A METHOD FOR EXTRACTING VALUABLE COMPONENTS FROM COPPER SMELTER SLAG.

Abstract

Copper smelter slag commonly considered as waste and qualified only by residual  zinc and copper amount. Despite the continuous modernization of copper enterprises, a huge amount of slag with high content of non-ferrous and precious metals annually goes to slag dumps forming rich technogenic deposits, due to which it is not reasonable to use them in the production of construction materials. The authors have set a goal - to change the strict perception of slag as a "waste" to a "resource", to contribute to the development of new processing technologies and search for applications of new products, with the ultimate goal of processing slag dumps, thereby reducing the impact of metallurgical production on the environment.

This article has a scientific-theoretical character and is devoted to the theoretical search and explanation of the regularities of the phenomena under study, and is the basis for research aimed at considering the possibility of extracting valuable metals still remaining in copper slags. The essence of the method of electrochlorination is revealed and the theory of processes occurring in the reaction space is described. The analysis and theoretical description show the efficiency of application and prospects of development of the electrochlorination method for extraction of valuable components from copper slags. Prerequisites for further practical research of slag utilization by this method are created, the positive results of which will serve as an example when considering the possibility of using large volumes of other wastes generated in the mining industry.