Manganese and Aluminium Recovery from Ferromanganese Slag and Al White Dross by a High Temperature Smelting-Reduction Process

The recovery of Mn and Al from two industrial waste of ferromanganese and aluminum production processes was investigated via implementing a high temperature smelting—aluminothermic reduction process. The experiments were carried out with or without CaO flux addition, and two dross qualities. It was observed that the prepared mixtures of the materials yield homogeneous metal and slag products in terms of chemical composition and the distribution of phases. However, the separation of produced metal phase from the slag at elevated temperatures occurs when a higher amount of CaO is added. Viscosity calculations and equilibrium study indicated that the better metal and slag separation is obtained when the produced slag has lower viscosity and lower liquidus. It was found that the process yields Al-Mn-Si alloys, and it is accompanied with complete recovery of Mn, Si and Fe and the unreacted Al in the process. Moreover, the quality of metal product was less dependent on the slightly different dross quality, and the concentration of minor Ca in metal is slightly increased with significant increase of CaO in the slag phase.

Using of aluminium slags and products of their pro‑cessing in metallurgical production

The work contains the results of the analysis of technical literature and author’s research on the use of aluminium slags and products of their processing in metallurgical production. It has been shown that the bulk of reagents derived from secondary aluminum production wastes (APWs) are used with increased sodium and potassium chloride. This creates some inconvenience for out‑of‑furnace steel treatment due to the increased chloride content in the working area. It is proposed for steel processing to use APWs formed during flux‑free melting or dump aluminium slags. This allows to reduce the content of salt fluxes residues to 1.0–1.5 % and to improve working conditions at ladle furnaces when liquefying refining slags.

Source Apportionment of Particulate Matter in Urban Snowpack Using End-Member Mixing Analysis and Positive Matrix Factorization Model

The aim of this study was to identify particulate matter (PM) sources and to evaluate their contributions to PM in the snowpack of three East Siberian cities. That was the first time when the PM accumulated in the snowpack during the winter was used as the object for source apportionment study in urban environment. The use of long-term integrated PM samples allowed to exclude the influence of short-term weather conditions and anthropogenic activities on PM chemistry. To ascertain the real number of PM sources and their contributions to air pollution the results of source apportionment using positive matrix factorization model (PMF) were for the first time compared to the results obtained using end-member mixing analysis (EMMA). It was found that Si, Fe and Ca were the tracers of aluminosilicates, non-exhaust traffic emissions and concrete deterioration respectively. Aluminum was found to be the tracer of both fossil fuel combustion and aluminum production. The results obtained using EMMA were in good agreement with those obtained using PMF. However, in some cases, the non-point sources identified using PMF were the combinations of two single non-point sources identified using EMMA, whereas the non-point sources identified using EMMA were split by PMF into two single non-point sources. The point sources were clearly identified using both techniques.

How to Design the Utilization of Larger Scrap Share in Aluminum Production

The production of Al-alloys is mainly based on electrolytic pure Al alloyed with the necessary other elements, which are added in high purity into the melt pool during smelting processes. This fact is responsible for high costs and emissions during aluminum production. The usage of aluminum scrap in its downstream production processes provides multiple benefits since it reduces the overall cost of aluminum production by preserving raw materials through the utilization of scrap streams. This work provides some indicative examples with the aim to propose and demonstrate alternative ways to exploit aluminum waste for the production of aluminum alloys.

Utilization Prospects of Carbon Concentrate – a Product of Aluminium Smelting Carbon Dust Processing

The possibilities of utilization of technogenic products of aluminum production: coal foam and carbon concentrate (СС) are considered. It is proposed to utilize CC in order to extract valuable components. The regularities of the utilization process of CC by the combustion method have been studied. It was found that the content of germanium in ash is determined by the temperature and the oxygen partial pressure in the system. Gallium is concentrated in ash in an amount of 0.8 wt.% during the combustion in a fluidized bed at a temperature of 1200 °C, the germanium extraction into sublimates reaches 90 %. The results of the leaching of gallium from the ash residue in acidic and basic media are presented; the maximum gallium extraction was 90 and 94 %, respectively.

An Investigation to the Industry 4.0 Readiness of Manufacturing Enterprises

The visions of what constitutes the Industry 4.0 is an industry based on gains in efficiency and productivity enhancements supported by integrated, smart information systems. This has caused information systems strategic misalignment that present a severe barrier to National and organizational aspirations. This paper studies the readiness of manufacturing companies for the Industry 4.0, by using a case study of Chinese multinational enterprise in the aluminum production sector. The research design follows a rigorous grounded theory approach, which consisted of 41 semi-structured interviews in 7 different company branches. Based on this case study, the paper proposes an IS strategic misalignment model that identifies three levels of misalignment that need to be resolved before the vision of the smart industry can be realized. Six main categories of causes and five main categories of consequences of IS strategic misalignment are presented. This study contributes to the IS alignment literature and provides important implications for the achievement of Industry 4.0 in practice.

High- and Ultra-High-Purity Aluminum, a Review on Technical Production Methodologies

Aluminum and aluminum-based alloys have been used for many years. In view of the increase in material purity requirements of advanced technology products, research regarding high-purity aluminum has gained significant attention in recent years. In this review, we seek to describe the fundamental purification principles and the mechanisms of various segregation techniques used to produce high-purity aluminum. Moreover, we aim to provide an overview of high-purity aluminum production, with particular emphasis on: (a) principles on how to produce high-purity aluminum by layer- and suspension-based segregation methods; (b) discussion of various influencing process parameters for each technique, including three-layer electrolysis, vacuum distillation, organic electrolysis, suspension-based segregation, zone melting, Pechiney, Cooled Finger, and directional solidification; as well as (c) investigations of fundamental working principles of various segregation methods and corresponding reported end-purification for the production of HP-Al. Eventually, the end-reported product purity, and advantages and disadvantages of various purification methods and technologies are summarized. By analyzing and comparing the characteristics of different methods, we put forward suggestions for realizing efficient and environmentally friendly production of high-purity aluminum in the future.