Recovery of Germanium from Copper Slag

Abstract

Abstract: Pyrometallurgy is the most used technology in copper extraction for copper-rich ores by which most of the copper around the world has been produced based on the properties and type of copper ore or concentrates0and working conditions. Pyrometallurgy of nonferrous metals unescapably produces massive amounts of residues in the smelting of which smelter slags are included. These smelter slags, in particular, are dumped continuously in the landscape around the world while they contain valued metals. Due to the valued metals, they are imperative by-products to process as some metal contents such as germanium (Ge) being a trace element in nature has become rare in its available deposits. Therefore, a copper slag from a copper smelter that processed concentrates from different mines has been used0for the recovery of Ge and base metals using the pyrometallurgical approaches. The raw slag was well mixed and characterized using cone blender and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), 0X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and0Scanning Electron Microscopy0Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy0(SEM-EDS)...M.Tech. (Extraction Mettalurgy