Abstract: An apparatus includes a tuyere, a plasma torch positioned to inject hot gas into the tuyere, and a plurality of nozzles configured to inject a combustible material into the tuyere for combustion of the combustible material within the tuyere. The apparatus can be used to practice a method including: injecting a combustible material into a plurality of tuyeres in a wall of a reactor vessel, using a plasma torch to inject hot gas into the tuyeres to ignite the combustible material, and directing heat from combustion of the combustible material into the reactor vessel to preheat the reactor vessel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a combustible gas having a lower heating value of at least 1 MJ/Nm3, comprising the reaction of an oxidizing gas comprising steam or oxygen or CO2 with an organic material in contact with a molten silicate bath held in a tank and comprising a heat supply into the molten silicate, said process operating continuously, silicate being regularly drained from the tank and vitrifiable materials being regularly introduced in order to feed the silicate bath. The heat supply is preferably of the submerged combustion type.

Abstract: Carbothermic reduction of magnesium oxide at approximately 2200 degrees Kelvin yields a high temperature mixture of magnesium vapors and carbon monoxide gas. Previous processes have sought to cool or alter the mixture to cause the yield of pure magnesium, which is then used in subsequent processes for its reducing properties. The present invention takes advantage of the stability and inertness of carbon monoxide at elevated temperatures enabling the magnesium vapor/carbon monoxide gas mixture from the carbothermic process to be used directly for the production of other metals at high temperatures. Chromium oxide, manganese oxide, zinc oxide and sulfide, and several other metal compounds can be reduced by the magnesium vapor/carbon monoxide gas mixture at temperatures high enough to prevent the gas mixture from back-reacting to magnesium oxide and carbon.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to produce briquettes that have high strength even when the amounts of binder and water used are decreased as much as possible. A method for producing briquettes that achieve this object includes a step of forming primary granules by using a powder containing a metal oxide and at least one of zinc oxide, lead oxide, and titanium oxide and a step of compressing the primary granules still containing the at least one of zinc oxide, lead oxide, and titanium oxide so as to mold the primary granules into secondary granules.

Abstract: A method of reduction treatment of metal oxides characterized by using as a material a powder containing metal oxides and containing alkali metals and halogen elements and further, in accordance with need, carbon, mixing the material with water to produce a slurry, then dehydrating this and charging the dehydrated material, mixed with another material in accordance with need, into a rotary hearth type reduction furnace for reduction.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method for treating residues comprising zinc ferrites and non-ferrous metals selected from among the group made up of lead (Pb), silver (Ag), indium (In), germanium (Ge) and gallium (Ga) or mixtures thereof in the form of oxides and sulfates, comprising the following steps: roasting of the residues in an oxidizing medium at elevated temperature in order to obtain a desulfurized residue, carburizing reduction/smelting of the desulfurized residue in a reducing medium, liquid phase extraction of carburized melt and slag, vapor phase extraction of the non-ferrous metals, followed by oxidation and recovery thereof in solid form.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a high vacuum in-situ refining method for high-purity and superhigh-purity materials and the apparatus thereof, characterized in heating the upper part and lower part of crucible separately using double-heating-wires diffusion furnace under vacuum, thereby forming the temperature profile which is high at upper part and low at lower part of crucible, or in reverse during different stages; then heating the crucible in two steps to remove impurities with high saturation vapor pressure and low saturation vapor pressure respectively in efficiency; and obtaining high-purity materials eventually. The whole procedure is isolated from atmosphere, reducing contamination upon stuff remarkably. The present invention could provide products with high-quality and high production capacity, which are stable in performance, therefore is reliable and free from contamination.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing lead and zinc from concentrates of zinc and lead sulfides or oxides includes the steps of: (a) mixing lead ore and/or zinc ore concentrates, iron bearing and carbon containing materials, metallic iron fines and iron oxide fines, carbonaceous reductant, fluxing agent, and a binder to form a mixture; (b) forming agglomerates from the mixture (c) introducing the agglomerates to a melting furnace; (d) maintaining a reducing atmosphere within the melting furnace; (e) vaporizing lead and zinc in the melting furnace at a temperature of 1000 to 1650 C, and removing the lead and zinc from the melting furnace in vaporized form; (f) cooling and condensing the metal vapors to liquid metal; and (g) separating the zinc and lead; and (h) recovering the lead and zinc metal separately.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the separation and recovery of non-ferrous metals from zinc-bearing residues, in particular from residues produced by the zinc manufacturing industry. The process allows for the valorisation of metal values in a Zn-, Fe- and Pb-bearing residue, and comprises the steps of: subjecting the residue to a direct reduction step, thereby producing a metallic Fe-bearing phase and Zn- and Pb-bearing first fumes; extracting the Zn- and Pb-bearing first fumes and valorising Zn and Pb; subjecting the metallic Fe-bearing phase to an oxidising smelting step, thereby producing an Fe-bearing slag and second metals-bearing fumes; extracting the second metals-bearing fumes and valorising at least part of their metallic content. The main advantage of this process is that an environmentally acceptable output for Fe is obtained.

