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By Michel Boisvert

Noranda Metallurgy is presently completing construction of the new Noranda Converter (NCV) at its Home Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda. This capital investment of CDN$56M is the continuation of the Emissions and SO2 Reduction Program that was initiated in the late 1980s with the acid plant for Reactor off-gas treatment. The Patented Noranda Converter was developed and pilot tested at the Home Smelter in the early 1990s. The project will replace the Peirce-Smith Converters and enable sulphur fixation to be 'increased from 70% to over 90% by 2002 with an accompanying reduction of dust emissions to the atmosphere. The construction site is an extension of the present Noranda Reactor area. A number of existing facilities including the acid plant and process air supply were used to minimize the capital cost of the project. This paper provides a brief history of the Noranda converting process, the Home Smelter Emissions and SO2 Reduction Program, ,project implementation and construction, a description of the different facilities, and preparation of human resources for start-up.

Jan 1, 1998

By Musa Karakus

The sedimentary iron ores of Alsace-Lorraine, France have very high phosphorous contents that average 0.7% and are as much as 2.19% P. Ores from the Tucquegnieux and Joeuf mines have been studied by cathodoluminescence microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe analysis in order to fully characterize the mineralogy, size, shape, and distribution of the deleterious phosphate grains. The phosphorous occurs as collophane, a carbonate fluorapatite, in ten morphological forms, most abundantly as microcoprolites, but also as intraclasts, concentric layers, and cortices in ooids, phosphate replaced ooids and bioclasts, phosphatiC shells, fossil infillings and internal molds, fish teeth, phosphatiC laminae, and cements between the goethite ooids. About 95% of the phosphate grains are sufficiently large that relatively fine grinding fol'lowed by reverse flotation would be expected to be effective in significantly diminishing the phosphorous content of the concentrates.

Jan 1, 1989

By G. Kyle Green

Zirconium chlorinator residues contain an array of rare earths, scandium, unreacted coke, and radioactive thorium and radium. Because of the radioactivity, the residues must be disposed in special waste containment facilities. As these sites become more congested, and with stricter environmental regulations, disposal of large volumes of wastes may become more difficult. To reduce the mass of disposed material, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) developed technology to recover rare earths, thorium and radium, and unreacted coke from these residues. This technology employs an HCl leach to solubilize over 99% of the scandium and thorium, and over 90% of the rare earths. The leach liquor is processed through several solvent extraction stages to selectively recover scandium, thorium, and rare earths. The leach residue is further leached with an organic acid to solubilize radium, thus allowing unreacted coke to be recycled to the chlorinator. The thorium and radium waste products, which comprise only 2.1% of the original residue mass, can then be sent to the radioactive waste facility.

Jan 1, 1995

By Masaru Imaizumi, Hiroyuki Nomura, Mitsuharu Takita

"Cast iron possesses many superior characteristics caused from precipitated graphite structure, for example, castability, wear resistance, solid lubrication, damping capacity. But the more graphite hyper-eutectic cast iron contains, the lower its mechanical strength becomes, because graphite gives a negative effect to strength of cast iron. In addition, primary graphite tends to segregate during solidification, so uniform materials are difficult to be produced.In this study, authors introduced semi-solid processing in developing new and high quality cast iron. A series of semi-solid processing experiments were carried out to clarify the effect of stirring condition; solidification temperature and etc. on microstructures and characteristics of cast iron. In particular much attention is paid to the appearance of ternary eutectic zone at the final stage of solidification. As the results advanced hyper-eutectic cast iron was obtained with high quality of both the mechanical strength and wear resistance. As for the mechanical strength, 300MPa and 0.60% are obtained as the tensile strength and the elongation values, respectively, under the controlled stirring condition. This indicates that semi-solid processed hyper-eutectic cast iron is used prospectively without spheroidization.IntroductionCast iron has various good properties such as wear resistance, solid lubrication, damping capacity and machinability. The characteristics of cast iron are mainly decided by graphite structure, namely graphite shape and its distribution in the matrix. Mechanical strength of cast iron is large in the case of small quantity of graphite particles which are precipitated uniformly, however, it becomes small in the case of large quantity of graphite precipitated flakily."

