• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.12-21
• /
• 2015

Almost all copper slags contain a considerable amount of Cu (0.5 - 3.7%) close to or even higher than copper ores. A number of methods for metal recovery from copper slag were reported These methods can be classified into three categories, flotation, leaching and roasting. Sulfide flotation method for the recovery of copper from Kazahstan copper furnace slag is discussed in this investigation. 50% of copper from the slag was recovered by sulfide flotation at pH 4. meanwhile 67% of copper from the slag was recovered at pH 11. Higher copper recovery result at pH 11 rather than that at pH 4 was caused by the fact that copper sulfides were floated in particle size fraction over $100{\mu}m$ in concentrates at pH 11. When the slag were ground below $74{\mu}m$by ball milling, the recovery of copper by floation in slag improved to 78 - 83% because of copper liberation effect.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.17-28
• /
• 2015

In order to study the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of copper slag, optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, EPMA, AAS and XRD analyses were carried out. In addition, sulfuric acid leaching experiments were performed to investigate the potential of the slag as a copper resource. It was confirmed that fayalite, chromite, bornite and chalcopyrite were contained in the slag. The slag mainly consisted of acicular fayalite and skeletal lath -euhedral chromite crystals. Also a very large amount of bornite and chalcopyrite grains were contained in the slag. The content of Fe and Cu in the slag was 18.37% and 0.93%, respectively. As a result of sulfuric acid leaching experiments, the leaching rates of Cu and Fe were increased through decreasing the slag particle size, increasing the sulfuric acid concentration and the leaching temperature. The maximum efficiency of Cu and Fe leaching were obtained under the conditions of particle size of 32 mesh, sulfuric acid concentration of 2.0 M, and leaching temperature of $60^{\circ}C$. Accordingly, it is expected that the slag could be available as a potential and alternative resource of metallic copper.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.75-84
• /
• 2005

The aim of this study is to evaluate the leaching characteristics of lead, copper, cadmium, and mercury from steel making slag by seawater. To demonstrate the leaching characteristics of heavy metals from steel making slag by seawater, it was carried to various leaching tests such as regular leaching tests, liquid/sold(LS) leaching test and pH static test. From the leachability of $Pb^{+2},\;Cu^{+2},\;and\;Cd^{+2}$ from steel making slag in pH static test, it is distinguished between distilled water and seawater. With distilled water, it is very low between pH 7-8 and pH 11-12. On the other hands, with the seawater, its leaching is higher than that of distilled water. In particular, concentration of $Hg^{+2}$ leached from slag by seawater is lower than that of distilled water. Meanwhile, we found that the heavy metals from steel making slag would be dissolved and precipitated using geochemcial equilibrium program such as visual minteq. Lead and copper leached from steel making slag with seawater were dissolved nearly in the range of pH 11-12, but in the range of pH 7-10 those were precipitated about 90%. And cadmium leached from steel making slag with seawater were dissolved completely. On pH static test with distilled water, lead leached from steel making slag seemed to be similar to pH static test with seawater. However, copper and cadmium leached from steel making slag were dissolved. In general, the species of lead leached from steel making slag were formed mainly of $PbCl^+,\;PbSO_4$, the species of copper were formed mainly of $CuSO_4,\;CuCO_3$, the species of cadmium were formed mainly of $CdCl^+,\;CdSO_4$ due to being sorbed with the anions($Cl^-,\;CO_3^{-2},\;SO_4^{-2}$) of the seawater. Both pH static test with seawater and distilled water, it is not in the case of the mercury. Most of mercury leached from steel making slag was precipitated(SI=0). Because the decreasing of $Hg^{+2}$ concentrations depends ferociously on the variation of chloride($Cl^-$) existed in the seawater. $Hg^{+2}$ leached from steel making slag could be sorbed strongly with chloride($Cl^-$) compared of carbonate($CO_3^{-2}$) and sulfate($SO_4^{-2}$) in the seawater. On the basis of that result, we found that the species of mercury was formed of calomel($Hg_2Cl_2$) as one of finite solid. Due to forming a calomel($Hg_2Cl_2$) in the seawater, the stability of mercury species by steel making slag should be higher than those of lead, copper, and cadmium species. Regarding the results stated above, we postulated that the steel making slag could be recycled to sea aggregates due to being distinguishing leachability of heavy metals($Pb^{+2},\;Cu^{+2},\;Cd^{+2},\;and\;Hg^{+2}$) between leaching tests by distilled water and seawater.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2017

In this study, $Fe_2O_3$ was added as a flux to decrease melting temperature and refine during melting of Cu powder from scraped surface of the waste PCB (printed circuit board). The effect of $Fe_2O_3$ ratio to Cu powder and temperature on the recovery of Cu and content of impurities were investigated. It was found that the recovery of Cu was increased with increasing addition ratio of $Fe_2O_3$ and reaction temperature. The contents of O, Si and Fe in Cu phase were also decreased with increasing addition ratio of $Fe_2O_3$ and temperature. The formation of fayalite ($2FeO{\cdot}SiO_2$) and iron oxides phases in the slag was confirmed by XRD analysis after reaction with $Fe_2O_3$. Therefore, it was considered that the decrease of melting temperature and viscosity of slag by formation of fayalite slag contributed remarkably to the Cu recovery.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.16 no.3 s.77
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2007

