Complex electrothermal processing of an oxide zinc-containing ore of the Shaymerden deposit

Oxide ores are potential world raw materials sources of zinc manufacture. Despite a sufficiently high extraction level of zinc and lead known pyrometallurgical methods are characterized by formation of large quantity of industrial wastes therefore a complex use level of these raw materials is low. Hydrometallurgical methods are mainly applied for extraction of nonferrous metals. The present article contains the research results of complex processing an oxide ore of the Shaymerden deposit (Kazakhstan), consisting in the simultaneous production of a ferroalloy, calcium carbide and zinc sublimates from the ore in a thermal-ore arc electric furnace. The researches have been carried out with use of a HSC 5.1 software package (based on a principle of Gibbs energy minimum) and electrical smelting the ore in a monoelectrode arc electric controlled-output furnace. It was found, that in equilibrium conditions in a system ore-carbon-iron gaseous zinc is formed at Т > 1073 K, FeSi at Т > 1573 K, CaC2 at Т > 2073 K, Si at Т > 1673 K. The electrosmelting of ore in an arc furnace using of 38.7-40% coke and 16-28.4% steel cuttings the conversion degree of silicon into an alloy is 75-77%, calcium to calcium carbide 77-81%, zinc to sublimates 99.3%. The ferroalloy obtained contains 19.6-41.3% of silicon, the calcium carbide is characterized by capacity of 110-250 m3/kg, and the zinc sublimates contain 66-67% of zinc. The -suggested method allows to increase the combined usage of the ore from 35.6 to 89.6%

Comprehensive Processing of Basalt together with Magnetite Concentrate in Order to Obtain Ferrous Alloy and Calcium Carbide

This article is devoted to basalt reprocessing together with magnetite concentrate in order to obtain ferrous alloy and calcium carbide. The studies have been based on thermodynamic simulation and electric smelting in arc furnace. The thermodynamic simulation has been performed using HSC-5.1 software based on the principle of minimum Gibbs energy. The blend was smelted in arc furnaces. On the basis of the obtained results of combined processing of basalt, it has been established that under equilibrium conditions, the increase in carbon content from 36 to 42 wt % of basalt and concentrate mixture makes it possible to increase the aluminum extraction into the alloy up to 81.4%, calcium into calcium carbide – up to 51.4%, and silicon into the alloy – up to 78.5% [...