Jan 1, 2000

By Christina Viklund-White

Life Cycle Assessment has been used to compare the environmental performance of landfilling versus recycling of the zinc used for galvanizing steel. Hypothetical process routes were com-posed involving four different EAF dust treatment processes; Waelz kiln, DC-furnace, EZINEX and slag fuming, as well as scrap dezincing. The study shows that recycling of zinc used for galvanizing steel has environmental benefits in that it saves zinc resources. However, zinc recovery does not necessarily decrease the potential impact on global warming and acidification. The magnitude of these two impact categories is tightly correlated with the amount and type of primary energy consumed in a process. Due to the high electricity consumption in the dezincing process, this route has the highest impact on Global Warming Potential as well as Acidification Potential. The major part of the energy requirement for the production of zinc from primary and secondary sources is consumed in the reduction of ZnO to Zn. The consequence is that the theoretically possible savings in primary energy by recycling zinc-containing materials are relatively minor. The impact categories "land use" and "waste generation" are not considered in this study, but most likely the evaluation of such impacts would further increase the potential environmental impact of the landfill alternative. The results also show that the location of an electricity-intensive process highly affects the potential environmental impact. Comparing process and material alternatives in LCA studies where branch average data is used, is considerably more complex than when LCA is used within a company.

Jan 1, 2000

By Singareddy R. Reddy, Ramana G. Reddy

"The Margules equation is used for interpreting excess Gibbs energy of several ternary systems. An expression for the activity coefficient of a dilute solute, 2(oxygen), in a binary solvent 1-3 is derived. It is used to calculate the logarithmic activity coefficient of oxygen in Pb-O-Gu, Pb-O-Bi, AgO- Sn, Pb-O-Sn and Ag-O-Pb metallic systems. Self interaction parameter of the solute is derived from the partial Gibbs energy of solute using constant compositional path. The derived equation is used successfully to deduce the self interaction parameter of oxygen in Pb-O-Gu and Pb-O-Bi metallic systems. The predicted thermodynamic parameter data i.e activity coefficient and self-interaction parameters are in an excellent agreement with the experimental data and also our predictions are far more accurate than the predictions made by other models.1 IntroductionThe nature of solute interactions such as oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur with the metallic solutions are important for a number of chemical and metallurgical processes. Several theories [1-23] have been developed to evaluate fundamental thermodynamic properties of solutes constituting two elements. The activity of solutes has been calculated using statisticalor quasi- chemical approach.Wagner's [4] Ideal Solvent Model is based on one energy parameter to describe the compositional dependencies of the activity coefficient of nonmetallic solutes such as oxygen in binary metallic solutions. This model depends on a constant energy of interaction for the exchange of atoms from the coordination shell of an oxygen atom to the shell of an interstitial site and cannot account for properties of strongly interacting systems [4]. Therefore, several attempts have been made to improve the Wagner's model for the strongly interacting systems. [10-16]."

Jan 1, 1996

By Y. A. Chang, L. M. Pike, C. R. Kao

"Knowledge of the site preference of ternary solute additions is essential to developing an understanding of how these solutes affect the properties of B2 intermetallic compounds. A quasichemical model will be presented which is able to predict the site preferences of dilute solute additions to tliple defect B2 compounds. The only parameters required are enthalpies of formation at the stoichiometric composition. General equations are developed which can be used to determine site occupations and defect concentrations for dilute as well as non-dilute solute additions. These equations use atom pair bond enthalpies as the parameters. It is found that the site preferences of dilute additions are not always in agreement with predictions based on the solubility lobes in ternary Gibbs isothelms. Predictions for dilute additions to NiAl and FeAl are compared to expel1mental results found in the literature. Satisfactory correlation is found between the model and the experimental results. In addition, the predictions from the model on vacancy concentrations in Fe doped NiAl are compared to recent experimental results by the authors.1.0 IntroductionIntennetallic compounds with the B2 crystal structure such as NiAl and FeAl have been investigated recently for possible use as structural materials in high temperature, oxidizing, and/or corrosive environments. The major limiting property of these materials has been a lack of sufficient room temperature ductility. Attempts to improve the ductility have often been made through ternary or higher order alloying. For B2 compounds, substitutional alloying additions can occupy either of the two sublattices and this site occupancy can be crucial in determining how the alloying addition affects the properties of the alloy. In this manuscript we will discuss the use of thelmodynamic modeling to predict the site occupancies of ternary alloying additions in B2 compounds with the triple defect structure."

