The effect of iron on the production of ferrosilicon and the volatilization of non-ferrous metals from a mixture of sulfide ores from the Shalkiya and Zhayrem deposits
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51301/ejsu.2025.i6.02Keywords:
lead-zinc polymetallic ores, ferrosilicon, sublimates, thermodynamic modelling, electrosmeltingAbstract
The article presents the results of studies on the complex processing of ores from the Shalkiya and Zhayrem deposits, a distinctive feature of which is not only a low degree of floatability (due to close mutual intergrowth of zinc and lead ore minerals with non-metallic minerals), but also a high content (40-50%) of silica. The studies were carried out by thermodynamic modeling methods using the HSC-6.0 software package based on the principle of minimum Gibbs energy, second-order planning and electric smelting in an arc single-electrode furnace of sulfide ores from the Shalkiya and Zhayrem deposits (with a ratio of 1:1) together with carbon (coke) and iron (steel cuttings). The effect of temperature and the amount of iron on the equilibrium distribution of silicon, zinc, lead, the composition of the silicon-containing alloy and sublimates containing zinc and lead was determined. Conditions for the equilibrium formation of grade ferrosilicon with the transition of 60 to 85% silicon, at least 99% zinc and 48-89% lead into sublimates were determined. Ferrosilicon grade FeSi45 was obtained by electric smelting of a mixture of the Shalkiya and Zhayrem ores in the presence of 26% coke and 18% steel cuttings, and ferrosilicon grade FeSi25 was obtained in the presence of 26% coke and 38% iron. Sublimates of electric smelting contain 25.0-26.1% zinc and 10.5-11.8% lead.
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