Abstract: A process and apparatus for removing from an electrolytic cell cathodes having an electrolytic deposit thereon and replacing them with cathodes from which said electrolytic deposit has been removed, comprising: (a) simultaneously lifting a first subgroup comprising the even-numbered cathodes from a first cell and a second subgroup comprising the odd-numbered cathodes from a second, adjacent cell while maintaining the orientation and disposition of said cathodes; (b) conveying said subgroups to a stripping installation while moving said subgroups perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of said cells until a collinear unstripped set of cathodes is formed; (c) placing said collinear unstripped set of cathodes at the entry to said stripping installation; (d) lifting a collinear stripped set of cathodes from the exit of said stripping installation, said collinear stripped set having sequentially numbered stripped cathodes equal in number, orientation and disposition to said collinear unstripped set; (e) conveying s

Abstract: Metallic pieces of predetermined shape, e.g., anodes, are continuously manufactured from molten metal, e.g., impure molten copper, by continuously casting the molten metal in an inclined molding cavity (13) formed by two endless moving belts (14) and (15) and by two moving side dams (20) and (21) so as to produce a hot metallic strip (4), and by cutting the hot strip, when it has left the molding cavity, with at least one plasma torch (10) along a profile (27) such that anodes (11) with a low waste coefficient are obtained. In this way, flat copper anodes with a thickness of between 40 and 50 mm can be produced.

Abstract: Sodium antimonate is made to react with an acid solution so as to transform a fraction of the sodium antimonate into pentavalent antimony oxide, thus producing a mixture of pentavalent antimony oxide and sodium antimonate, the so produced mixture is separated from the solution and that mixture is dried and pulverized. The so produced powder presents good flame retardant properties.

Abstract: There is described a method for electrolyzing and particularly electrorefining metals such as copper, by circulating the electrolyte through channels formed between substantially parallel electrodes arranged some distance away from one another, in which a substantially uniform electrolyte flow rate is retained at least at the inlet to the channels between the electrodes, independently from the cathode thickness increase and the anode thickness decrease during the electrorefining.A device for working this method is also described.

Abstract: An improved cutting apparatus of the type comprising an endless roller conveyor (4) for carrying a moving strip (1), a carriage (9) located above the strip (1) and adapted to move in the same direction as the strip (1) and in the opposite direction and a thermal cutting device (12) carried by the carriage (9) and adapted to move transversally to the moving strip (1). The conveyor (4) is adapted to revolve in such way that its upper run continuously moves in the direction (X) of the strip (1) and the distance between the successive rollers (3) of the conveyor (4) is such that cutting can be performed without the rollers (3) being damaged. The apparatus can be used for cutting a continuously cast strip of anode copper into anodes (FIG. 1).

Abstract: An endless casting belt for machines for continuous casting of metals, said casting belt being provided with a layer of an anti-adhesion agent and having at least in the "welding zone" a coating resistant to stress corrosion cracking when in contact with the liquid metal to be cast and with the said anti-adhesion agent.

Abstract: A process for the continuous manufacture of copper wire rod presenting both the good ductility of oxygen-free copper and the annealing capacity of the tough pitch copper, in which liquid copper is prepared containing from about 0.006 to 0.0095% by weight of oxygen, the said liquid copper is cast via an open pouring spout in a continuous casting machine having an inclined straight molding cavity for producing a continuous copper bar containing 0.01 to 0.02% by weight of oxygen and which consists of a shell of solid copper and a core of liquid copper, the said bar on leaving the casting machine is cooled by repeated and direct contact with a cooling agent for complete solidification and the solidified bar is guided towards a horizontal rolling mill known "per se" along a curved path the maximum curvature of which is less than 0.25 m.sup.-1, and the said bar is rolled into wire rod.

Abstract: Battery-grade MnO.sub.2 is produced by(a) treating a MnCl.sub.2 solution with Cl.sub.2 and Mg(OH).sub.2 whereby obtaining a MgCl.sub.2 solution that contains a MnO.sub.2 precipitate; and said MgCl.sub.2 solution contains at least 85 g/l of magnesium(b) allowing to digest the precipitate in the MgCl.sub.2 solution in presence of Cl.sub.2 under pressure;(c) separating the digested precipitate from the solution; and(d) washing and drying the precipitate.Owing to step (b), operating conditions in step (a) may be such that a concentrated MgCl.sub.2 solution is obtained, which is important for the further processing of that solution by pyrohydrolysis.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the control of a continuous process for casting metal. The apparatus includes a mold cavity (8) formed by upper and lower movable belts (2 and 3, respectively) and side dams (6 and 7) and including an inlet opening (9). Molten metal (11) is flowed to the inlet opening from a source (14) by conduit (12) connecting with an outlet (13). An opto-electronic device (17, 51) provides a signal which is a function of the level of the molten metal at a zone (FIG. 4) within the mold cavity and a circuit (40) responsive to the signal controls the position of a plug (15) relative to the outlet to control the flow of molten metal. The opto-electronic device includes a photosensitive element (23, 57) whose sensitivity lies essentially to radiation within the visible spectrum and only weakly responsive to infra-red radiation.

