders of NiAI and NiAI-based alloys were consolidated by hot extrusion and evaluated for tensile properties over a temperature range from room temperature to 1050ºC. The powder-processing conditions have been found to have more influence on the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of NiAI than the powder-production method.IntroductionIntermetallics are an attractive class of advanced materials [1-11]. The alum in ide interrnetallics offer advantages including: (1) lower density, (2) oxidation resistance, (3) carburization resistance, and (4) interesting mechanical properties because of their ordered crystal structure. Even though the attractive properties of the aluminides and other interrnetallics have been known for nearly four decades, their practical applications have not been developed for two reasons: (I) the poor ductility (in some cases, both ambient and high temperatures) and (2) the lack of processability into meaningful components. Recent advances such as ductilization of Ni3Al by small additions of boron and the knowledge that environmental effects are the major cause of poor ductility in Fe3Al and FeAl systems have brought the intermetallics into the forefront of research and their commercial applications. The paper will briefly review the processing techniques being pursued for the commercial applications of Ni3Al-based intermetallics. The major emphasis of the paper will deal with synthesis of Ni3Al and NiAI intelmetallics."

Jan 1, 1994

By Takashi Ikeda, Masafumi Maeda

"Demand for solar cells is increasing linearly throughout the world. Last year production totaled 3000 tons worldwide. The market size of solar silicon is expected to increase further because of international ""political"" demand to reduce carbonaceous emission from energy consumed. Most elemental silicon is produced by the carbon reduction of Silica in an electric arc furnace. Purity of silicon at this stage is 90-99%. Major impurities are Fe, Ti, Ca· and Al, and minor ones are P, B and carbon. The oxidizing metallurgical process is no longer effective to remove transitfon metals because those are less noble to silicon. Nonmetallic impurities such as phosphorus and boron must be reduced to 0.001ppm for semiconductor use. The most common process for high purity silicon is the Siemens C process, which is basically distillation of hydro-chlorinated silicon followed by CVD of SiHCl3. The cost of such silicon is expensive to allow its popular use in solar cells. Currently scrap silicon -of semiconductors is used for this; however, the supply-of that scrap is limited to just a portion of semiconductor production.In this paper world demand for silicon will be reviewed and some of the processes proposed summarized.IntroductionSilicon is element 14 in atomic number and has an atomic weight of 28.0855. Little elemental silicon is found in the earth, and it is mostly found as oxides or silicate. The Clark number of silicon is very large and the second in its number. If we were discussing the volatility of silicon element on the globe, we would never worry about it. However, it is very difficult to obtain pure elemental silicon because a high purity silicon compound is very rare. In most cases these are silica (silicon oxide SiO2). As shown in Table 1, there are many grades of silica ore classified mainly by their content of iron and alumina."

Jan 1, 2000

By Daniel Adolfsson, Ryan Robinson, Fenwei Su, Jelena Blagojevic

"Cold bonded briquetting of steel plant by-products has proven to be a viable recycling alternative concerning technology, economy and environment in both the traditional blast furnace route and the direct reduction process. A critical parameter in cold bonded briquettes is the type and amount of binder used during production. The binder material must meet certain quality requirements concerning low and high temperature strength, chemistry and economy. Currently, SSAB Tunnplåt uses ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as binder in their cold bonded briquettes. In order to improve binder quality and possibly decrease OPC dependency, a binder feasibility study has been conducted concerning an internal by-product, ladle slag, as a supplement and/or partial substitute for OPC. Several characterization techniques have been used to study the behaviour of ladle slag, these include: XRD, XRF, SEM, glass content analysis, calorimetric analysis, particle size distribution and thermochemical stability considerations concerning the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system.IntroductionRecently, a project was initiated at SSAB Tunnplåt AB, in Sweden, which aimed at reducing the amount of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as hydraulic binder in cold bonded briquettes by partly replacing it with ladle slag. OPC is traditionally used within civil engineering, and widely accepted as a hydraulic binder in a number of different applications. OPC consists of four major crystalline phases, i.e. C3S, C2S, C3A and C4AF. Tricalcium aluminate as well as the ferrite phase in OPC reacts very quickly with water, for this reason gypsum is added to the clinker in order to retard these reactions. The fact that gypsum is present in the system limits the recycling of briquettes to the BOF, since the presence of gypsum during steelmaking results in a significant amount of sulphur emissions. The latter along with the expense that follows, makes it worthwhile to consider alternatives for OPC as binder in cold bonded briquettes."

