Abstract
As a fundamental study for systematic and comprehensive understanding of copper and nickel smelting processes from a standpoint of thermodynamics, the phase equilibrium between the FeOX-SiO2 base slag, which was saturated with silica and containing about 6 mass % MgO, and the Cu2S-Ni3S2-FeS matte with NNi /(NNi + NCu) molar ratios of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 was investigated at 1,573 K under the partial pressure of SO2 with 0.1 atm. The slag and the matte were equilibrated in a MgO crucible and the partial pressures of oxygen and sulfur were controlled by using an Ar-SO2-S2 gas mixture passing through a sulfur reservoir. It was clarified that the partial pressures of oxygen and sulfur in relation to the iron content in the matte were almost independent of the matte species. This was considered to be ascribed to the activity of FeS in the matte which was almost constant against the matte species when the composition of iron in the matte was specified. The content of copper in the slag at a specified composition of iron in the matte decreased with increasing the nickel molar ratio, NNi /(NNi + NCu), in the matte while that of nickel increased with increasing the nickel molar ratio. It was found that the distribution ratio of silver between the slag and matte phases was considerably small at less than 0.1 and had a tendency to increase with increasing the nickel molar ratio in the matte when the composition of iron in the matte was specified. On the other hand, the distribution ratio of cobalt presented considerably large values of about 1 in the range of low iron content in the matte.
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