Methods of Extracting Metals

MET 109 Principles of Metrallurgy

PYROMETALLURGY
 PYROMETALLURGY
 A branch of Extractive Metallurgy which deals with chemical
reactions at high temperatures (300C -2000C)

 Consists of heating ores and concentrates to bring about physical

and chemical transformations to enable recovery of valuable
metals

 Used extensively in the extraction or production of metals at high

temperatures

 Pyrometallurgical process required energy to take place. The

energy is provided by combustion of fossil fuels, electrical heat,
and exothermic reaction of materials.

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Example :
The following metals are extracted by
pyrometallurgy:
1.iron
2. copper
3. zinc
4. chromium
5. tin
6. manganese
 PYROMETALLURGY
Characteristics of High Temperature Processes

• Chemical reactions and processes are difficult to monitor or operate

• Reactor materials are expensive
• Relatively rapid reaction kinetics which leads to:
– High productivity
– Close to equilibrium reactions
– Difficult control

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 PYROMETALLURGY
Why choose pyrometallurgy?

At increased temperatures:
 Relative stability of metals and their compounds
 Chemical change occurs more rapidly
 Structural change is more obvious
 Increased rate of mass transport and chemical reaction
 Faster rate of reaction and shorter reaction time
 Allows liquid and gas phase processing
 Relatively easy product phase separation

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 PYROMETALLURGY

Pyrometallurgical Processes
I. Calcination
II. Roasting
a) Hearth Roasting
b) Flash or Suspension Roasting
c) Fluidization Roasting
d) Blast Roasting/Sintering
III. Sintering
IV. Smelting

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 I. CALCINATION
 Process in which the ore is heated in a limited supply of air
at a temperature that does not melt the ore.
 In calcination organic matter, volatile impurities, moisture ,
and other gases present in the ore are removed
 Calcination is done in reverberatory furnace, rotary kiln
Common calcining reactions:
CaC03  CaO + CO2 H=39,900 cal
Limestone is heated CO2 is given off remaining a porous
material called calcium oxide.

𝐴𝑙2 𝑂3 . 2𝐻2 O 𝐴𝑙2 𝑂3 + 2𝐻2 O

Bauxite is calcined the water is removed anhydrous
alumina is left.

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I. CALCINATION

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 I. CALCINATION
 Use shafts or rotary kilns and Reverberatory furnace

Rotary kilns Reverberatory Furnace

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 II. ROASTING

 Process of heating of sulfide ore to a high temperature in the

presence of excess air
 Oxidation of metal sulphides (MxSy)to give metal oxides (MxOy) and
sulfur dioxide (SO2)
2ZnS + 3O2 2ZnO + 2SO2 H=-222,400 cal
4FeS2 + 11O2 2Fe2O3 + 8SO2 H=-808,320 cal
2Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2 H=-188,900 cal
 Involves chemical changes other than decomposition, usually by
reaction with the furnace atmosphere, and depends on the
diffusion of chemical species through the product

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 Different forms of Roasting
1. Oxidizing Roast – It is the most commonly practiced roasting
process, it involves heating the ore in excess of air or For sulfide
roasting, the general reaction can be given by:

2MS (s) + 3O2 (g) = 2MO (s) + 2SO2 (g)

Roasting the sulfide ore, until almost complete removal of the

sulfur from the ore, results in a dead roast.

2. Volatilizing Roast - involves careful oxidation at elevated

temperatures of the ores, to eliminate impurity elements in
the form of their volatile oxides.

Examples of such volatile oxides include:

As2O3, Sb2O3, ZnO and sulfur oxides.
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 Different forms of Roasting
3. Sulfating roast -A roast in which conditions in a furnace allow
sulfur in feed to recombine with calcined products to form
sulfates. Formation of metallic sulfates rather than oxides
2SO2 + O2 2SO3
FeO + SO3 FeSO4
CuO + SO3 CuSO4
ZnO + SO3 ZnSO4
Sulfate formation depends on:
1. SO2 partial pressure in the roaster gases
2. Temperature

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 Different forms of Roasting
4. Reduction roasting- partially reduces an oxide ore before the
actual smelting process.

5. Chloridizing roasting - Chloridizing roasting transforms

certain metal compounds to chlorides, through oxidation or
reduction.