Jan 1, 1996

By Zemin Ma

A novel chromate [Cr(VI)] reducing bacterium was isolated from chromite ore processing residue disposal site of China and identified as a Leucobacter sp. by 16S rRNA gene sequence homology. The minimum inhibitory concentration of strain CRB1 was 820 mg l-1 of Cr(VI). The reduction of Cr(VI) occurred only under aerobic conditions. With an initial concentration of 2.5×108 cells ml-1, 1800 mg l-1 of Cr(VI) was reduced entirely within 38 h under the optimum conditions, at 30 °C and pH 9.0. Increasing Cr(VI) concentrations prolonged reduction process and higher cell densities meant quicker reduction. A blue precipitate was produced during chromate reduction of strain CRB1, which was binding to the surface of bacterial cells and determined as trivalent chromium with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry. The conspicuous chromate reduction ability of Leucobacter sp. CRB1 suggested a potential for bioremediation of Cr(VI) containing wastes.

Jan 1, 2008

By Yuzhe Zhang, Matthew Andriese, Jiann-Yang Hwang, Guanghui Li, Zhiwei Peng, Tao Jiang

The microwave power absorption characteristics of iron oxides, including Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and Fe0.925O, have been studied by determining dielectric loss and magnetic loss distributions in 0.05-m-thick oxide slabs irradiated with 1.2-kW, 2.45-GHz microwaves. The results reveal that the dielectric loss is the main factor contributing to microwave absorption in Fe2O3 and Fe0.925O, while the magnetic loss dominates the power absorption in Fe3O4 below its Curie point. Uneven power distributions are observed in the slabs and this phenomenon becomes even worse at high temperatures at which the permittivity increases significantly. Quantification of power absorption in the oxides is of great importance for efficient and uniform microwave heating

Jan 1, 2015

By G. L. Pedroti

With the development of industrial processes and the consequent emergence of numerous products that quickly become necessities, industrial activity has acquired an essential character today. Although its importance is unquestionable, industrial activity is responsible for generating quite a large number of residues, with different shapes and characteristics. It has been observed, in particular the grits (Kraft process in the cellulose industry) and the residue from the processing of granite. And, given the importance of Portland cement as a building material, its vast employment and waste properties that resemble components of the clinker, it was decided to produce cementitious compounds from these industrial wastes. The residues were subjected to mineralogical, chemical, physical and morphological. And, the mixing ratio between the residues in the 70% and 30% grits residue granite was sintered at 1250 ° C furnaces to burn threshold of 6 hours forming new compounds observing tri-calcium aluminate and di-calcium silicate that are compounds found in portland cement.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. E. M. Warner

In co Limited has long and extensive experience in converting nickel-copper primary smelting mattes over a broad range of nickel/copper weight ratios and combined nickel-copper-cobalt contents. At the Copper Cliff Smelter, the composition of the converter product matte has to meet the requirements of the matte separation process; at the Thompson Smelter, converter matte of a different composition is cast into anodes for nickel electrorefining; and in Soroako, Indonesia, a very low copper product matte is granulated for the Japanese market. Recently, Inco has conducted pilot plant testing of three possible nickel-copper matte continuous converting routes, namely flash converting, oxygen top blowing-nitrogen bottom stirring, and tuyere blowing. This test work has generated substantial new information on nickel-copper matte converting chemistry. This overview paper reviews the metallurgy of nickel-copper matte converting, in particular the behaviour of cobalt and the operating conditions required to meet the iron and sulfur specifications of the product matte. The relevant thermodynamic information is used to discuss the industrial data.