It is very important in the view point of resource recycling to recover valuable metals such as copper and tin from waste electric and electronic scrap. The waste electric and electronic scrap contains significant amounts of copper, tin, and so on. In this study, a new process for extracting copper and tin contained in the waste electric and electronic scrap using waste copper slag which is generated from the melting furnace of copper smelter was presented. Advantage of the proposed process is to reuse waste copper slag instead of new fluxes as slag formatives. In each experiment, the waste electric and electronic scrap and waste copper slag were melted inputting suitable amount of CaO as an additional flux. Up to 95% of copper and 85% of tin in the raw material were extracted in a Cu-Fe-Sn alloy phase.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.54-61
• /
• 2008

Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) technology has been focused in contaminated groundwater remediation. It is necessary to select adequate reactive material according to characteristics of contaminant in groundwater. In this research, the reaction between reactive material and heavy metal contaminants was estimated through column test. Reactive material was slag, which has been produced in Gwangyang power plant, and heavy metal contaminants were cadmium, lead and copper. Column test was performed in the condition of 1) single and multi contaminated solution and 2) different initial concentration of cadmium. Retardation factor of cadmium is 3.94 in multi contamination. But that of copper is 40.3 in single and 25 in multi. The difference of retardation between cadmium and copper is due to affinity, resulted from the difference of electronegativity. In multi-contamination, copper effluent concentration was above initial copper concentration and at the same time lead effluent concentration was decreased. This phenomenon was considered that lead extract copper sorbed in slag and then lead was sorbed to the vacant sorption site instead. And as the initial concentration was increased, the retardation factor of cadmium became decreased.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.255-264
• /
• 2012

The stabilization using limestone ($CaCO_3$) and steel making slag as the immobilization amendments for Cu and Pb contaminated farmland soils was investigated by batch tests, continuous column experiments and the pilot scale feasibility study with 4 testing grounds at the contaminated site. From the results of batch experiment, the amendment with the mixture of 3% of limestone and 2% of steel making slag reduced more than 85% of Cu and Pb compared with the soil without amendment. The acryl column (1 m in length and 15 cm in diameter) equipped with valves, tubes and a sprinkler was used for the continuous column experiments. Without the amendment, the Pb concentration of the leachate from the column maintained higher than 0.1 mg/L (groundwater tolerance limit). However, the amendment with 3% limestone and 2% steel making slag reduced more than 60% of Pb leaching concentration within 1 year and the Pb concentration of leachate maintained below 0.04 mg/L. For the testing ground without the amendment, the Pb and Cu concentrations of soil water after 60 days incubation were 0.38 mg/L and 0.69 mg/l, respectively, suggesting that the continuous leaching of Cu and Pb may occur from the site. For the testing ground amended with mixture of 3% of limestone + 2% of steel making slag, no water soluble Pb and Cu were detected after 20 days incubation. For all testing grounds, the ratio of Pb and Cu transfer to plant showed as following: root > leaves(including stem) > rice grain. The amendment with limestone and steel making slag reduced more than 75% Pb and Cu transfer to plant comparing with no amendment. The results of this study showed that the amendment with mixture of limestone and steel making slag decreases not only the leaching of heavy metals but also the plant transfer from the soil.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.49-59
• /
• 2012

One of the world's top resource-rich countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has ample reserves of cobalt, iron ore, copper and diamond in particular. Importing most of major mineral resources, the Republic of Korea has examined-together with the Congo government since 2008-the possibility of a project where it supports port construction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and acquires useful minerals such as zinc, cobalt and copper in exchange through slag reprocessing in the local city of Lubumbashi. This study conducted feasibility analysis on the slag reprocessing project in Lubumbashi, Congo and found that the project's payback period stands at 6.7 years, net present value(NPV) at 34 million dollars and internal rate of return(IRR) at 17.4%. According to sensitivity analysis that takes into account uncertainties concerning taxation, fixed cost, operational cost and resource prices, the NPV of the project ranges from -24.8 million dollars to 92.7 million dollars.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.39-43
• /
• 2015

The cement mixtures such as flyash, iron-slag and silica fume have been actively studied in order to increase the quality of concrete. In this study, the grinded copper-slag with different proportion was added to portland cement. The physical properties of the cement mortars, (i.e.) flowability, absorption, compressive strength and flexural strength, were investigated for the potential application to the cement. Also, the influence of the acid on the chemical resistance of the cement mortars with copper-slag was evaluated by monitoring the weight variation of the cement mortars under 5 % sulfuric acid for 28 days.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.33-39
• /
• 2014

In this study, the solubility of Cu, which is a main metal component of wasted PCB, in $CaO-SiO_2-Al_2O_3-MgO$ slag system was investigated. Each 20 grams of Cu chips and the quaternary slag manufactured was placed in an carbon crucible and melted for 10 hours in the temperature between 1673 K and 1825 K to confirm the equilibrium state. The oxygen partial pressure was controlled by the ratio of CO and Ar gas in the range of $10^{-17.23}$ to $10^{-15.83}$ atm. The concentration of Cu in the slag increased with increasing oxygen partial pressure, slag basicity, and MgO content in the slag. The concentration of Cu in the slag decreased with increasing temperature. The Cu dissolution reaction in the slag is an exothermic reaction.