Abstract
On the one hand, copper slag is nowadays a waste in copper pyrometallurgy despite the significant quantities of iron (>40 wt. %) and copper (1 to 2 wt. %). On the other hand, solar energy, when properly concentrated, offers great potential in high-temperature processes. Therefore, concentrated solar power (CSP) could be used in the treatment of copper slag to transform fayalite into magnetite and copper sulfides and oxides into copper nodules. This is the objective of this paper. The results show that fayalite was partially decomposed into magnetite and silica. Moreover, copper nodules (65–85 wt. % Cu) were identified in the treated samples, while the initial slag, analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and SEM-EDX, did not show the presence of metallic copper. Finally, the treated copper slag was crushed and grinded down to 40 μm, and two fractions were obtained by magnetic separation. The magnetic fraction (85%) was mainly comprised of magnetite, while the non-magnetic fraction (15%) had 5–10 wt. % Cu. Considering the experimental results, 7.5–18 kg Cu/t slag might be recovered from the slag. A preliminary economic analysis, considering the current copper price, indicates that only the recovery of copper could represent a significant economic benefit (>30 €/t slag). Therefore, CSP might be a potential candidate for the treatment of copper slag to recover copper and iron.
Highlights
Copper is one of the most mined metals on the Earth due to the applications of this metal in different fields
Original copper slag from the slag cleaning furnace was used in the experiments (FigOriginal copper slag from the slag cleaning furnace was used in the experiments ure 1)
We proposed the utilization of concentrated solar power (CSP) in the treatment of copper slag to recover/concentrate copper and iron from these slags
Summary
Copper is one of the most mined metals on the Earth due to the applications of this metal in different fields. A lot of tailing material, currently unprocessed, is generated in the process, and provides a huge opportunity to use concentrated solar power (CSP). The pyrometallurgical technique is the most important to produce copper, and the smelting conversion process is the most widely used within this route [1]. 80% of the copper is currently produced by the concentration, smelting, and refining of sulfide ores [2], which include chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 ), bornite (Cu5 FeS4 ), and chalcocite (Cu2 S). Different products are generated in the fusion conversion process (Figure 1). These include matte, which is heavy and contains most of the copper as sulfide
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