Copper Smelter Dust Is a Promising Material for the Recovery of Nonferrous Metals by the Waelz Process

Abstract

Dust of gas cleaning systems in the process of blister copper production is a waste of class 2 hazard. The accumulation of copper smelter dust may cause significant damage to the environment in the places of their storage. This dust contains considerable contents of zinc, lead, tin, and copper, which makes possible its use for recovery of these elements. However, there are a number of characteristics such as complex multicomponent composition and high content of halogens. The physicochemical properties of the copper smelter dusts of FL PPM AO Uralelectromed (Russia) and PO Balkhashtsvetmet (Kazakhstan) were studied using chemical, X-ray phase, and electron microscopy methods. In both dust samples, the presence of lead in the form of sulfate and sulfide, zinc in the form of orthostannate, ferrite, and sulfide, and copper in the form of chalcopyrite was identified. To obtain the intermediate products for the production of zinc, lead, tin, and copper, the industrial processing of the copper smelter dust can be most effectively carried out by the proposed process flowsheet with one pyrometallurgical treatment in a Waelz furnace with further leaching steps.