Abstract:
Copper is won from chalcopyrite ore (copperfiron sulphide) containing Cu(II) and Fe(III), which respectively prefer square planar and octahedral co-ordination. A vapourised tetradentate (square-planar) Schiff base reagent is passed through a fluidised bed of oxidatively roasted chalcopyrite, and ignores the iron but forms a (volatile) copper complex. This is blown to a decomposition chamber containing a hot probe on which the complex decomposes, leaving the desired copper on the probe and liberating the Schiff base reagent for recycling.
Abstract:
A process for the production of a metal, alloy or ceramic material which comprises subjecting a mixture of at least one reducible metal compound and at least one reducing agent to mechanical activation to produce a metal or alloy. A ceramic material may be produced by including a non-metal, or a compound which provides the non-metal, in the reaction mixture. At least one other metal or a metalloid may also be included in the reaction mixture for incorporation into the ceramic material or alloy.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for obtaining metals from oxides using shuttle alloys, particularly titanium metal from titanium dioxide in the form of illmenite, rutile. The process can be adapted to obtain elemental metal or alloys of metals such as zirconium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, lithium, cobalt and zinc. The process of the present invention comprises two stages, a first stage in which a metal oxide is reduced in the presence of primary shuttle material, which forms a shuttle alloy with the reduced metal, and a second stage wherein the reduced metal is separated from the shuttle alloy as a metal or alloy. Typically the primary shuttle material comprises bismuth or antimony or a mixture of the two and optionally lead. The reduction reaction may be carried out by chemical means or electrochemical means or by a combination of the two. The process permits the two stages to be linked and the process run continuously such that energy recovered from the second stage may be transferred to the first stage and used to drive the reduction of the metal oxide or other reactions, such as the decarbonisation of calcium carbonate used as a melting agent. The addition of material such as silica to the process, may facilitate recovery of by-products such as aluminous cements.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method for monitoring and control of smeltmetallurgical processes, endothermic as well as exothermic ones, preferably pyrometallurgical processes, by means of optical spectrometry, whereby one first determines for each endothermic and exothermic smeltmetallurgical process and/or process step characteristic emissions or absorptions and identifies the atomic or molecular origin of the emissions/absorptions, that one during a running process records changes in the characteristic emissions/absorptions and relates these changes to the condition of the process and with reference hereto controls the process.