Abstract: This disclosure relates to a family of micronutrient supplements that can be used in food or in animal feeds and to methods of enhancing the growth of animals using one or more of the supplements. The family of micronutrient supplements is an ammine chloride salt of an essential metal. Representative essential metals for use according to this disclosure include a divalent or trivalent cation of zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, chrome, iron, cobalt and calcium. When provided as a metal ammine chloride salt, the essential metal is highly bioavailable to enhance the survivability, growth, health and/or reproductivity of animals. The micronutrient supplement can be administered to animals either as a single supplement or admixed with other nutrients or feeds.

Abstract: A process for separating and recovering a desired metal as metal oxide from raw material is provided. The process includes placing the raw material and a reductant in a container to form a reducing microclimate within the container. A housing having an oxidizing atmosphere is heated to maintain a temperature zone within the housing at a heating temperature sufficient to expose the raw material in the container to a reaction temperature. The container containing the raw material is conveyed through the temperature zone in the housing to expose the raw material and the reductant to the reaction temperature wherein the metal oxide is reduced to a gaseous metal that exits the container. Once outside the container, the gaseous metal is exposed to the oxidizing atmosphere of the temperature zone wherein the desired metal is oxidized to metal oxide and the metal oxide is collected. In preferred embodiments, the raw material is EAF dust and the desired metal is zinc.

Abstract: A process for separating and recovering a desired metal as metal oxide from raw material is provided. The process includes placing the raw material and a reductant in a container to form a reducing microclimate within the container. A housing having an oxidizing atmosphere is heated to maintain a temperature zone within the housing at a heating temperature sufficient to expose the raw material in the container to a reaction temperature. The container containing the raw material is conveyed through the temperature zone in the housing to expose the raw material and the reductant to the reaction temperature wherein the metal oxide is reduced to a gaseous metal that exits the container. Once outside the container, the gaseous metal is exposed to the oxidizing atmosphere of the temperature zone wherein the desired metal is oxidized to metal oxide and the metal oxide is collected. In preferred embodiments, the raw material is EAF dust and the desired metal is zinc.