Effect of Fe/SiO2 Ratio and Fe2O3 on the Viscosity and Slag Structure of Copper-Smelting Slags

Secondary copper smelting is an effective means of treating waste resources. During the smelting process, the viscous behavior of the smelting slags is essential for smooth operation. Therefore, the effects of Fe/SiO2 ratio and Fe2O3 contents on the viscous behavior of the FeO−Fe2O3−SiO2−8 wt%CaO−3 wt%MgO−3 wt%Al2O3 slag system were investigated. The slag viscosity and activation energy for viscous flow decrease with increasing Fe/SiO2 from 0.8 to 1.2, and increase as the Fe2O3 content increases from 4 wt% to 16 wt% at Fe/SiO2 ratio of 1.2. However, under the conditions of Fe/SiO2 of 0.8 and 1.0, the viscosity and activation energy for viscous flow show a minimum value at Fe2O3 content of 12 wt%. Fe2O3 exhibits amphoteric properties. In addition, the increase in Fe2O3 content raises the breaking temperature of the slag, while the Fe/SiO2 ratio has the opposite effect. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy show that increases in Fe/SiO2 ratio lead to simplification of the silicate network structure, while increases in Fe2O3 content improves the formability of the network. This study provides theoretical support for the related research and application of secondary copper smelting.

Distribution of As within Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Fractions of Fluidized-Bed Coal Combustion Ash

Separation of coal ash into magnetic and non-magnetic fractions facilitates their utilization when processed separately. Due to desulphurization additives added to coal during the fluidised-bed combustion, non-magnetic fractions often contain elevated CaO levels (while magnetic concentrates are typically rich in Fe2O3). Both CaO and Fe2O3 are known for their ability to bind As during the combustion, whose distribution is a crucial parameter in terms of proper utilization of these fractions. Therefore, the study deals with the As partitioning within magnetic and non-magnetic fractions of fluidized-bed coal combustion ashes. Two different (successive) procedures of dry magnetic separation were used to separate each ash into strongly magnetic, less magnetic, and a non-magnetic fraction. Due to their optimal utilization, the concentrations of As and other target elements in these fractions were evaluated and compared. Magnetic concentrates from the first separation step (in vibrofluidized state) contained 60–70% Fe2O3, magnetic concentrates separated manually out of the residues after the first separation contained 26–41% Fe2O3, and the non-magnetic residues contained 2.4–3.5% Fe2O3. Arsenic levels were the highest in the non-magnetic residues and gradually decreased with the increasing Fe2O3 content in the magnetic fractions. The dominant As association in the studied samples was to CaO (r = +0.909) and with SO3 (r = +0.906) whereas its joint occurrence with Fe2O3 was improbable (r = −0.834).

Effect of Fe2O3 Content and Acid on the Leaching Behavior of Phosphorus from Dephosphorization Slag

Dephosphorization slag contains considerable quantities of valuable components, such as P2O5 and FeOx. To recover P from dephosphorization slag, selective leaching has been adopted to separate the P-concentrating mineral phase. In this study, the effect of Fe2O3 content in slag and acid on the leaching behavior of P from dephosphorization slag was investigated. It was found that a higher Fe2O3 content in slag resulted in a higher P2O5 content in the C2S–C3P solid solution. Increasing the Fe2O3 content in slag promoted the dissolution of P and simultaneously suppressed the dissolution of other elements, facilitating the selective leaching of P. In the hydrochloric acid solution, more than 81% of P could be dissolved from dephosphorization slag at pH 4, and the dissolution ratio of Fe was nearly zero, achieving excellent selective leaching. Although better selective leaching was also realized in the citric acid solution at pH 5, hydrochloric acid was considered the appropriate leaching agent from the perspective of leaching cost. Through selective leaching, almost all the C2S–C3P solid solution was dissolved from dephosphorization slag, and the Fe-bearing matrix phase and magnesioferrite remained in the residue. The residue with low P2O5 content can be reutilized in ironmaking or steelmaking processes.

