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Characterisation of Secondary Copper Smelting Slag With Transmission Electron Microscopy

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Abstract

The utilization of slag from metallurgical processes supports resource conservation, which highlights the importance of understanding its properties. Characterization and analysis techniques are key to link chemical composition and phases to properties and process parameters. In this study the feasibility of transmission electron microscopy for phase analysis in nanoscale is tested. The same phases as in scanning electron microscopy investigations are observed, including copper droplets during their formation. Additionally phases with crystal structure are identified, which lattice spacings fit to spinel structures (Al, Mg, Fe) (Zn, Al, Cr, Fe)2O4 with spacegroup “\({\text{F}}\overline{d}{\text{3m}}\)”. A high-resolution image of atom columns in industrial slag samples is provided, showing the possibility of transmission electron microscopy for analysis of crystalline phases in slag.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by Aurubis AG and Montanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy. Financial support from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in the project 3DnanoAnalytics (Grant No. FFG-No. 858040) is also gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aurubis AG, Kupferstrasse 23, 44532, Luenen, Germany

    Cora Kleeberg

  2. Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Institut Für Nichteisenmetallurgie, Franz-Josef-Strasse 18, 8700, Leoben, Austria

    Luigi Cattini, Thomas Kremmer & Juergen Antrekowitsch

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  1. Cora Kleeberg
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  2. Luigi Cattini
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Correspondence to Cora Kleeberg.

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Kleeberg, C., Cattini, L., Kremmer, T. et al. Characterisation of Secondary Copper Smelting Slag With Transmission Electron Microscopy. Metall Mater Trans B 54, 1593–1603 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-023-02788-3

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