Jan 1, 2008

By Shengfan Zhou, XUEWEN WANG, Changjun Jiang, Mingyu Wang

In the process of extracting vanadium from stone coal by sulfuric acid leaching - P204 solvent extraction, Fe(III) can accumulate in the organic phase which reduces the extraction of vanadium. In order to eliminate the effects of the accumulation of iron, oxalic acid was used as the stripping agent to strip the Fe(III). The effects of oxalic acid concentration, phase ratio O/A, stripping time and shake velocity on the stripping of Fe(III) were studied. The results showed that the Fe(III) stripping rate can reach beyond 96% at the room temperature with 70g/L oxalic acid using an O/A of 2 at 160 rpm shake velocity for 20min. After 2-stage stripping, the concentration of Fe(III) in organic phase was 0.008g/L.

Jan 1, 2016

By Michael B. Mooiman, David J. Kinneberg, Philippe Cettou, Leo W. Simpson, Pierre Ramoni

"The demand for high purity precious metals began with certain industrial applications having uncompromising requirements for quality and performance. As industrial uses proliferated and as the jewelry industry became increasingly sophisticated, the demand for high purity gold has reached the point where 99.99% is now the standard in the marketplace. A similar evolution is expected for other precious metals.In this paper, we examine both the production and use of high purity precious metals, specifically gold, silver, platinum and palladium. After defining what is meant by ""high purity"", we discuss the various analytical techniques used for measuring impurity concentrations. Next, we review process strategies employed by extractive metallurgists to produce high purity precious metals. Lastly, we describe some of the principal applications for high purity materials including thick films, thin films, bonding wire, thermocouples and jewelry manufacture.Precious metals have unique physical properties that, despite their expense (and the ever-continuing search for more economical alternatives), make substitution difficult if not impossible. These physical properties are dramatically affected by small concentrations of certain impurities. As long as manufacturers continue to demand quality and performance, there will be a need for high purity precious metals.IntroductionIn the precious metals industry, the qualifier ""high purity"" describes any specification over and above commodity grade. High purity specifications delineate lower limits on overall metal purity or upper limits on individual impurities or both. Sometimes, if these special requirements become commonplace, either because of improved refining technology or because of market pressures, yesterday's ""high purity"" material becomes tomorrow's commodity. This transition is now occurring with gold bullion and probably will soon occur with platinum and palladium as industrial use of these materials grows."

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Seetharaman

In the processing of molten metals, it is extremely important to monitor continuously the concentration levels of various minor elements, In the production of common metals like copper, iron and aluminium electrochemical sensors involving solid, as well as liquid electrolytes are being increasingly used to measure the concentrations of minor elements The present paper deals with the electrochemical principles underlying these measurements and the possible errors involved. One of the major difficulties in the case of the solid electrolytes is to correct for the consequences oldie electronic contribution to the conduction of the electrolyte. The application of the electrochemical sensors for molten metals processing involves designing of these probes to withstand the industrial operating conditions. In this respect, significant achievements have been made with respect to the design of oxygen probes for liquid metals in general and liquid copper in particular. Some of the salient design features are discussed in the paper, The application of auxiliary electrodes for impurities in molten metals like phosphorus in copper and silicon in iron are taken up. The development of oxygen sensors for slags is given special attention. Recent developments' in the field of sensor technology, as applied to metals processing are highlighted.

Jan 1, 1996

By Ulrich Kerney

In 1996, bath smelting technology for lead recovery from concentrates and secondary materials was introduced in Nordenham to replace the common sinter plant/shaft furnace operation. Since start-up, a continuous improvement of equipment and operation lead to a steady increase of capacity and plant availability. The decision to skip the reduction stage for slag treatment now allows the treatment of 200000 t/a feed materials with a secondary fraction of up to 70 %. The main feed source for the furnace is automotive battery recycling, which offers oxide paste and metallics to be molten under oxidizing conditions in the lance fired furnace. The lead bullion is transferred to the refinery, where copper, silver and other impurities are removed. Silver is recovered as doré quality. All loopings are recycled to the BSF. Inert feed material is collected in a so-called lead concentrate of metallurgical origin, the primary slag, which is sold. It is rather a valuable feed material for further processing than a slag The off-gas is cooled in a flux-flow system, entering then an electrostatic dust precipitator. Having passed a further washing and cooling system, SO2 is oxidized and collected and sold as concentrated sulphuric acid. The presentation will cover a review of the start-up phase, the development of significant production parameters over the last years and actual production routes and figures. A comparison of environmental data between new and old applied technology is made.