Abstract: A process for metal purification comprising a first step for heating a feed metal in a feed crucible to generate a vapor of the metal, a second step for directing the vapor into a condensation passageway for vapors, where part of the vapor is condensed to generate a molten condensate, a third step for directing the vapor through the condensation passageway for vapors into a solidification crucible so that the vapor is cooled to solidify said metal in a high-purity form, and a fourth step for returning the molten condensate into the feed crucible.

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 99.99% pure indium feed is charged into crucible 8 and heated to 1250° C. by upper heater 6 in a vacuum atmosphere at 1×10−4 Torr, whereupon indium evaporates, condenses on the inner surfaces of inner tube 3 and drips to be recovered into liquid reservoir 9 in the lower part of tubular member 11 whereas impurity elements having lower vapor pressure than indium stay within crucible 8. The recovered indium mass in liquid reservoir 9 is heated to 1100° C. by lower heater 7 and the resulting vapors of impurity elements having higher vapor pressure than indium pass through diffuser plates 12 in the upper part of tubular member 11 to be discharged from the system whereas the indium vapor recondenses upon contact with diffuser plates 12 and returns to liquid reservoir 9, yielding 99.9999% pure indium while preventing the loss of indium.

Abstract: A process for thermal treatment of residual materials containing heavy metal and iron oxide, including providing a multiple-hearth furnace having hearths provided one above the other, depositing the residual materials continuously on a top hearth of the hearths, gradually transferring the residual materials to lower hearths of the hearths, introducing reducing agents to at least one of the hearths and reacting the residual materials to form heavy metals and directly reduced iron, exhausting gases containing heavy metals from below hearths of the hearths where the heavy metals are being vaporised, re-injecting at least a part of the gases into the multiple-hearth furnace from above the hearths of the hearths where the heavy metals are being vaporised, and discharging the directly reduced iron together with residues of the reducing agents in an area of a bottom hearth of the hearths in the multiple hearth furnace.

Abstract: Process for thermal treatment of residual materials containing oil and iron oxide in a multiple-hearth furnace, which has several hearths one above the other, the residual materials containing oil and iron oxide being mixed with a solid reducing agent, introduced continuously into the multiple-hearth furnace, charged on the top hearth and transferred gradually to the lower hearths, the residual materials containing oil and iron oxide being dried in the top hearths, the oil subsequently evaporated and pyrolised and the reducing agent reacting with the iron oxides to form directly reduced iron, the directly reduced iron being discharged with residues of reducing agents in the areas of the bottom hearth of the multiple-hearth furnace.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the heat treatment of residues containing heavy metals, carried out in a multiple-hearth furnace which is divided into three zones, each of which comprises several stacked levels. Said method consists of the following steps: continuous feeding of the heavy-metal residues into the top level of the first zone of the multiple-hearth furnace, the residues being gradually transferred to the second zone and dried during the transfer; continuous feeding of reducing agents and desulfurizers into the top level of the second zone, whereby the reducing agents and desulfirizers are mixed with the dried residues and the mixture is heated to approximately 800° C., calcined during heating and gradually transferred to the third zone; heating of the mixture to approximately 1000° C. in the third zone, whereby the metals are reduced and the waste gases resulting in said third zone are drawn off and treated separately; and discharge of the mixture from the multiple-hearth furnace.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for reducing oxidic slags or combustion residues above a metal bath. The metal bath is formed of an iron alloy containing metals nobler than iron and whose redox potential is adjusted such FeO is reduced to Fe not at all or only partially.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for pyrometallurgical processing, in a furnace chamber, of metal-containing waste which may also contain a quantity of organic material. The process involves a reducing gas being blown with high velocity onto the surface of the smelt in which the metal oxides are present in the molten state, the reducing gas being made by incomplete combustion of a fuel and/or the organic material and an oxygen-containing gas. Additionally, steam and/or an oxygen-rich gas such as almost pure oxygen are injected, roughly parallel to the surface of the smelt, into the oven chamber above said surface. The total amount of oxygen used in the furnace chamber is lower than the amount required stoichiometrically for complete combustion of the organic material together with the fuel.

