Characterization of copper smelter slag and recovery of residual metals from these residues

Echeverry-Vargas, Luver; Rojas-Reyes, Néstor Ricardo; Estupinan, Edgar Alberto

doi:10.19053/01211129.v26.n44.2017.5772

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…The relationship between the quantity of slag produced and the metal produced differs on the basis of the product. The authors of [39] estimated that approximately 0.6 tons of slag is produced for each ton of Pb by a smelter in France. According to [19], about 2.2 tons of slag is generated for each ton of Cu generated around the globe.…”

Section: Nonferrous Slagmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CS contains various heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, copper, nickel, iron, and cobalt. Even though these metals are at low concentrations, following prolonged disposal, their concentration can increase over time with effects on the environment (plants, animals, and human beings) [39,81,82]. One of the most common effects on humans caused by the ingestion of copper is paralysis, which in most cases leads to death due to gastric hemorrhage.…”

Section: Effect Of Slag On People and Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental and Socioeconomic Impact of Copper Slag—A Review

et al. 2021

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Copper slag is generated when copper and nickel ores are recovered from their parent ores using a pyrometallurgical process, and these ores usually contain other elements which include iron, cobalt, silica, and alumina. Slag is a major problem in the metallurgical industries as it is dumped into heaps which have accumulated into millions of tons over the years. Moreover, they pose a danger to the environment as they occupy vacant land (space problems). Over the past few years, studies have been conducted to investigate the copper slag-producing outlets to learn their behavior, as well as properties of slag, to have the knowledge of how to better reuse and recycle copper slag. This review article provides the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of slag, as well as a characterization of copper slag, with the aim of reusing and recycling the slag to benefit the environment and economy. Recycling methods are considered an attractive technological pathway for reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as promoting the concept of circular economy through the utilization of waste. These metal elements have value depending on their characteristics; hence, copper slag is considered as a secondary source of valuable metals. Some of the pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes to consider are physical separation, magnetic separation, flotation, leaching, and direct reduction roasting of iron (DRI). Some of the possible metals that can be recovered from the copper slag include Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, and Ag (precious metals).

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Section: Nonferrous Slagmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effect Of Slag On People and Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impact of Copper Slag—A Review

et al. 2021

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“…Copper is one of the metals whose ore reserves have been depleted in many areas, with slag reprocessing being common as a way of supplementing the fresh concentrates in smelters [17]. Approximately 2 tons of slag per tonne of copper produced is generated in a typical pyrometallurgical process [6,7,18]. Environmental and socio-economic impacts of such slags are some compelling considerations in favour of further recovery of valuable metals [19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineralogical Characterization of Historic Copper Slag to Guide the Recovery of Valuable Metals: A Namibian Case Study

Dzinomwa¹,

Mapani²,

Nghipulile³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The depletion of the ore reserves in the world necessitates the search for secondary sources such as waste products (tailings and slag). A smelter in Namibia has historic slag which accumulated over decades of its operating life. Analytical and mineralogical characterization of the slag was performed using the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), ICP-OES, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis, and optical microscopy analysis. The chemical analyses showed that the metal values contained in the slag were mainly copper, lead, and zinc whose average contents were approximately 0.3%Cu, 2.4%Pb and 3.2%Zn. About 10.5%Fe was also contained in the slag. Germanium was detected by scanning electron microscopy, but was however below detection limits of the chemical analysis equipment used. Based on the results, approximate conditions under which the different slag phases were formed were estimated and the recovery routes for the various metals were proposed. Analysis by both optical and scanning electron microscopy revealed that Zn and Fe occurred mainly in association with O as oxides, while Cu and Pb were mainly associated with S as sulphides. The slag consisted of three different phases; namely the silicate phase (slag), metallic phase and the sulphide phases. The slag phases were mainly glass, silicate phases and metallic and sulphide phases. It was observed that the metallic and sulphide phases were dominant in the finer size fractions (-75 µm) whereas the sulphide phase was also present in the coarser size fractions (+300 µm). An important finding from the microscopy examination was that the sulphide phases were interstitial and could be liberated from the slag. This finding meant that liberation and subsequent concentration of the sulphide phases was feasible using conventional processing techniques.

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“…At present, roughly 80% of the global copper production is from sulphide ores [5]. Copper needs to be concentrated to separate it from the gangue material in the ore by a pyrometallurgical process which requires high temperatures for the reduction to occur.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This process produces significant amount of the tailings that contain a bulk of other base metals. Most of these tailings contain between 30-40% iron and 35-40% silica, less than 10% alumina & oxidized calcium and 1% of copper [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of copper slag for beneficiation of iron and copper

Gabasiane

Danha

Mamvura

et al. 2021

Heliyon

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Before disposal of any metallurgical waste to the environment, it is the responsibility of mining institutes to adhere to the permissible metal content limits. Base metals, especially iron and copper, have adverse effects of reducing the soil pH and excessive concentrations of these in the disposed waste may result in soil pollution and toxicity, with adverse effects on plant growth and animal health. Copper slag is a metallurgical waste that is disposed by way of stockpiling at designated dump sites within a mining site. The observed depletion of highgrade iron ores in Botswana and the environmental hazards associated with disposal of untreated metallurgical waste, presents an opportunity for research on secondary sources of iron and copper. Our characterization results show that this BCL copper slag is a good secondary source of base metals, especially iron and copper. These results reveal that the elemental proportion of iron was around 35.4%. Literature states that an iron grade that is considered viable for economic beneficiation should be at least 25% and this slag has an iron content above this limit, hence poses a serious environmental threat upon disposal. This article presents an investigation into the mineralogy of the copper slag at a plant situated in Selebi Phikwe, a town in the northern part of Botswana. Quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN) quantified that no cobaltsulphide was detected and strongly indicated that the cobalt within the sample occurs in solid solution in either the fayalite phase or glass phase. Spot analysis from electron probe microanalyzer (EPMS) images indicated an unusually high content of copper compared to any other metal. We elucidate that, this was due to the inefficient processing techniques employed during operational years of the mine. The relative compositions of Co, Fe, Ni and Cu were 0.14%, 35.4%, 0.28% and 0.29% respectively. This analysis justifies our interest in considering this copper slag as a secondary source of iron for beneficiation purposes.

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Characterization of copper smelter slag and recovery of residual metals from these residues

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impact of Copper Slag—A Review

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impact of Copper Slag—A Review

Mineralogical Characterization of Historic Copper Slag to Guide the Recovery of Valuable Metals: A Namibian Case Study

Characterization of copper slag for beneficiation of iron and copper

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