Chloridizing roasting may be represented by the overall

reactions:

2NaCl + MS + 2O2 = Na2SO4 + MCl,

4NaCl + 2MO + S2 + 3O2 = 2Na2SO4 + 2MCl2

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 II. ROASTING

Roasting Methods
I. Hearth Roasting
II. Flash or Suspension Roasting
III. Fluidization Roasting
IV. Blast Roasting/Sintering

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 II. ROASTING
Roasting Methods

I. Hearth Roasting

• Done in a vertical cylinder containing a number horizontal

hearths, a steel shell to support the hearths, and a rotating central
shaft that carries the rabble arms
• Ore enters at the top and drops from hearth to hearth
• Sulfide particles are roasted as they come in contact with heated
air
• Stirring is usually required to promote oxidation

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 II. ROASTING
Roasting Methods
I. Flash or Suspension Roasting

• Designed such that roasting is done while the particles are

falling through heated air
• Especially useful for fine sized ore or concentrate feed
• Temperature of combustion zone = 900 -950 C

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 II. ROASTING
Roasting Methods
III. Fluidization Roasting

 New solid material can be introduced

at one point and the overflow goes out
in the discharge point
 Particle size should not be too large so
that the gas stream will not keep them
in suspension
 Air is used as the fluid

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 II. ROASTING
Roasting Methods
III. Fluidization Roasting

 Constant low temperature must be

maintained throughout to prevent
agglomeration of particles
 Particles are highly mobile which
results in the following:
o relatively uniform bed temperature
o good control over reactions

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 II. ROASTING
Roasting Methods
IV. Blast Roasting/Sintering

• Welding together of small particles of metal by applying heat below

the melting point
• Charge is held stationary
• Current of air is drawn into it
• Charge is fine ore + moisture
• Fine ore and concentrate have
to be agglomerated before
charging in blast furnace.

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 CALCINATION vs ROASTING

Roasting Calcination
Ore is heated in excess of air. Ore is heated in the absence or
limited supply of air.
This is used for sulfide ores. This is used for carbonates ores.

𝑆𝑂2 is produced along with the metal 𝐶𝑂2 is produced along with the metal
oxide. oxide.

Volatile impurities are remove as Moisture, organic impurities are

oxide removed ( including volatile )
2Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2 CaC03  CaO + CO2

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 III. SINTERING

 Process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by

heat and pressure without melting.
 Sintering happens naturally in mineral deposits or as
manufacturing process used with metals, ceramics, plastic and
other materials.
 Sintering process is concerned with:
-diffusion(surface particles as temperatures rises)
- densification (decrease porosity, increase particle contact
area)
- recrystallization and grain growth(between particles at the
contact area)

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III. SINTERING

Product

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 IV. SMELTING

• Process by which a metal is obtained from its ore by heating

beyond the melting point, ordinarily in the presence of oxidizing
agents (air) or reducing agents (coke)
• Results in the separation of the feed into two immiscible liquids
o Slag – formed from impurities in the ores being
treated, consists mostly of mixed oxides of elements such
as silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, and aluminum
o Matte or metal – crude mixture of molten sulfides
formed as an intermediate product of smelting metals
(copper, nickel, and lead)

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THE IRON BLAST FURNACE

Purpose of a blast furnace is to chemically reduce and physically

convert iron oxides into liquid iron called "hot metal".
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Smelting
Raw Material Charges:
1. Iron Ore
– Serves as the primary source of iron, in the form of an
oxide, either hematite (Fe2O3) of magnetite (Fe3O4)
– Ore pieces are usually less than 100mm in diameter

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Smelting
Raw Material Charges:
2. Coke
– hard and porous form of carbon which serves the following:
o produce heat necessary for furnace operation
o act as the reducing agent required to remove oxygen from
the metal oxide
o physically support the weight of the descending charges
while providing a porous path for the ascending gases

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Smelting
Raw Material Charges:
3. Flux
– limestone or dolomite acts as a flux in iron smelting
– decomposes into CaO and CO2 and reacts with the impurities
to form a fusible slag
– helps to reduce the melting point of the charge

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Smelting
Blast Furnace Products
1. Slag
(Typical composition)
SiO2 30-35%
CaO 35-45%
Al2O3 10-15%
MgO 2-10%
Mn 0.1-1.2%
Fe 0.2-0.4%
S 1.0-2.0%

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Smelting
Blast Furnace Products
2. Blast Furnace Gases
 Hot blast – gas with considerable
energy value use to preheat air
entering the blast furnace
 Cold Blast – gases not burnt in the
stove

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Smelting
Blast Furnace Products
3. Pig Iron
Fe 90-95% Si 0.7-3.5%
C 3.5-4.5% Mn 0.5-0.8%
S 0.02-0.12% P 0.10-0.90%
– Still contains some impurities but already contains a high
iron content
– Used as a raw material for all iron and steel products

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 IV. CONVERTING
 Refining process used by blowing air or oxygen through or over
the surface of molten charges to:
o oxidize impurities out of pig iron in steelmaking
o oxidize sulphur from copper and nickel mattes
 Reactions are strongly exothermic and thus, autogeneous
 Matte or metal (liquid charge)
 Fluxes and scrap (solid charge)

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 IV. CONVERTING

The Bessemer Converter

 High reaction rates
 Short processing time

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THE BESSEMER CONVERTER
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THE BESSEMER CONVERTER
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IRON AND STEEL MAKING

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