Jan 1, 2006

By Muammer Kaya, Sait Kursunoglu

"The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ascorbic (C6H8O6) / oxalic (C2H2O4) acid as a reductant for the simultaneous recovery of zinc and manganese from a spent and mixed zinc-carbon and alkaline battery powder in sulphuric acid leaching. The effects of sulfuric acid concentration, ascorbic/oxalic acid dosages, reaction temperature and leaching time on the zinc and manganese dissolutions were investigated according to 2k full factorial experimental design; then, a simple optimization study was carried out for the best reductant. The optimum reductive acid leaching conditions were determined at 3 hours leaching time, 70°C leaching temperature, 0.5M sulfuric acid concentration, 13 g/L ascorbic acid dosage, 1/20 g/mL solid/liquid ratio and 200 rpm stirring speed. Under these conditions, the dissolution efficiencies were 99.9% for Zn and 99.3% for Mn. When our results were compared with the previous results, our findings were better than previous studies.In addition, the manganese dissolution kinetics was undertaken, and the activation energy was found to be 7.04 kJ/mol. Selective precipitations of Zn and Mn from acid solutions were carried out using NaOH and KOH. Using 3M NaOH as precipitating agent at room temperature and at pH 8; 95.4% of Zn and at pH 10; 93.7% of Mn were precipitated from the leaching solution. Under the same conditions, using 3 M KOH at pH 8; 91.6% of Zn and at pH 10, 96.4% of Mn were precipitated. Based on the experimental results obtained, an appropriate flow sheet was proposed to recover zinc and manganese."

Jan 1, 2012

By Cledwyn Mangunda

Mining operations generate Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) that poses a significant threat to the natural environment. AMD treatment using Ca(OH)2 leads to the precipitation of a sludge dominated by a mixture of ferri-oxyhydroxides. This sludge has poor dewatering tendencies and is deposited in landfills with potential for metal remobilization. This study investigated the dewatering behaviour of a precipitate formed during elevated temperature treatment of a primary, pre-settled sludge from the neutralisation of aqueous acidic Fe2(SO4)3 and Ca(OH)2 solutions in an MSMPR reactor. The resulting treated precipitates were analysed for micro-properties, with results showing that an increase in the secondary reactor temperature from 25 °C up to 50 °C led to an increase in mean particle size, a decrease in the number of particles and improved dewatering behaviour at a ferric concentration of 300 mg/L. This was ascribed to the attainment of a circum-neutral surface charge that favoured agglomeration and a change in micro and nano-structure that allowed for better water passage.

By Fabio J. Esper, Guillermo R. Martín-Cortés, Francisco R. Valenzuela-Díaz, Cassio P. Carvalho, Giorgio Grotti, Reginaldo B. Santos

"Rejected sands from smelting metallurgical process because contain lead and others heavy metals are a problem to dispose as waste in all the countries. A procedure that is being proposed for it is to incorporate it on common clay bodies in the fabrication of structural ceramic products as bricks, blocks and roof tiles. The main goal of this paper is to present the results obtained with mixtures of sands from smelting metallurgical process with common clay from Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. Preliminary incorporation tests (1,0% in weight) were made with hand formed spherical samples. With the higher compression strength of the spheres after drying and firing (950ºC) experiments on bricks production were made for quality technological test. Seven hundred hallow blocks containing 1,0% waste were produced and presented ceramic properties similar to those without sand incorporation. Introduction In last the fifteen years the LMPSol - Raw Materials & Non-metallic Solids Laboratory – Metallurgic Eng. & Materials Depto. – Polytechnic School - University of São Paulo comes studying the possibilities of incorporate industrials waste materials to the production of bricks and other products of construction aiming at to remove pollution products of the environments and to user the properties of the same ones in the structural ceramics products. Examples are the study of the influence of rejected steel furnace dusts in structural ceramic [1], another example is the main subject of the present paper: use of rejected sand from smelting metallurgical process in the production of bricks an other products of structural ceramics. Antecedents More or less one year ago, specialist and members from the direction board of METALÚRGICA GROFE LTD. Company contacted researchers and professors of the LMPSol – PMT – EPUSP seeking for a solution to their concern with the disposal of rejected sand from smelting metallurgical process."

Jan 1, 2008

By C. G. Bastos Andrade, F. R. Valenzuela Diaz, S. M. Toffoli

The climate change observed in the last decades, the increase of global warming, the melting of the polar ice caps, and the sea level rise have in common the non-sustainable development as causative agent. Different nations have mobilized joint efforts with the objectives of minimizing the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, investing in the research and the development of new technologies in recycling, in biomaterials, environmentally friendly processes, and new fuel alternatives. This paper evaluates the efficiency of a Brazilian bentonite modified by acid attack, in the purification step of a waste oil to be used for biofuel production, that is, diesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). The following characterization test swere performed: XRD, CEC, XRF, SEM/EDS, specific surface area (BET), stereomicrography, kinematic viscosity, and spectrophotometry at 440 nm. The modified bentonite exhibited good purification capacity for WCO when compared to a commercial product.

