Improving copper matte grade control in a concentrate flash furnace

Abstract Experimental study on the phase equilibria between copper matte with silica-saturated iron silicate slags was conducted at 1300 °C and $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 = 0.5 atm. The high-temperature isothermal equilibration in silica crucibles under controlled flowing CO-CO2-SO2-Ar was followed by quenching in an ice–water mixture and direct phase composition analyses by an electron probe X-ray microanalyzer. The equilibrium compositions for matte and slag, as well as the distribution coefficients, were displayed as a function of matte grade. The data set obtained at $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 = 0.5 atm and the previous study at $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 = 0.1 atm by the authors enabled an investigation on the impacts of $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 as well as Al2O3 and CaO additions on phase equilibria in the multiphase copper matte smelting system. Thermodynamic calculations using MTDATA software were performed to compare the experimental results with modeling. The present results enrich the fundamental thermodynamic information for the matte/slag/tridymite/gas equilibria in the primary copper smelting process at high $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 .

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97/00572 Computer simulation of Guxi flash furnace process for copper matte smelting

Fuel and Energy Abstracts ◽

10.1016/s0140-6701(97)80350-5 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 44

Keyword(s):

Computer Simulation ◽

Copper Matte ◽

Flash Furnace ◽

Furnace Process ◽

Matte Smelting

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Precious Metal Distributions Between Copper Matte and Slag at High $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ in WEEE Reprocessing

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B ◽

10.1007/s11663-021-02059-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 871-882

Author(s):

Min Chen ◽

Katri Avarmaa ◽

Lassi Klemettinen ◽

Hugh O’Brien ◽

Junjie Shi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

Precious Metal ◽

Electronic Waste ◽

Precious Metals ◽

Matte Grade ◽

Distribution Coefficients ◽

Copper Matte ◽

Copper Smelting ◽

Gold Silver ◽

Ar Gas

AbstractThe distributions of precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) between copper matte and silica-saturated FeOx-SiO2/FeOx-SiO2-Al2O3/FeOx-SiO2-Al2O3-CaO slags were investigated at 1300 °C and $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 = 0.5 atm. The experiments were carried out in silica crucibles under flowing CO-CO2-SO2-Ar gas atmosphere. The concentrations of precious metals in matte and slag were analyzed by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis and Laser Ablation-High-Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, respectively. The precious metal concentrations in matte and slag, as well as the distribution coefficients of precious metals between matte and slag, were displayed as a function of matte grade. The present results obtained at $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 of 0.5 atm were compared with previous results at $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 of 0.1 atm for revealing the effects of $$ P_{{{\text{SO}}_{ 2} }} $$ P SO 2 and selected slag modifiers (CaO and Al2O3) on precious metal distributions at copper matte smelting conditions. The present results also contribute experimental thermodynamic data of precious metal distributions in pyrometallurgical reprocessing of electronic waste via copper smelting processes.

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Thermodynamics of As, Sb and Bi distribution during reverb furnace smelting

Journal of Mining and Metallurgy Section B Metallurgy ◽

10.2298/jmmb0202093m ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 38 (1-2) ◽

pp. 93-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

N. Mitevska ◽

Zivan Zivkovic

Keyword(s):

Chemical Analysis ◽

Thermodynamic Analysis ◽

Minor Element ◽

Matte Grade ◽

Copper Smelter ◽

Distribution Coefficients ◽

Element Distribution ◽

Copper Matte ◽

Stable Operation ◽

Furnace Smelting

The results of thermodynamic analysis of arsenic, antimony and bismuth distribution between copper matte and discard slag in reverberatory smelting at 1573 K are shown in this paper. On the basis of chemical analysis of the melt samples taken during stable operation of the reverb furnace No.2 in the Copper Smelter and Refinery, RTB Bor (Yugoslavia), the distribution coefficients of As, Sb, and Bi between copper matte and slag are calculated. The influence of the matte grade on the minor element distribution coefficients between copper matte and slag is also analyzed, as well as arsenic, antimony and bismuth distribution in slag.

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Activity of Lead in Copper Matte at Very Low Lead Concentration

High Temperature Materials and Processes ◽

10.1515/htmp-2012-0118 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 197-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ty Tran ◽

Steven Wright ◽

Shouyi Sun

Keyword(s):

Activity Coefficient ◽

Gas Phase ◽

Gas Flow ◽

Matte Grade ◽

Copper Matte ◽

Lead Removal ◽

Calculated Concentration ◽

Flow Rates ◽

Concentration Changes ◽

Lead Species

AbstractThe thermodynamic behavior of lead in Cu-Fe matte was investigated using a transportation technique where argon gas was bubbled into a bath of copper matte containing approximately 100 ppm lead at temperatures between 1300 and 1400 °C. The effect of flow rate, temperature and matte grade were investigated on the lead transport from a bath containing 100 grams of synthetic copper matte to the gas phase. The concentration of lead in the bath was followed with time. At argon flow rates between 3 l h1 and 18 l h−1, it was observed that the concentration change of lead in the matte was found to follow a first order relationship where the calculated concentration at time t, is of the form [Pb] = a.e−b.t, where a is equal to the initial lead content in ppm, [Pb]i, and b is an exponential term and t is time in minutes. The partial pressure of lead species in the gas phase was calculated from the concentration changes in the matte and from the bubbling gas rate. At gas flow rates between 3 and 9 l h−1, the lead removal appeared to be under equilibrium conditions. At higher gas flow rates, the apparent rate decreased, mainly due to splashing of matte into the cold zone of the furnace. In these experiments with Ar as the carrier gas, the sulphur and oxygen partial pressures of the melt were not controlled. Chemical analysis of the major components in the matte showed only random variation with bubbling time, and so a thermodynamic solution model for copper matte was used to calculate the equilibrium sulphur pressure expected. From this approach the proportion of Pb, PbS and Pb2 species in the gas could be calculated knowing the relevant reaction constants, e.g., PbS(g) = Pb(g) + ½S2(g). From the proportions of the lead species in the gas, the value of the lead activity coefficient with respect to the gas state could be determined. For a 50% copper matte, it was found that the activity coefficient increased with temperature, from a value of 0.8 at 1300 °C to 1.4 at 1400 °C. At the white metal composition, this value was 0.28 at 1300 °C. These results are compared with other relevant studies in the literature.

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