Copper smelter dust as promising material for recovery of non-ferrous metals by the Waelz process
Dust of gas cleaning systems in the process of blister copper production is a waste of 2 class of hazard. The accumulation of copper smelter dust may cause signiicant damage to the environment in the places of their storage. This dust contains signiicant contents of zinc, lead, tin and copper that make possible to use it for recovery of mentioned 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” sample-1 (Russia) and PO Balkhashtsvetmet sample-2 (Kazakhstan) were studied using chemical, X-ray phase and electron microscopy methods. In the both dust samples the presence of the most of lead in the form of sulphate and sulphide, zinc in the form of orthostannate, ferrite and sulphide and copper in the form of chalcopyrite was identiied. To obtain the intermediate products for the production of zinc, lead, tin and copper industrial processing of the copper smelter dust can be most efectively carried out by the proposed technological scheme with one pyrometallurgical treatment in the Waelz furnace and further hydrometallurgical separation.