Erbenbold, and 2 co-authors, reported in 2018 that copper slag is a by-product obtained during smelting and refining of copper. Copper smelting slag typically contains about 1 wt.% copper and 40 wt.% iron depending upon the initial ore quality and the furnace type. Main components of copper slag are iron oxide and silica. These exist in copper slag mainly in the form of fayalite (2FeO ·SiO2).
This study was intended to recover pig iron from the copper smelting slag by reduction smelting method. At the reaction temperature of below 1400°С the whole copper smelting slag was not smelted, and some agglomerated, showing a mass in a sponge form. The recovery behavior of pig iron from copper smelting slag increases with increasing smelting temperature and duration. The recovery rate of pig iron varied greatly depending on the reaction temperature.
The authors concluded that the authors recovered pig iron from copper smelting slag on the basis of reduction smelting method. Activated carbon was used as a reducing agent, and the smelting behavior of slag with the change of the reaction temperature condition was examined and the recovery rate of the pig iron from the slag was measured. As determined by thermodynamic analysis, CaO impacted on reduction of iron from decomposition of Fe2SiO4 (fayalite) and formed main component Ca2SiO4 (calcium orthosilicate) in the secondary slag.
At the reaction temperature below 1400°C, the whole copper smelting slag was not smelted, and some agglomerated, showing a mass in a sponge form. It was confirmed that the whole of the slag should be smelted to recover Fe from the copper smelting slag. To increase the reduction reactivity and fluidity
of the slag, experiments were conducted at the temperature of 1600°C.
No Fe was detected in the slag recovered at the reaction temperature of 1600°C. Reduction behavior of iron oxide was analyzed with frequency of 5 minutes at temperature 1600°C during 30 minutes of reduction process. In the first 5 minutes, content of Fe2O3 decreased two times and reached 19.55 wt.%. Then, with increasing reduction time, Fe2O3 content in the slag was decreased to only 3.88 wt.% Fe2O3 after 25 minutes and iron was not determined in 30 minutes.
Finally, the recovery of pig iron from copper smelting slag by high temperature reduction method and the usage in fabrication process proves that it can be more economical and
completely recycled
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