Mar 1, 2018

By Mingmei Zhu, Lang Hu, Yu Wang, Hongpo Wang, Congjing Zhang

Magnetic field has a great effect on the crystallization behavior of mold flux and properties of the flux film between mold and strand, on which the surface quality of strand was deeply depended in continuous casting process. Therefore, studying the change law of the crystallization properties of mold flux in magnetic field is of great significant. In the present work, based on intensity of the applied magnetic field with the range from 0mT to 60mT, the crystallization ratio, crystal size and mineralogical phases of the flux film were discussed. The results show that crystallization ratio increases with the increasing magnetic field intensity, and the crystal size becomes bigger at the same time. The magnetic field promotes the crystallization ratio and growth speed of the crystallized grains of mold flux. However, magnetic field doesn’t change types of the mineralogical phases.

Jan 1, 2015

By Duan Xin-hui, Wang Xin, Peng Jin-hui, C. Srinivasakannan, Zhang Li-bo

The work attempts to optimize the process of preparation of modified semi-coke from semi-coke using phosphoric acid (H3P04) as the activating agent using the response surface methodology (RSM). The influences of three major dependent variables, the impregnation ratio, activation time, and activation temperature were assessed on the independent variables yield and the iodine number. The empirical relationship between the dependent and the independent variables were established using the quadratic response surface models, which were utilized to optimize the process parameters. The significance of each of the parameters and interaction among the parameters on the independent variable was assessed based on analysis of variance (ANOVA). The process variables were varied within the range of impregnation ratio (IR) from 1.5 to 4, activation time from 30 to 90 min and activation temperature from 550 'C to 650 'C. The optimized process conditions were estimated to be an IR of 2.29, activation time of 32 min, and an activation temperature of 605°C respectively using the process optimization tool. The BET surface area of modified semi-coke of the optimized sample was estimated to be 915m2/g, with the pore volume of0.71cm3/g, with an average pore diameter of 3.09 nm, with micropore volume fraction being 52.36%. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were utilized to visualize the surface pore structure.

Jan 1, 2013

By H. Y. Sohn

The ignition and combustion of chalcopyrite particles under suspension-smelting conditions, in which the particle-particle interaction is neglected, has been analyzed by considering the intrinsic kinetics of oxidation and heat and mass transfer between the particle and its surroundings. Reasonable agreement has been obtained between the calculated results and experimental results from a laminar-flow furnace reported in the literature. This computation- al procedure has further been applied to flash-smelting conditions. Under suspension-smelting conditions (Sh = Nu = 2), chalcopyrite particles ignite at around 960 K. The effects of various parameters, such as oxygen concentration, particle size, and gas temperature, have also been evaluated. Comparison between calculated results in this work and experimental observations indicates that SO is the important gaseous product that forms at the surface of the particle.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. Leiby

Prior to March 1992, the only component of the lead acid battery that was not recycled by East Penn Manufacturing Company was the sulfuric acid electrolyte. This acid was unusable in new batteries because the iron level was found to exceed new product specifications. The development of a liquid ion exchange process to remove the iron from the acid allows East Penn to currently recover over three million gallons of sulfuric acid annually. The process is based upon the use of an iron selective liquid ion exchange material or solvent to extract iron from the sulfuric acid electrolyte followed by regeneration of the solvent. Equilibrium and kinetic data for the extraction and regeneration steps were collected in order to scale up the process to commercial scale. An electrochemical process for the treatment of the acid used in the regeneration step was, also developed which significantly reduces the volume of strip acid required in the process.

Jan 1, 1995

By Hélio Wiebeck, Fabio J. Esper, Wildor T. Hennies, Guillermo R. Martín-Cortés, Francisco R. Valenzuela-Díaz

"Natural rubber reinforced commonly with carbon black to produce vulcanized material, turns into a new environmentally friendly nanocomposite when carbon black is replaced by organically modified clays of Brazil. Carbon black is substance derived from the oil refining process with consequent pollution to the environment. Its substitution in this industrial process must contribute to diminish the oil derived products dependence. As the added clays are only a third in weight of the traditionally carbon black added, then, to obtain the same final volume it is necessary to add low cost neutral filler that does not damage the technological characteristics of the final material. This paper presents results using as neutral filler of this type rice husk ashes from industrial wastes. Experiences realized with this nanocomposite material show results of quality and technological characteristics similar or superior to those of the rubber made with carbon black.IntroductionTraditionally rubbers are black or a very dark color. But they can have different appearance when filler of distinct composition of the carbon black is used. The carbon black is substance derived from the oil gotten during the final phases of the mineral fuel treatment with consequent pollution of the environment. Carbon black show nanometric grain sized distribution and a depth black color, because these properties it is also used for computer printers inks production. The substitution of this substance, traditionally used as a reinforced load in the rubber production, will have to contribute in such a way to diminish the dependence of these products as to diminish the pollution of the environment. The present work shows the results of the use of another kind of mineral nanoparticulate material substituting carbon black in the production of some rubber products. This nanoparticulate material is the organic modification of smectite clay treated with some types of ammonium quaternary."

