The distributions of Ga, In, Sn, and Te between copper-iron mattes and silica-saturated iron silicate slags over a wide range of matte grades 55 to 75 pct Cu were determined at 1300 °C using a gas-phase equilibration-quenching technique and direct phase composition analysis by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis and Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Alumina from aluminum, a typical minor element of electric and electronic copper scrap, and lime were adopted as slag modifiers for increasing the trace element recoveries. Gallium and tin were distributed predominantly in the slag, indium preferred sulfide matte at low matte grades and slag at high, whereas tellurium strongly favored the sulfide matte in particular in high matte grades. The slag modifiers alumina and lime had a minor impact on the distribution coefficients of gallium and tin, but for indium and tellurium the distribution coefficients were more strongly affected by the basic oxides. The strong tendencies of tin and tellurium to vaporize at the experimental temperature were confirmed.
Innovative recycling routes are needed to fulfill the increasing demand for battery raw materials to ensure sufficiency in the future. The integration of battery scrap recycling and nickel slag cleaning by reduction with methane was experimentally researched for the first time in this study. Industrial nickel slag from the direct Outotec nickel flash smelting (DON) process was mixed with both synthetic and industrial battery scrap. The end products of the slag-scrap mixtures after reduction at 1400 °C in a CH4 (5 vol %)-N2 atmosphere were an Ni–Co–Cu–Fe metal alloy and FeOx–SiO2 slag. It was noted that a higher initial amount of cobalt in the feed mixture increased the recovery of cobalt to the metal alloy. Increasing the reduction time decreased the fraction of sulfur in the metal alloy and magnetite in the slag. After reduction, manganese was deported in the slag and most of the zinc volatilized. This study confirmed the possibility of replacing coke with methane as a non-fossil reductant in nickel slag cleaning on a laboratory scale, and the recovery of battery metals cobalt and nickel in the slag cleaning process with good yields.
With the aim of investigating deportments of precious metals in pyrometallurgical processing of waste electrical and electronic equipment, the distributions of selected precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) between copper matte and three different silica-saturated slags (pure FeO x -SiO 2 , FeO x -SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 , and FeO x -SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 -CaO slag) were investigated at 1300°C in controlled flowing CO-CO 2 -SO 2 -Ar gas atmosphere by a high-temperature isothermal equilibration technique. The phase compositions were analyzed by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis and Laser Ablation-High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. It was shown that the distribution coefficients of gold, platinum, and palladium between matte and slag (L m/s (Me) = [Me] in matte /(Me) in slag ) were very high and increased with increasing matte grade. The distributions to the matte phase were increased by adding basic oxides alumina and lime into the acidic silicate slags. The experimentally measured distribution coefficients L m/s (Me) followed the order of platinum > palladium > gold > silver. The present experimental results can be used for upgrading thermodynamic databases for the complex recycling processes through nonferrous smelting.
The effects of the amphoteric and basic oxides alumina and lime on the phase equilibria of copper matte and silica-saturated slags were investigated at 1300°C and P SO 2 = 0.1 atm in a controlled CO-CO 2 -SO 2 -Ar gas atmosphere using a high-temperature isothermal equilibration technique followed by rapid quenching. The equilibrium phase compositions were obtained by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis. The relationship between the copper concentration in matte and the oxygen partial pressure, iron, and sulfur in matte was quantified. The pure iron-silicate slag exhibited the highest copper loss in slag, although the addition of alumina and lime decreased its value by approximately a quarter and a half, respectively, at a matte grade of 65 wt pct Cu. In contrast, copper and sulfur were highly distributed in the matte phase, and their deportment to the matte was favored by addition of alumina and lime.
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