72
J. Wood et al.
injection rates, allowing for low offgas volumes and the potential for “carbon-free”
electricity to be employed as the primary energy source. Potential drawbacks for the
technology do, however, include:
• A significant electrical energy requirement (c.a. 21.6 MW for the processing of
22.1 t/h (wet) residues [13]) to provide the bulk of the process energy input for
melting the feeds and fluxes.
• A significant petroleum coke requirement (c.a. 8—10% of cold feed charge [13]),
to act as a reductant for the fuming process.
• Need for competitively priced, “carbon-free” electricity, without which, CO 2
emissions are likely to be equal to, if not higher, than in other fuming processes.
• A relatively high process offgas flow resulting from the treatment of wet feeds and
a significant secondary (post-combustion) air input.
• Use of natural gas as a plasma carrier gas, which in some locations, may mean
application of the technology is economically prohibitive.
Concluding Remarks
The Ausmelt process has been widely applied for the processing of various zincbearing materials, with more than 24 commercial furnaces applied for the zinc fuming
process application. Over its history, the process has undergone continued development and improvement to increase its energy efficiency and thus drive down operating
costs and fossil fuel consumption. In particular, this development work has centred
on a more intense, batch fuming process operated with high levels of process air oxygen enrichment and the introduction of dried feed materials via the Ausmelt Lance.
Collectively, these improvements are able to deliver significantly lower utilities and
fossil fuel consumptions than alternatives such as the Waelz kiln, box fumer, Chinese
side-blowing process and plasma technology.
References
1. Peng N, Peng B, Chali L, Liu W, Li M, Yuan Y, Yan H, Hou D (2012) Decomposition of zinc
ferrite in zinc leaching residue by reduction roasting. Procedia Environ Sci 16:705–714
2. Abkhosk E, Jorjani E, Al-Harasheh MS, Raschi F, Naazeri M (2014) Review of the
hydrometallurgical processing of non-sulfide zinc ores. Hydrometallurgy 149:153–167
3. Wood J, Dr. Coveney J, Gu H, Lan X, Song X (2015) The Outotec direct zinc smelting process.
In: Proceedings of Pb-Zn 2015, vol 2. Dusseldorf, Germany, pp 537–548
4. Moats M, Guerra E, Siegmund A, Manthey J (2010) Primary zinc smelter operating data survey.
In: Proceedings of Pb-Zn 2010. Vancouver, Canada. pp 263–282
5. Nykänen P (2016) 150 years’ evolution toward a greener future. Outotec Oyj, Espoo, p 240
6. Creedy S, Glinin A, Matusewicz R, Highes S, Reuter M (2013) Ausmelt technology for treating
zinc residues—ErzMetall, 66:230–235
J. Wood et al.
injection rates, allowing for low offgas volumes and the potential for “carbon-free”
electricity to be employed as the primary energy source. Potential drawbacks for the
technology do, however, include:
• A significant electrical energy requirement (c.a. 21.6 MW for the processing of
22.1 t/h (wet) residues [13]) to provide the bulk of the process energy input for
melting the feeds and fluxes.
• A significant petroleum coke requirement (c.a. 8—10% of cold feed charge [13]),
to act as a reductant for the fuming process.
• Need for competitively priced, “carbon-free” electricity, without which, CO 2
emissions are likely to be equal to, if not higher, than in other fuming processes.
• A relatively high process offgas flow resulting from the treatment of wet feeds and
a significant secondary (post-combustion) air input.
• Use of natural gas as a plasma carrier gas, which in some locations, may mean
application of the technology is economically prohibitive.
Concluding Remarks
The Ausmelt process has been widely applied for the processing of various zincbearing materials, with more than 24 commercial furnaces applied for the zinc fuming
process application. Over its history, the process has undergone continued development and improvement to increase its energy efficiency and thus drive down operating
costs and fossil fuel consumption. In particular, this development work has centred
on a more intense, batch fuming process operated with high levels of process air oxygen enrichment and the introduction of dried feed materials via the Ausmelt Lance.
Collectively, these improvements are able to deliver significantly lower utilities and
fossil fuel consumptions than alternatives such as the Waelz kiln, box fumer, Chinese
side-blowing process and plasma technology.
References
1. Peng N, Peng B, Chali L, Liu W, Li M, Yuan Y, Yan H, Hou D (2012) Decomposition of zinc
ferrite in zinc leaching residue by reduction roasting. Procedia Environ Sci 16:705–714
2. Abkhosk E, Jorjani E, Al-Harasheh MS, Raschi F, Naazeri M (2014) Review of the
hydrometallurgical processing of non-sulfide zinc ores. Hydrometallurgy 149:153–167
3. Wood J, Dr. Coveney J, Gu H, Lan X, Song X (2015) The Outotec direct zinc smelting process.
In: Proceedings of Pb-Zn 2015, vol 2. Dusseldorf, Germany, pp 537–548
4. Moats M, Guerra E, Siegmund A, Manthey J (2010) Primary zinc smelter operating data survey.
In: Proceedings of Pb-Zn 2010. Vancouver, Canada. pp 263–282
5. Nykänen P (2016) 150 years’ evolution toward a greener future. Outotec Oyj, Espoo, p 240
6. Creedy S, Glinin A, Matusewicz R, Highes S, Reuter M (2013) Ausmelt technology for treating
zinc residues—ErzMetall, 66:230–235