Jan 1, 2003

By John R. FitzPatrick

The separation and purification of uranium from either nitric acid or hydrochloric acid media tan be accomplished by using either solvent extraction or ion-exchange. Over the past two years at Los Alamos, emerging programs are focused on recapturing the expertise required to do limited, small-quantity processing of enriched uranium. During this period of time, we have been investigating ion-exchange as a method for extraction/purification of uranium from acidic media. In addition, waste stream polishing is associated with this effort in order to achieve more complete removal of the uranium prior to recycle of the acid. Extraction chromatography has been demonstrated' to further polish the uranium from both nitric and hydrochloric acid media thus allowing for a more complete recovery of the actinide material and creation of less waste during the processing steps. We will discuss contact experiments for evaluation of eleven different resins for uranium removal from nitric acid, the evaluation (again by contact experiments) of uranium elution from the ion-exchange media by various chemicals, and small-scale experiments for the removal of 235U from nitric acid. Larger-scale (100-gram) flow experiments using depleted uranium, were done after the small-scale evaluation Of the selected resin. A discussion is also included concerning the shortcomings of the contact experiments and how the flow experiments were modified in order to overcome these problems. We will also discuss the application of ion-exchange for some specific process needs at Los Alamos Contact experiments were used to evaluate some commercially available solvent-impregnated resins in addition to evaluation of several resins of this type synthesized in our laboratory. These experiments' involved both nitric and hydrochloric acid media. The data from these experiments will be used to determine the column size and' amount of resin required to polish the waste stream produced by the ion-exchange process described above. Small-scale flow experiments will be described and data given on the mass balances achieved using this two step process. Future work for evaluation of new ion-exchange and solvent-impregnated resins as well as the search for new eluants will be discussed. Other future experiments for both processes, including large-scale experiments, will be discussed in detail.

Jan 1, 1996

By Qinghai Pang

"With the increasing proportion of bituminous coal in blend coal, the safety of blend coal during pulverization and transportation is gradually being paid more and more attention. Therefore, the explosivity of bituminous pulverized coal (PC) with different volatile content from 25 to 38% was studied by measuring the combustion flame length after its injection into a glass pipe with the heat source installed in the center. The results indicated that high volatile content bituminous PC is apt to have higher explosivity. By blending different bituminous PC with 10% anthracite, the explosivity of bituminous PC showed a positive correlation with the proportion –OH radical. However, different bituminous PC seemed to have the same explosivity when the addition of anthracite increased to 20%. With the further increasing proportion of anthracite to 30%, the explosivity of bituminous PC with high –OH proportion became negligible while a weak explosivity of high –CH3 proportion bituminous PC still remained.IntroductionWith the increasing iron ore prices and decreasing steel prices, it has become critical for iron and steel enterprises to control the cost in ironmaking and steelmaking process. Blast furnaces (BF) are the main consumer in ironmaking process, which occupies 70% fuel consumption of total steelmaking process [1]. In this circumstance, any means necessary is taken by BF operators to lower the cost of iron in production. Coke and iron ore are the main expense in this process, who takes up a very high proportion in total cost. Pulverized coal injection (PCI) is the most efficient way to reduce coke ratio, which replace coke with relatively cheaper PC.At present, most of BF is injected with blend coal in the consideration of decent combustion property and quantity of heat. Simultaneously, bituminite and anthracite blending is an effective method to obtain blend coals with required composition and performance, such as volatile and ash content, etc. Nevertheless, a very huge gap was found between the price of bituminous coal and anthracite in some regions of China, in which the price of bituminite can be just 70% of the price of anthracite. Thus, iron enterprises in these regions attempt to possibly amplify the proportion of bituminite in blend coal. Increasing proportion of bituminite results in higher volatile content in blend coal, by which the safety of blend coal during pulverization or transportation was deteriorated.Relatively, coals with higher volatile content usually possess stronger explosivity, which means that volatile and explosivity may related to some extent. However, the relationship between volatile and explosivity is not of certainty for some PC with high volatile content around 40% was found to be inexplosive in comparison to the coals with lower volatile content. With the increasing proportion of bituminous coal in blend coal, investigations on the factors of PC explosivity have become more and more important. Therefore, bituminous coals with different volatile content were selected. The explosivity of blend coal and its relationship between volatile content and functionality was investigated in this research."