Effect of Fe2O3 on Electro-Deoxidation in Fe2O3-Al2O3-NaCl-KCl System

The reduction of Fe2O3-Al2O3 is one of the important reactions in the resource utilization of iron-containing oxide waste. Fe2O3-Al2O3 was electro-deoxidized in the NaCl-KCl system by molten salt electrolysis to prepare FeO/Al2O3. The effect of the Fe2O3 content on the electro-deoxidation reaction process was studied. The results show that under the conditions of 850 °C, 2.3 V, and electro-deoxidation for 4 h, FeO/Al2O3 could be obtained by controlling the content of Fe2O3. The deoxidation process was divided into three stages: electric double layer charging, Fe2O3 electro-deoxidation to Fe3O4, and Fe3O4 electro-deoxidation to FeO. With the increase in the Fe2O3 content, the deoxidation reaction rate increased, and the low-valence iron oxide particles obtained by electro-deoxidation became larger. The mechanism of the influence of Fe2O3 on the electro-deoxygenation process was determined by analyzing the experimental results. The increase in the Fe2O3 content increased the concentration of activated molecules in the system, while it reduced the resistance of electro-deoxidation. The migration of active particles in the cathode was smoother, which increased the percentage of deoxygenation of activated molecules, thereby shortening the process of the deoxidation reaction.

Lime –Metakaolin Interaction

The standard mix ratio of lime: pozzolana specified by all standards is 1:2 by weight to produce lime pozzolan cement (LPC) with the minimum required strength of 4 MPa. This ratio may be affected by many factors such as the quality of lime and pozzolana, in adition to the quantity of amorphous silica in pozzolana. In this paper a local kaolin and lime were investigated for their chemical, physical, mineralogical, and thermal properties, using various techniques such as XRF, DTG/DSC, and XRD. The produced metakaolin (MK) and hydrated lime (CH) were first tested for their reactivity, then different ratios of 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4 (lime: metakaolin) were tested to determine the optimum mix ratio of (LPC). The chemical, physical, and mineralogical analysis of samples showed their congruent with standard specifications adopted. The chemical analysis results showed that the local kaolin has composition with a SiO2+Al2O3+Fe2O3 content of 79.96%. The reactivity of MK toward CH is found to be within the limitation of standards. The mortar samples, made with a binder of ground MK and CH, developed a 28 days compressive strengths of 4.9, 14, and 16 MPa, for 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4 (CH: MK ) respectively. These findings suggest that LPC can be produced with high compressive strength if an optimum lime to pozzolana ratio is achieved.

Evaluation of different fly ash samples on the production of alkali-activated materials

abstract: In this work, different samples of fly ash (FA-A and FA-B) classified as type F as used to produce the AAM samples. The FA-A presented a higher Fe2O3 content than FA-B, 6.1 to 3.8 wt.%, and a slightly higher SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 3.52 in comparison to 3.34 of FA-B. The average particle size (D50) of fly ash A was 19.7 µm and of fly ash B 30.8 µm, while the specific mass of the ashes A and B were 2.38 and 2.21 g/cm3, respectively. The results revealed that the mechanical strength of the AAM produced with fly ash A was higher than fly ash B, close to 80 and 44 MPa, respectively. The variation of the strength has been attributed to the different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios and different particle sizes. The mechanical strength decreased with increasing curing time, which is attributed to excess alkali in the system. Only very small differences in porosity and density have been found.

Improving the quality of silicon metal by the method of x-ray radiometric separation of raw material and finished products

In this research, we investigate the process of X-ray radiometric separation of both raw materials (quartz, carbonaceous reducing agent) used for silicon smelting in ore-smelting furnaces and the resulting smelting products. The research objects were quartz from the Aktas field (Kazakhstan), coal from the Shubarkol field and silicon metal of various grades smelted at the Tau-Ken Temir LLP (Karaganda, Kazakhstan). X-ray diffraction analysis was performed using a Philips powder diffractometer. To determine the SiO2 and Fe2O3 content, an ARL PERFORM’X X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used. To remove impurities, a СРF1-150М single-strand radiometric separator was used. We found that the radiometric separation of original quartz samples with the Fe2O3 content of ~ 0.1-0.15% produces pure quartz with the Fe2O3 content of ≤ 0.05% and a yield of 65-70%. Provided that the Fe2O3 content in the original quartz sample does not exceed 0.5%, concentrates with the Fe2O3 content of 0.05% and a yield of 35-55% can be obtained. The yield of pure quartz with the Fe2O3 content of 0.01% does not exceed 15-20%. The use of radiometric separation is established to reduce the amount of phosphorus in the final product by 2-3 times. This method is effective for obtaining coal concentrates of varying ash content (2.0, 4.1 and 7.3%); the resulting concentrated product obtained with a yield of 25% contains 1.5% of ash. Separation of silicon metal (with the initial iron content of 1.2-1.5%) yields a product matching silicon grade 773 (product yield ~ 50%), 553 (~ 35%) or 441 (20%). It is concluded that radiometric separation allows the content of impurities in quartz, silicon metal and coal ash to be reduced, thus facilitating the production of higher-grade silicon.