Jan 1, 2008

By A. W. Bryson, K. C. Lenthall

"With the growth in the use of cobalt in industry, interest in its extraction and recovery has increased. With this increased interest comes the need for a fundamental knowledge of the processes involved in the recovery of cobalt metal. This paper examines the effects of cobalt concentration, catholyte pH, operating temperature and current density on cobalt electrowinning with respect to the current efficiency, cell potential and nature of the cobalt deposit. It is found that the cobalt concentration and catholyte pH affect the current efficiency, while current density and temperature affect the cell potential and thus the specific power consumption. Pitting on the deposit is affected by the catholyte pH and the operating temperature. Furthermore, the effect of feed flow-rate on catholyte pH, and thus current efficiency, is investigated. A model to predict the cell performance, which includes the flux of hydrogen ions through the diaphragm, is proposed.IntroductionCobalt metal is a silvery transitional metal found between nickel and iron on the periodic table. Due to its resistance to corrosion and other properties under high temperatures and its good work-hardening characteristics, it is favoured in alloys used in high temperature applications. These include aerospace, aircraft and high speed tools. Other applications include its use as a colourant in glass and ceramics, a drying agent in paints, a nutrient for livestock, a catalyst in the petroleum industry and, in the medical field, in prosthetics and radiology.The main deposits of cobalt are found in Central Africa, specifically Zaire and Zambia, although deposits also occur in Morocco, Canada and Australia. The cobalt is generally associated with other transitional metals including nickel, iron and copper. It is generally extracted by hydrometallurgical means and recovered from solution by electrowinning or hydrogen reduction. Little data [1-2] exists in literature on the electrowinning of cobalt from aqueous solutions. This paper investigates the effects of various operating conditions on the current efficiency, cell potential and deposit nature under continuous operation."

Jan 1, 1997

By Pei-xiao Liu, Han-jie Guo, Yan-xiang Li

The thermodynamic analysis on chromium ore pellets in solid reduction chromium process is carried out, and the result is validated by pre-reduction experiment of cold briquetted chromium ore. Polarization Microscope and SEM are employed to observe microstructure and element composition. The thermodynamic and experimental results reveal the reduction mechanisms at different temperatures in the SRC pre-reduction process.

Mar 1, 2017

By Roger Altman

The solubility of copper in primary spinel crystals encountered in reverberatory slag samples has been determined by electron microprobe analysis. These spinels, which ranged in composition from 22% A12O3 to pure magnetite, contained small quantities of dissolved copper (0-0.4%). Based on literature data it was estimated that the solubility limit of copper in solid magnetite is no greater than about 1% at 1200°C and about 2% at 1250°C. However, it was found that practically every spinel crystal examined contained significant amounts of matte inclusions. Further examination of converter slag revealed large quantities of irregularly shaped precipitated magnetite crystals which contained a large proportion of copper inclusions. Additional experimentation showed that the total copper content in reverberatory slag samples was greater than the sum of the estimated en- trained plus dissolved matte in the slag. This difference is believed to be significant and is due to the presence of matte inclusions in the spinel crystals. In the present reverberatory slag samples these inclusions accounted for about 1/2 of the amount of sulfide directly entrained in the slag.

Jan 1, 1976

By Leonard J. Friedman

The recovery of sulfur dioxide from metallurgical gases for the production of sulfuric acid has been an effective means of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions from non-ferrous smelters. Sulfuric acid has been produced from gas originating from fluid bed roasters, electric furnaces, reverberatory furnaces, flash smelting furnaces, Pierce Smith and flash converters, sinter machines, etc. The gas from each of these sources has a unique set of variables that affect the design and operation of the sulfuric acid plant. In addition, the sulfuric acid plant itself has been evolving, with new equipment designs and materials. This paper will review each of the unit operations in the gas cleaning and contact sections of the metallurgical sulfuric acid plant, discussing various equipment designs, materials and the handling of gas stream variables and impurities. The paper updates to 2006 previous works on metallurgical sulfuric acid plants by the authors.

Jan 1, 2006