Pyrometallurgical Recovery of Valuable
Metals from Flue Dusts of Copper
Smelter Through Lead Alloy
Wenzhao Cui, Mao Chen and Baojun Zhao
Abstract Low-grade copper concentrates containing increased impurities such as
As, Pb, and Zn are used in copper production. In copper smelting and converting
processes, large amounts of flue dusts are collected from the waste heat boiler (WHB)
and the electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The dusts consisting of Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Fe,
Bi, and Ag are presented in the forms of sulphate, sulphide, and oxide. The complex
combination of these minerals makes it difficult to recover the valuable metals from
a single lead-reduction process. Different approaches have been compared through
experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations to efficiently recover most of
the valuable metals and obtain clean slag. It was found that leaching, oxidation, and
reduction are essential steps to fix arsenic and recover valuable metals. Optimum
conditions for high-temperature processes of oxidation and reduction have been
proposed. Most of the Ag and Bi can be recovered from lead alloy.
Keywords Flue dust · Copper smelter · Lead reduction · Pyrometallurgical
recovery
Introduction
Flue dusts are generated during all stages of pyrometallurgical processing of copper
concentrates, including roasting, smelting, converting, and slag cleaning. The mass
of dust can be 1–10 wt% of the feed to the furnace. These dusts are collected by
waste heat boiler (WHB), electrostatic precipitator (ESP), or baghouses. The dusts
can be classified into two types depending on how it is formed during the gas cleaning process [1]. The first type is the chemically formed one which is a product of
vaporization and condensation in the gas cleaning system. The other type is the physically formed dust generated as a result of movement of small solid and/or liquid
W. Cui
Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co. Ltd, Dongying, China
M. Chen · B. Zhao (B)
The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
e-mail: baojun@uq.edu.au
© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2020
A. Siegmund et al. (eds.), PbZn 2020: 9th International Symposium
on Lead and Zinc Processing, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37070-1_46
539
Metals from Flue Dusts of Copper
Smelter Through Lead Alloy
Wenzhao Cui, Mao Chen and Baojun Zhao
Abstract Low-grade copper concentrates containing increased impurities such as
As, Pb, and Zn are used in copper production. In copper smelting and converting
processes, large amounts of flue dusts are collected from the waste heat boiler (WHB)
and the electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The dusts consisting of Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Fe,
Bi, and Ag are presented in the forms of sulphate, sulphide, and oxide. The complex
combination of these minerals makes it difficult to recover the valuable metals from
a single lead-reduction process. Different approaches have been compared through
experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations to efficiently recover most of
the valuable metals and obtain clean slag. It was found that leaching, oxidation, and
reduction are essential steps to fix arsenic and recover valuable metals. Optimum
conditions for high-temperature processes of oxidation and reduction have been
proposed. Most of the Ag and Bi can be recovered from lead alloy.
Keywords Flue dust · Copper smelter · Lead reduction · Pyrometallurgical
recovery
Introduction
Flue dusts are generated during all stages of pyrometallurgical processing of copper
concentrates, including roasting, smelting, converting, and slag cleaning. The mass
of dust can be 1–10 wt% of the feed to the furnace. These dusts are collected by
waste heat boiler (WHB), electrostatic precipitator (ESP), or baghouses. The dusts
can be classified into two types depending on how it is formed during the gas cleaning process [1]. The first type is the chemically formed one which is a product of
vaporization and condensation in the gas cleaning system. The other type is the physically formed dust generated as a result of movement of small solid and/or liquid
W. Cui
Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co. Ltd, Dongying, China
M. Chen · B. Zhao (B)
The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
e-mail: baojun@uq.edu.au
© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2020
A. Siegmund et al. (eds.), PbZn 2020: 9th International Symposium
on Lead and Zinc Processing, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37070-1_46
539