Abstract: A multistage liquid-liquid extraction apparatus of the mixer-settler type, which is especially suited for performing liquid-liquid extractions accompanied by the formation of a solid phase, comprises a vessel the side-wall of which defines a cylinder or a regular polygonal body, the vessel being divided by means of radial partitions into sectors, each sector comprising a mixer and a settler, and the mixers and the settlers being located near the side-wall of the vessel.The agitators of the mixers are constituted by pumping turbines; the outlets of the mixers are constituted by weirs located near the side-wall of the vessel; means are provided for making the mixed liquids, discharged at the outlet of the mixers, flow by gravity towards a zone near the axis of the vessel; and the bottom of the vessel is inclined towards the axis of the vessel so as to define a reversed cone or pyramid.

Abstract: Non-ferrous metals are extracted from molten slags 9 by treating the latter in an electric furnace with submerged electrodes 2 under a layer of a solid reducing agent 8. During the extraction, a non-oxidizing gas is injected into the molten material at a flow rate of between 0.5 and 10 Nm3/h/ton of material treated (FIG. 1).

Abstract: A tantalum and niobium bearing concentrate is produced from a tantalum and niobium bearing ferro-alloy, containing tantalum and niobium as carbide, by treating the ferro-alloy in molten state with a controlled amount of an oxidizing agent such as oxygen in order to slag tantalum and niobium, and by separating the so obtained slag phase from the metal phase. The ferro-alloy contains enough iron to have at least most of the tantalum carbide dissolved in the molten ferro-alloy.

Abstract: Lead-copper-sulphur charges (e.g., ores and concentrates) containing at least one of the elements Fe, Ag, Bi, Zn and Sn are treated pyrometallurgically to recover their metal values by a process comprising the steps of (a) smelting the charge to produce a slag phase containing at least about 10% Pb, a copper matte phase containing less than about 65% Cu, and a lead bullion phase; (b) separating the slag, matte and bullion phases formed in step (a); (c) reducing the molten slag separated in step (b) to decrease the lead content thereof to less than about 2% and form thereby a lead bullion phase; and (d) separating the slag and bullion phases formed in step (c).

Abstract: A process for the pyrometallurgical extraction of bismuth from a bismuth-bearing material (e.g., ores and concentrates of bismuth in the roasted or unroasted states), in an electric furnace with submerged electrodes in which the sulphur content of the charge constituted of the bismuth-bearing material is controlled so that a matte phase is produced having a bismuth content of between 3 and 20% by weight and a slag phase is produced which is separated from the matte. Under these conditions cheap fluxes (e.g., sand, limestone, iron oxide) can be used whereby the resulting slag has a relatively low corrosivity and high melting point (e.g., 1150.degree.-12000.degree. C.) without excessive losses of bismuth by volatilization.

Abstract: The method makes possible the manufacture of luminescence diodes on the basis of GaAsP or other ternary semiconductor layers deposited on a Ge substrate of n-type conductivity, followed by a zinc diffusion. In the method, a resist layer is deposited on the backside of the Ge substrate to passivate the backside to an extent such that it becomes thermally and chemically stable and does not release any Ge to the ambient atmosphere, and the front side of the Ge substrate is chemo-mechanically polished to microsmoothness. Immediately before the epitaxial deposition, the polished front side is subjected to a very weak chemical etching to a removal depth of 500 A units without eliminating the polish or microsmoothness and, thereupon, the substrate is heated, in a high purity hydrogen atmosphere, to a temperature between about 680.degree. C and 720.degree. C and a GaAs layer is deposited on the front side. The temperature is then increased and there is deposited, on the GaAs layer, a ternary A.sub.III B.sub.

Abstract: A process for the production of a zinc powder for electrochemical batteries which require the presence of mercury, in which at least part of the mercury required in the battery is introduced into molten zinc and the molten alloy is homogenized and transformed into powder by pulverization (atomization).

Abstract: In a process for treating a metal bearing material containing arsenic and antimony by leaching in an acid solution with an oxygen-containing gas under pressure at a temperature of between 20.degree. and 200.degree. C, the improvement which consists in adding at least one element chosen from the group consisting of arsenic and phosphorus in such an amount to the leach mixture that the molar ratio (As + 4P) : Sb therein shall be at least equal to 8, thus dissolving at least the major part of the arsenic and antimony contained in the starting material.

Abstract: A machine for the casting of metals having a moulding cavity formed by at least a moving casting belt and side dams, in which the said casting belt is made of mild killed steel containing between 0.2 and 0.8% by weight of titanium.

Abstract: A process for separating cobalt from nickel in an aqueous acid solution containing the above metals, which comprises contacting said solution with an organic phase comprising (a) 65-98% by volume of a concentrated alpha-hydroxyoxime extractant, a 1% by volume solution of which in xylene has per liter a maximum loading capacity of about 0.864 g. of copper, and (b) 2-35% by volume of an organophosphoric acid of the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents an alkyl, aryl or aralkyl radical, while maintaining the pH of said solution between 1 and 6, whereby cobalt is extracted from the aqueous phase to the organic phase and separating the resultant cobalt pregnant organic phase from the aqueous phase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the separation of three metallurgical phases by decantation.