Abstract
A review is given of the technology applied in four mineral processing industries aimed at reducing metal emissions to the environment. The processes selected are zinc and aluminum refining, phosphoric acid manufacturing and titanium dioxide production. Following a brief description of the state of the art, recent achievements and current R&D efforts towards cleaner production are summarized for each process. The four processes are subsequently compared to identify fundamental differences and similarities. It is concluded that a number of generic technological problems can be discerned in mineral processing. In spite of the entirely different nature of the processes and products described, general guidelines can be derived for reduction of metal emissions and improvement of the recovery of valuable ore components. Notwithstanding the poor environmental performance of the classical thermal and pyrometallurgical processes, pyrometallurgy holds some promises for waste and emission prevention in the future mineral processing industries.
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Weijnen, M.P.C., Schinkel, J.N., Elgersma, F. (1995). Reduction of Metal Emissions by Cleaner Mineral Processing Technology. In: Förstner, U., Salomons, W., Mader, P. (eds) Heavy Metals. Environmental Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79316-5_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79316-5_13
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