Jan 1, 2014

By T. T. Chen

This mineralogical study is based on samples from typical "wet" nickel laterites of humid tropical to sub-tropical regions. An in-situ nickel laterite sample from Goro and a transported laterite sample from Plaine des Lacs, New Caledonia, are predominantly limonitic. Two-thirds of the particles in the Goro sample are <10 um in size; they consist of skeletal goethite and serpentine, as well as minor amounts of talc, gibbsite, chlorite, quartz and clay minerals. The coarser grains are mainly Cr-spinel, serpentine, gibbsite and Mn oxide. Nickel occurs mainly in goethite, serpentine and Mn oxide; cobalt occurs in goethite and Mn oxide. The Plaine des Lacs sample is finer-grained and contains more Al and CO3, but less Mg and Si than the Goro material. The sample contains more kaolinite, chlorite, siderite and feldspar, but less serpentine and gibbsite than the Goro material. Nickel is detected mainly in goethite, serpentine, Fe-Mg silicate and Fe-Mn oxide. The Indonesian ore from Sorowako, as sampled from the reduction kiln feed containing some reverts, is predominantly saprolitic, with apparent particle sizes ranging from <100 um to > 1 cm. The sample of reduction kiln feed is rich in Mg silicates, Mg-Fe silicates and goethite, and exhibits complex alteration textures. The nickel contents vary from particle to particle. Nickel is present mainly in serpentine, olivine, chlorite and amphibole, and in subordinate amounts in goethite and Mn oxide. Cobalt is detected in the Mn oxide. Keywords: Nickel Laterite; Mineralogy; Nickel Carriers; Goro, New Caledonia; Plaine des Lacs, New Caledonia; PT Inco., Sorowaki, Indonesia

Jan 1, 2004

By Philip Arthur

The ISASMELT process is making a significant contribution to the global metals industry. ISASMELT furnaces are now operating successfully in eight different countries and treating approximately 3 million tonnes of concentrates and secondary materials per year. The process is currently used in both lead and copper smelting. The most recently commissioned plants were in Germany and China, one for treating scrap copper and the other treating low-grade copper concentrates. The Copper ISASMEL T furnace ("CIF") at Mount Isa Mines Limited (UMIM") has continued to set new operational records, with throughput of more than I million tonnes of concentrate per year and very low operating costs. This paper summarises the latest operational data from the Mount Isa Copper ISASMEL T plant and outlines the successful approach to industrial R&D taken by MIM in the development of the ISASMEL T process.

Jan 1, 2003

By Frederick T. Wallenberger

"Laser assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) is a new containerless fiber process whereby growth of small diameter fibers or microstructures (microsprings, microsolenoids) occurs directly from the vapor phase. The laser beam has a focal point adjusted to coincide with the tip of the growing fiber inside the reaction chamber. Since the growing fiber is not in contact with reactor walls or foreign materials, it is chemically pure, and suitable for optical uses and uses requiring high structural uniformity. Continuous fibers and multifilament yams are possible. The use -of high reaction chamber pressures (1-10 bar) and a small wavelength Nd-YAG laser made it possible to fabricate small diameter fibers at growth rates >1 mm/s. This paper describes the synthesis of single crystal, polycrystalline and amorphous fibers by LCVD, and provides a comprehensive analysis of phase transformations occurring during their fabrication.IntroductionLaser assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) is a new containerless fiber process [1-10] whereby growth of small diameter fibers or microstructures occurs directly from the vapor phase. The laser beam has a focal point adjusted to coincide with the tip of the growing fiber in the reaction chamber (Figure 1). The diameter of the growing fiber corresponds to that of the laser focus. Depending primarily on the laser energy (Le., the temperature at the growing fiber tip), it is possible to obtain single crystal, poly crystalline or amorphous fibers by this method.Since the growing fiber is not in contact with reactor walls or foreign materials, it is chemically pure, and suitable for optical uses and uses requiring high structural uniformity. Laser assisted CVD is a potentially continuous process; continuous fibers and multifilament yams are possible."

