Multiphase Equilibrium Relationships between Copper Matte and CaO-Al 2 O 3 -Bearing Iron Silicate Slags in Combined Smelting of WEEE and Copper Concentrates

Miao Tian, Qiongqiong Wang, Songsong Wang (), Xingbang Wan, Qinmeng Wang and Xueyi Guo
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Miao Tian: School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Qiongqiong Wang: School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Songsong Wang: School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Xingbang Wan: School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Qinmeng Wang: School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Xueyi Guo: School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains various valuable metals, making it a potential secondary resource for sustainable metal usage. Pyrometallurgical smelting is an efficient technique to recycle WEEE by extracting precious metals into copper matte and removing impurities into slags. The impact of WEEE impurities such as CaO and Al 2 O 3 on the phase compositions of the smelting products attracts great attention for industrial metal recovery. This study clarified the impact of CaO and Al 2 O 3 on the equilibrium phase compositions of copper matte and SiO 2 -saturated FeO x -SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 -CaO slags. The high-temperature smelting experiments were taken at a controlled p(SO 2 ) of 0.1 atm and 1300 °C, followed by quenching and electron probe microanalysis. The results showed that the copper and sulfur in the smelting system were highly deported into copper matte, and their distribution in matte was enhanced by increasing CaO and Al 2 O 3 concentrations introduced by WEEE. The chemical copper dissolution in slags increased with increasing matte grade but decreased by adding CaO and Al 2 O 3 . The iron was preferentially concentrated in slags, and higher matte grades improved the iron distribution in slags. The current experimental results enrich fundamental thermodynamic data and help optimize WEEE smelting operations for efficient recovery of valuable metals.

Keywords: WEEE; smelting; phase equilibria; copper matte; iron silicate slags (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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