Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a process for the recovery of iron and zinc from steel making flue dust.The process comprises subjecting the flue dust to a carbiding step in a fluid bed in the presence of a reducing agent and a carbon supplying agent to break down the zinc ferrite structure and convert the iron to iron carbide, followed by heating the residue or product of the carbiding step to recover zinc by evaporization.The iron carbide produced may be introduced into a steel making furnace for the production of steel.An alternative procedure is the recovery of iron carbide and zinc by magnetic separation from the gangue after the carbiding step and before separation of zinc from iron carbide.

Abstract: Copper is recovered from copper salts, e.g. cuprous chloride, by means of a process comprising reducing the copper salts with hydrogen in a fluidized bed in the presence of chemically inert, generally spherical, relatively smooth, non-porous particles in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.