Jan 1, 1994

By R. M. Taylor

Lime addition to acid mine drainage (AMD) leads to precipitation, predominantly of metal hydroxides and calcium sulfate, and is the benchmark for remediation by precipitation. Geo2 Limited of Melbourne, Australia has developed and patented a novel alternative precipitation scheme based on the formation of mixed valency, M(I1)-M(III), hydroxide sulfate salts. When the composition of AMD is appropriate, the Green Precipitate Process provides a useful and more effective alternative to conventional liming. The characteristics and utility of the Green Precipitate Process are described in terms of the underlying chemistry, and a case study where the Green Precipitate process outperforms conventional liming. A mobile pilot pipe reactor rig which was built by Geo2 to demonstrate the process, and used successfully in both Australia and the United States, is described.

Jan 1, 1998

By M. Girgis

The behavior of arsenic III during electrolytic refining of copper in acidic copper ?sulphate electrolytes was studied by different electrochemical methods such as, linear potential sweep, cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry. The study showed that arsenic behaves as a depolarizing ion and has a deleterious effect on copper deposit. Three substrates; Pb, Cu and Ag were used during the refining process and the electrode kinetics were found similar for both Cu and Pb electrodes while a little difference was found for the Ag electrode. A microscopic study by scanning electron microscope was undertaken to show the influence of arsenic on deposit&apos;s morphology. Surface analyses of the deposit were carried out by some electronspectroscopic techniques such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that arsenic coexists with copper deposit at potential?~ -0.25 V.

Jan 1, 1987

By M. C. Furerstenau

Adsorption behavior of various surfactants on sulfide minerals is very much affected by the nature of the surface of the mineral. Since sulfides are naturally meta-stable, oxidation occurs when they are exposed to air, especially in aqueous environments. As a result. oxygen assumes a major role in sulfide flotation. Mechanisms of adsorption of various thiol collectors on sulfide minerals have been reviewed. The electrochemical behavior of various sulfide minerals has also been reviewed. Flotation behavior of galena, chalcocite, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and pentlandite has been presented together with the. flotation of copper sulfide- nickel sulfide ore.

Jan 1, 1993

By Mark Jolly, Xiaojun Dai

"Foundry engineers in the traditional foundry usually regard the quality of casting component as the most important issue and leave the energy saving or energy efficiency as the subsidiary one. This frequently causes disproportionate energy consumption as a result of the inefficient casting processes used and increases the production costs. This paper presents the novel CRIMSON aluminium casting process and compares its facility and melting process with traditional melt furnaces and aluminium alloy melting process. A real example is investigated to demonstrate quantitatively how the traditional foundry wastes energy and what the improvement of energy efficiency can be achieved using the new CRIMSON method. The results of this investigation will help the foundry engineer recognize the importance of energy saving and demonstrate how to use this new technology to reduce production costs and carbon footprint without decreasing the quality of the cast component.IntroductionAluminium melting in metal casting industry is an energy intensive process where it is estimated that the energy consumption is in the order of 1,700 ~ 4,700 kWh tonne-1 in using crucible and natural gas [1]. Different countries may use different energy resources for aluminium melting: in US the main energy resources are natural gas, electricity and coke [2] and in UK most of the foundry use electricity, gas and oil as energy resources [3]. Due to the pressure of rising energy price and the strict environment law, it is anticipated that under the right socioeconomic conditions, the efficiency optimisation of industrial process can be an important step toward increased industrial sustainability [4]. In metal casting industry the energy efficiency of a casting facility depends largely on the efficiency of its melting and heat treating performance. In association with the two performances, over 60 % of the total process energy costs are represented in a typical casting facility [5] where there are huge opportunities for metal casting industry to adopt the best energy practices for potential energy saving. How to ameliorate the current processes for increasing energy efficiency will have a vital effect on reducing the production costs and increasing the competitiveness. For instance, by implementing some state of the art technologies such as the CRIMSON method in aluminium alloy casting will make use of such opportunities."

Jan 1, 2011