Abstract
Cobalt can be recovered from a variety of slags by treatment with a carbonaceous reducing agent in a direct-current arc furnace at around 1,500°C. The principal materials suitable for treatment using this technology are primary smelter slags, which typically originate from the processing of sulfide concentrates. The technology has been tested using copper, nickel-copper, and lead smelting slags. In all cases studied, cobalt is recovered as a valuable by-product to help improve overall plant profitability. Pilot-plant tests have demonstrated a cobalt recovery of more than 80 percent at power levels up to 600 kW. Very high recoveries of other valuable elements, such as nickel and copper, have also been achieved.
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Editor’s Note: All compositions are given in mass percent unless otherwise noted.
R.T. Jones earned his M.Sc. in metallurgical engineering at the University of Witwatersrand in 1990. He is currently a specialist consultant in the Pyrometallurgy Division at Mintek.
A.C. Deneys earned his B.Sc. in chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town in 1992. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Mr. Deneys is a member of TMS.
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Jones, R.T., Deneys, A.C. Using a direct-current arc furnace to recover cobalt from slags. JOM 50, 57–61 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-998-0356-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-998-0356-9