Interfacial Distribution of Germanium during the Interaction of Metallic and Slag Melts

Abstract

The behavior of elements in the high-temperature processes that involve several melts and a gas phases is mainly determined by the rate of interfacial transport of an element. For example, the efficiency of processing of germanium-containing raw materials is determined by the rate of sublimation of gaseous germanium compounds (GeO, GeS) or the reduction of elementary germanium from a silicate melt (slag) in an iron-based melt, depending on the method germanium concentration in a gas or metallic phase [1, 2]. The rate of germanium transfer to a metallic melt should be decreased in the former case and should be increased in the latter case. Since the rates of germanium transport from a slag to a metal are unavailable, we try to measure the rate of germanium exchange between silicate and metallic (iron-based) melts.