Abstract: A treating method of recovering zinc in the metal state from a waste containing the zinc in the oxide state, lead, chlorine, fluorine, and water comprising a mixing process 90 of obtaining a to-be-treated mixed material 70 by mixing a steel dust 7 and a reducing material 8 together; a chlorine recovery process 91 of recovering the chlorine and the water by heating the to-be-treated mixed material 70; a lead recovery process 92 of recovering fluorine and lead by heating the to-be-treated mixed material 70 under vacuum; a zinc recovery process 93 of recovering metallic zinc by heating the to-be-treated mixed material 70 at a temperature higher than that in the lead recovery process 92 with the vacuum state maintained so as to reduce and vaporize zinc; and a residue recovery process 94 of recovering a residue 79 of the to-be-treated mixed material 70. This construction allows the metallic zinc to be recovered at a high purity from a zinc oxide-containing waste and an on-site treatment to be accomplished.

Abstract: A method for recovering zinc oxide comprises the steps of: agglomerating a dust; charging the agglomerate to a molten iron in a melting furnace; collecting a dust generated from the melting furnace; recycling a part of the collected dust and recovering another part of the collected dust. An apparatus for recovering zinc oxide comprises: an agglomeration unit for agglomerating a dust containing iron oxide and zinc oxide; a melting furnace for accepting the agglomerate and for holding the molten iron for reducing the dust; and at least two units of dust collector for collecting the dust containing zinc oxide generated from the melting furnace.

Abstract: A method for extracting metals from metal-containing materials, especially waste, by pyrohydrolysis. The metal-containing materials which contain at least one or more of the metals from the group consisting of Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, Cu, Sn (as Sn(0) and Sn(II)), As, Sb, Au, Ag and Bi, are made to react at 700-1100.degree. C., advantageously 800-900.degree. C., with a gas composition which at least comprises 25-45% by volume of water vapor, 0-12% by volume of carbon dioxide, 2-20% by volume of hydrogen chloride, 0-15% by volume of carbon monoxide, the remainder being nitrogen and possibly oxygen. The metals from the above-mentioned group are extracted in the form of volatile metal chlorides.

Abstract: A method for separation and recovery of metals and metal oxides from industrial minerals and waste materials containing zinc, lead, cadmium, arsenic, iron, mercury and selenium. The metals and metal oxides in dust form are mixed with a reducing agent and additives, agglomerated, heated above 800.degree. C., and contacted with a flow of inert, reducing or slightly oxidizing gases to volatilize the metals and metal oxides for recovering separate from solid residual product.

Abstract: Solar process for the production of volatile elemental zinc, sodium, and potassium by reacting their oxides with a reducing metallic agent selected from Fe, Sn, Ni, Co and Mn, and in a second step, reacting carbon or hydrogen with the oxide of said reducing metallic agent so as to reduce it back to its metallic form.

Abstract: Dusts containing zinc and/or lead in the form of oxides and one or more reducing agents are mixed with each other before or after being introduced into a heat treatment furnace. The mixture is heated to a given temperature range under a substantial vacuum so that the zinc and/or lead in the form of oxides are reduced to zinc and/or lead in the state of pure metals and evaporated in the furnace. The evaporated zinc and/or lead are introduced into a retrieving container also under a substantial vacuum and at a given temperature where the evaporated zinc and/or lead pure metals are condensed and retrieved.

Abstract: A method for working up refuse or metal-oxide-containing refuse incineration residues or metallurgical residues includes an at least partial oxidation in a meltdown oxidizing reactor followed by a two-stage reduction. The first reduction stage is effected in an iron bath reactor in which iron oxides are not yet reduced. In the second reduction stage also iron oxides are reduced in an iron bath calciner, a pig iron bath being obtained. The metal bath discharged from the iron bath reactor reaches a segregation mold, from which crude bronze can be drawn off.

Abstract: A method making pig iron employs an in-bath direct reduction performed in a metallurgical vessel which has above it a melting cyclone in which iron-oxide-containing material fed thereinto is pre-reduced by hot reducing gas coming from the vessel. Molten material passes downwardly from the melting cyclone into the vessel. In order to recover zinc from a dust containing zinc and/or zinc oxide, the dust is fed into the melting cyclone. Zinc is allowed to vaporize out of the dust into the hot gas in the melting cyclone. The hot gas containing zinc is discharged from the melting cyclone, and zinc-containing material is extracted from this hot gas.

