The document discusses matte smelting processes used to produce matte, which is a molten solution of heavy metal sulphides, from sulphide ore concentrates. Matte smelting aims to produce a highly concentrated matte compared to the initial concentrate through concentrating smelting rather than reduction smelting. Important matte products include Fe-Cu and Cu-Ni mattes. The document outlines the advantages of matte smelting and describes the reactions and considerations involved in producing and controlling matte composition and minimizing copper and iron oxide losses to the slag.
Original Description:
Matte smelting from copper concentrates in various furnaces
The document discusses matte smelting processes used to produce matte, which is a molten solution of heavy metal sulphides, from sulphide ore concentrates. Matte smelting aims to produce a highly concentrated matte compared to the initial concentrate through concentrating smelting rather than reduction smelting. Important matte products include Fe-Cu and Cu-Ni mattes. The document outlines the advantages of matte smelting and describes the reactions and considerations involved in producing and controlling matte composition and minimizing copper and iron oxide losses to the slag.
The document discusses matte smelting processes used to produce matte, which is a molten solution of heavy metal sulphides, from sulphide ore concentrates. Matte smelting aims to produce a highly concentrated matte compared to the initial concentrate through concentrating smelting rather than reduction smelting. Important matte products include Fe-Cu and Cu-Ni mattes. The document outlines the advantages of matte smelting and describes the reactions and considerations involved in producing and controlling matte composition and minimizing copper and iron oxide losses to the slag.
metals which is produced by smelting sulphide minerals (in concentrates). contains small amounts of gangue oxides (Al2O3, CaO, MgO, SiO2). Production of matte is a concentration smelting (as opposed to reduction smelting) which is aimed at producing a highly concentrated melt when compared to the initial concentrate (from mineral processing). Fe-Cu matte and Cu-Ni matte are of great importance in the industry because most of the Cu and Ni are produced through matte smelting Samaita 2016
When compared to reduction smelting, matte
smelting offers the following advantages: Some mattes can be processed to give the desired metal directly. E.g. Fe can be oxidized from Fe-Cu mattes by proper slagging in roast-reaction process to give metallic Cu. Fuel requirements become less than in roast-reduction. Relatively low melting temperature of matte compared to metals. E.g. a matte with equal amounts of copper and iron sulphide melts below 1000oC, whereas an alloy of Fe and Cu would melt at around 1400oC. This leads to lower thermal energy requirements and gangue minerals can be separated easily as slag
Generally matte smelting reactions proceed as
Sulphide concentrate + flux + air + fuel (if needed) = matte + slag + gas Samaita 2016
4.1 Fe-Cu mattes
Formation of Fe-Cu mattes is based on the Fe-CuS ternary system
There is a miscibility gap between matte and the
metallic phase.
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The matte is basically a mixture of Cu1.85S and
Fe0.9S in a pseudobinary Cu2S-FeS system.
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Fe + S +Cu <95% weight as some oxygen is
always dissolved in the matte. Primary aim of matte smelting is to turn the sulfide minerals in solid copper concentrate into 3 products: molten matte, molten slag and off gas. This is done by reacting them with O2 . The oxygen is almost always fed as oxygenenriched air.
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There is always a trade-off between matte grade
(mass% Cu) and recovery. Inputting a large amount of O2 will oxidize more of the Fe in the concentrate, so less Fe sulfide ends up in the matte. This generates a higher matte grade. On the other hand, using too much oxygen encourages oxidation of Cu,
The Cu2O dissolves in the slag, and thus represents
loss of Cu Samaita 2016
As a result, adding the correct amount of O2 needed to
produce an acceptable matte grade without generating a slag too high in Cu is a requirement. Another loss of Cu to slag comes, if the activity of FeO in the slag is too high. The FeO will react with Cu2S in the matte:
Thus the reaction is not thermodynamically favored at
1200oC. However, a high activity of FeO in the slag and a low activity of FeS in the matte generate higher activities of Cu2O in the slag. Samaita 2016
This is the case if a large proportion of Fe in
the concentrate is oxidised In addition, FeO reacts with O2 to form solid magnetite if its activity is too high. The presence of magnetite poses serious operational problems that discussed later. Therefore lowering the activity of FeO in the slag is important and is done by adding silica as a flux: Samaita 2016
Again there is a trade-off: flux costs money and
the energy required to heat and melt it also costs more as more silica is used. In addition, the viscosities of smelting slags increase as the silica level rises.
Viscosity of FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2 slags (g/m.s)
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This makes slag handling more difficult, and
also reduces the rate at which matte particles settle through the slag layer and increases Cu losses. As a result, the correct levels of FeO and SiO2 in the slag require a compromise. Ideally the slag must have the following properties: Immiscible with the matte phase Low solubility of Cu2S in the slag Good fluidity, to minimize entrainment of droplets of copper-bearing material into the slag Samaita 2016
In order to achieve these properties, the
composition of the slag must be carefully controlled. It is particularly important that the viscosity be kept as low as possible. Slags are very viscous (50 -200 g/m.s), which is many times higher than that of the matte phase, and high viscosity results in the slag entrapping more droplets of the matte.
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Problems of Magnetite in matte smelting
Magnetite crsytals in slag make the slags very viscous the making them difficult to separate from from matte. Cu entrainment and losses to slag becomes high Solid magnetite (sg. 5-5.5) is more dense than matte (s.g. 4.5)and slag (s.g. 3.5) and therefore settles in the furnace hearth, thus decreasing working volume and production capacity of furnace. Samaita 2016
It combines with other oxides, e.g. Cr2O3 from
chrome-magnesite refractories to produce solids with densities intermediate between matte and slag. These solids form a false bottom between the matte and slag layers and hinders good distribution of charge into either matte or slag. To avoid magnetite formation the following measures are implemented;
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Maintain high temperature to increase solubility of
Fe3O4 in liquid slag and matte. High temperatures also favour reduction of magnetite K1100 = 2x10-6, K1200 = 1 x 10-4, K1300 = 4 x 10-3 Quality of charge: Avoid charging too much of recycled converter slag and over-roasted calcines as these are the major sources. Large proportion of charge must be green concentrates. Promoting low matte grade i.e. high FeS content.