Method of converting copper containing material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10428404-B2
Application number	US-201515308224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	May 14, 2014
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of converting copper containing material to blister copper comprising: (a) providing copper containing material comprising copper sulfides and iron sulfides, whereby the copper containing material comprises at least 35 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material; (b) reacting the copper containing material in a furnace with an oxygen containing gas, in the absence of flux, to effect oxidation of iron sulfide and copper sulfide, and controlling injection of the oxygen containing gas and the temperature so that the resulting converter slag is in a molten phase to obtain blister copper and converter slag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of converting copper containing material to blister copper comprising the following steps:
(a) providing copper containing material comprising copper sulfides and iron sulfides, whereby the copper containing material comprises at least 35 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material;
(b) reacting the copper containing material in a furnace with an oxygen containing gas, in the absence of flux, to effect oxidation of iron sulfide and copper sulfide, and controlling injection of the oxygen containing gas and the temperature so that a resulting converter slag is in a molten phase to obtain blister copper and converter slag, wherein in step (b) the oxygen partial pressure (pO2) is from 1 to 100 Pa.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in step (b) the temperature is at least 1200° C.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in step (b) a concentration of oxidized copper the converter slag is at least 30 wt %.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein sulfur concentration of obtained blister is less than 0.15 wt % S in blister.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper containing material comprises from 40 to 78 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper containing material is selected from matte, white metal and mixtures thereof.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the converting step (b) is performed as suspension smelting or bath smelting.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conversion is accomplished by flash converting furnace (FCF).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conversion is accomplished by Pierce-Smith converting furnace (PS).

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein oxygen containing gas is oxygen enriched air, pure oxygen and any mixtures thereof.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in step (b) the oxygen partial pressure (pO 2 ) is from 10 to 30 Pa.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in step (b) the temperature is from 1300 to 1400° C.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in step (b) a concentration of oxidized copper the converter slag is from 40 to 60 wt % of the total weight of the converter slag.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein sulfur concentration of obtained blister is 0.06 to 0.10 wt % S in blister.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the copper containing material comprises at from 55 to 75 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material.

16. A method of converting copper containing material to blister copper comprising the following steps:
(a) providing copper containing material comprising copper sulfides and iron sulfides, whereby the copper containing material comprises at least 35 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material;
(b) reacting the copper containing material in a furnace with an oxygen containing gas, in the absence of flux, to effect oxidation of iron sulfide and copper sulfide, and controlling injection of the oxygen containing gas and the temperature so that a resulting converter slag is in a molten phase to obtain blister copper and converter slag, wherein in step (b) a concentration of oxidized copper the converter slag is at least 30 wt %, and wherein in step (b) the oxygen partial pressure (pO 2 ) is from 1 to 100 Pa.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein in step (b) the temperature is at least 1200° C.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein sulfur concentration of obtained blister is less than 0.15 wt % S in blister.

19. A method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the copper containing material comprises from 40 to 78 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the copper containing material is selected from matte, white metal and mixtures thereof.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the converting step (b) is performed as suspension smelting or bath smelting.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the conversion is accomplished by flash converting furnace (FCF).

23. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the conversion is accomplished by Pierce-Smith converting furnace (PS).

24. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein oxygen containing gas is oxygen enriched air, pure oxygen and any mixtures thereof.

25. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein in step (b) the oxygen partial pressure (pO 2 ) is from 10 to 30 Pa.

26. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein in step (b) the temperature is from 1300 to 1400° C.

27. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein in step (b) a concentration of oxidized copper the converter slag is from 40 to 60 wt % of the total weight of the converter slag.

28. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein sulfur concentration of obtained blister is 0.06 to 0.10 wt % S in blister.

29. A method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the copper containing material comprises at from 55 to 75 wt % copper of the total weight of the copper containing material.

Assignees

• Outotec Finland Oy

Inventors

• Lahtinen Markku
• Pihlasalo Jouni
• Jåfs Mikael

Classifications

• C22B15/0043

  in rotating converters · CPC title

• C22B15/0047

  flash smelting or converting · CPC title

• C22B9/10

  with refining or fluxing agents; Use of materials therefor, {e.g. slagging or scorifying agents}(C22B9/18 takes precedence){(C22B9/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C22B15/0041

  in converters · CPC title

• C22B1/02 Primary

  Roasting processes (C22B1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title