Abstract: A method for recovering zinc from zinc comprising the steps of:producing agglomerates containing carbon from dust which contains zinc in a form of zinc oxides;charging the agglomerates into molten metal, the zinc oxides in the agglomerates being reduced and vaporized into a vaporized zinc; andcollecting the vaporized zinc as zinc oxide with a generated dust.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a process for the direct smelting of zinc containing materials. The process includes volatilizing zinc from zinc-containing materials into a gas phase, while sulphur is fixed as iron sulphide in a Fe-S-O matte. Thereafter, zinc is recovered in metallic form with a suitable condenser apparatus from a zinc laden gas consisting of Zn(g), CO, CO.sub.2 and N.sub.2. Other metals like silver, cadmium, mercury and lead may also be recovered in this manner.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing zinc, cadmium, lead and other easily volatile metals from sulfidic raw materials in a pyrometallurgical process. In the method, zinc sulfide concentrate is fed into molten copper in atmospheric conditions, at a temperature of 1,450.degree.-1,800.degree. C., so that the zinc, lead and cadmium are volatilized, and the iron and copper remain in the molten metal or in the metal sulfide matte created in the furnace.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of metallurgy and to a method and a device for the extraction of zinc in solution in a liquid iron bath (2) held in a container (3), such as a crucible for the casting of foundry parts. It is characterized in that, before utilizing the bath for the casting of parts, in a first phase, the gas volume (7) situated in the container (3) is sealingly confined in the east iron bath (2) and, in a second phase, a variable partial vacuum is created in the confined atmosphere in a controlled way in order to constantly adjust it to a predetermined value as a function of the time evolution of the pressure of vapor saturating zinc in solution in the melt at the bath temperature; and said zinc is trapped.

Abstract: A smelting process for blending hazardous and non-hazardous inorganic industrial wastes with carbon or aluminum reducing agents to simultaneously recover metal alloys (reducible metals), metal oxides (volatile reducible metals), carbon dioxide and man-made vitreous fiber (non reducible metals). Wastes including hazardous wastes of U.S. EPA Series D, F, P, K, and U are pulverized and blended with liquids such as water or waste water to produce a homogeneous mass. The mass is formed into briquettes and melted in a cupola or plasma arc furnace in the presence of carbon or aluminum to reduce metals. Other types of furnaces such as an electric arc furnace may be used to avoid the steps of forming and curing briquettes. Reduction is carried out at temperatures between 1660 and 3100 degrees Fahrenheit. Calcium flux from calcium-stabilized wastes enhances mineral wool quality, lowers the sulfur content of metals and raises pH to facilitate metal reduction. Reducible metals are reduced and drawn off into molds.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process of removing zinc from a phosphating process sludge wherein the phosphating process sludge is mixed with an additive adapted to form slaglike compounds of iron, calcium and/or barium with the phosphorus component of the phosphating process sludges. The mixture is reacted at temperatures of at least 800.degree. C. under reducing conditions. A previous agglomeration, particularly pelletizing, of the mixture will be of advantage. For a formation of iron compounds it will be particularly desirable to employ reaction temperatures of at least 900.degree. C., preferably of at least 1000.degree. C. and most preferably of at least 1100.degree. C. Metallurgical dusts are particularly suitable additives. For a formation of iron compounds it will be desirable to select a Fe:P molar ratio of at least 1.0 in case of a reaction temperature of .ltoreq.950.degree. C., of at least 1.5 in case of a reaction temperature of 950.degree. to 1050.degree. C., and of at least 2.

Abstract: A pyrometallurgical refining process for obtaining one or both of zinc and lead from a sulfide concentrate, in which an iron-silicate slag or iron-silicate slag containing lime is formed and the sulfide concentrate, incombustible materials, and flux, together with at least one of industrial oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, or air, are blown into the slag to cause a reaction; as a result of the reaction, the major part of the zinc and part of the lead in the sulfide concentrate and the incombustible materials are dissolved in the slag, to arrange the slag and a matte and/or metal from one part of the lead in the raw material. A reducing agent such as heavy oil, pulverized coal, powdered coke, or the like is blown through the resulting slag, and the zinc and the lead in the slag are volatilized then condensed to obtain molten zinc and molten lead.

Abstract: This invention relates to the metallurgy of iron and particularly to the separation and recovery of metals from electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts. While the invention discloses a process for the separation and recovery applicable to zinc, lead, cadmium and antimony contained in such EAF dusts, the invention is particularly applicable to the separation and recovery of zinc. This invention describes a method for reducing the zinc contained in an EAF dust, volatilizing the metallic zinc so produced from the mass of the dust, and reoxidizing the metallic zinc to zinc oxide along with the simultaneous regeneration of hydrogen which can be recycled to treat additional EAF dust.