Specialized metallurgical processes – compositions for use therei – Processes – Producing or treating free metal
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-24
2001-06-12
King, Roy (Department: 1742)
Specialized metallurgical processes, compositions for use therei
Processes
Producing or treating free metal
C075S582000, C065S020000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245123
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for melting oxidic slags and combustion residues having a minimum content of metallized portions such as, e.g., iron and/or carbon carriers, of 3% by weight.
2. Prior Art
Melting aggregates in which solid charges are to be melted under defined conditions in the first place have become known in connection with scrap melting. It was the aim of such processes to produce a molten steel melt from scrap and/or metal-containing wastelike substances, wherein the process was controlled in a manner that, in addition to a slag melt, a metal bath was formed by reduction of the melt. As a rule, acidic slag control was chosen and pig iron having a relatively low carbon content was melted, which, however, involved the relatively expensive purification of the offgases forming. Thus, a process for continuously melting scrap iron sponges or the like in a shaft furnace has already become known, for instance, from DE 25 04 889 A1, wherein a flame produced by fuel-oxygen-burning was to act on the charging material column in countercurrent from below. With such a process control, a reducing zone was produced below the oxidizing meltdown zone by admixing large coal pieces of low activity to the charging material. Such melting processes usually were aimed at melting steel or pig iron, to which end reducing conditions were necessary.
For the subsequent further treatment of slags with a view to purifying said slags in order to recover valuable raw materials and/or additives suitable for the production of cement, it has already been proposed to effect melting under oxidizing conditions. Thus, for melting inorganic combustion residues optionally loaded with heavy metals and/or heavy metal compounds, it was proposed, for instance, in AT 401 301 to feed gaseous oxygen or fuels to the charge and treat the same in a reactor while realizing as complete an oxidative reaction as possible under the formation of a foamed slag.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at providing a process of the initially defined kind, by which the formation of a completely oxidized slag is feasible in a simple manner and which, in a simple manner, also enables the safe separation of noxious substances and, in particular, the separation of copper prior to the consecutively provided aftertreatment of the slag.
To solve this object, the process according to the invention essentially resides in that the slag is charged into a shaft furnace, the charge is directly heated from below by means of fossil fuels, the combustion air or combustion oxygen is adjusted so as to maintain a free oxygen amount of >2% by vol. in the combustion offgases within the slag charging zone. The melt is transferred into a hearth type furnace connected with the shaft furnace and is sedimented under oxidizing conditions. The metallic phase sedimented from the slag bath in the further furnace is discharged separately from the slag phase. By being able to operate with a conventional shaft furnace as already suggested for scrap melting, the process according to the invention may be carried out with little apparative expenditure. By adjusting the combustion air and the combustion oxygen such that an amount of free oxygen of >2% by vol. and, preferably, >3% by vol. remains in the slag charging zone, the complete oxidation sought is safeguarded and burners with high efficiencies may be employed. By the melt being subsequently transferred into a heath type furnace connected with the shaft furnace and sedimenting under oxidizing conditions, it has become feasible to separate metallic phases from metals whose oxides dissociate under the high temperatures prevailing and to draw off the same continuously, thus enabling, in particular, the separation of, for instance, copper as a metallic phase in said hearth type furnace. After this, the completely oxidized slag bath may, for instance, be subjected to a reduction treatment in a simple manner, thereby enabling the recovery of further valuable substances and the formation of a slag phase free of iron or heavy metal oxides to a major extent. The process control according to the invention also allows for the simple purification of offgas, wherein noxious substances from offgas purification may be conducted in circulation and copper can be discharged as a metallic phase in a simple manner.
The process according to the invention in an advantageous manner is carried out such that shredder light fractions or organic waste substances are admixed to the fossil fuels such as, e.g., natural gas or carbon. In this manner it is feasible to process, and dispose of, further fractions enriched with noxious substances within the shaft furnace, thereby enabling the chemically bound energy content of shredder light fractions to be recovered by complete combustion.
In order to guarantee the desired oxidative treatment of the charging stock, the offgases advantageously are sucked off at a residual oxygen content of >3% by vol. Sucking off via a blower promotes the complete reaction of the charge.
In order to ensure copper oxides are thermally dissociated completely and copper is discharged in its metal form, the temperature of the melt within the hearth type furnace advantageously is maintained at >1550° C. In order to guarantee the high temperatures required for the complete dissociation of, for instance, copper oxide, the hearth type furnace advantageously may be heated via a cyclone charged with waste incineration ashes, filter dusts, Resh and/or dried sewage sludge, whereby further problem substances may be safely disposed of while utilizing their chemically bound energy.
In order to maintain the conditions of equilibrium required for the separation of the metallic phase within the hearth type furnace, it is advantageously proceeded such that oxygen and carbon are blown into the hearth type furnace so as to attain a &lgr; value larger than 0.8 to 0.9. In this manner, the respectively desired conditions may be adapted to the respective requirements as a function of the fuels chosen for heating the hearth type furnace.
Offgas purification within the scope of the process according to the invention advantageously may be realized in that the offgases drawn off the shaft furnace are subjected to alkaline washing at a pH of >10 and that the hydroxide slurries occurring are recycled to the cyclone for heating the hearth type furnace. The thus formed hydroxide slurries, by being recycled into the hearth type furnace, can be reacted quantitatively at the high temperatures required there and, above all, halogenides and, in particular, copper chlorides can be reacted to oxyhydrates and thermally dissociated during their recycling into the hearth type furnace such that copper may be recovered and is discharged from circulation. The major portion of further noxious substances may initially be kept back via the slag melt and separated in a consecutively provided slag aftertreatment.
The arrangement according to the invention, for carrying out the process of the invention substantially is characterized in that a shaft furnace is provided, in which burners for fossil fuels such as carbon or natural gas are arranged in the lower region and that the shaft furnace, via a continuous discharge, passes over into a hearth type furnace directly connected with the shaft furnace and in which the liquid phase sediments at least partially and is heated further under oxidizing conditions, and that a tap for a sedimented phase and a further tap for the slag melt are connected to the hearth type furnace. Such a simple arrangement in terms of apparatus allows for the quantitative melting and oxidation of large amounts of oxidic slags at a relatively low energy demand so as to obtain a completely oxidized molten product suitable for subsequently provided treatment steps.
In order to safeguard that oxidic slag melt is continuously produced from the burden column and to not influence the continuous supply of materials to be smelted, the configuration adva
"Holderbank" Financiere Glarus AG
King Roy
McGuthry-Banks Tima
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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