Processing fine stainless-steel slag using spiral concentration

Abstract

In this study, the effectiveness of spiral concentration to process a fine (−1 mm) stainless-steel slag was evaluated. Specifically, testing was conducted to determine the feasibility of producing a high metal content stainless steel product and a low metal content aggregate product. This involved investigating a key operating variable for both five-and seven-turn spiral concentrators. The raw slag and spiral products were characterized to determine their respective size and metal distributions. Separation testing was carried out using the two full-scale spiral concentrators to evaluate the effects of feed solids concentration on spiral performance at solids feed rates ranging from 15 to 30 kg/min. The results indicated that under certain conditions, a high-quality metal fraction could be produced. For example, using the five-turn spiral, a product containing 95% metal was obtained at a low metal recovery. Both spirals were ineffective at concentrating the aggregate fraction. Overall, the feed solids concentration did not significantly affect the quality or recoveries of the products, particularly for feed solids concentrations less than 35% by weight. In order to improve the metal recoveries and to produce a low-metal aggregate material, reprocessing of the product streams and/or additional liberation of the raw slag would be required.