Method and apparatus for recovering copper, bronze and lead from mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12227819-B2
Application number	US-201917436031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2019
Priority date	Mar 5, 2019
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for recovering copper, bronze and lead by allowing methane gas to flow into a reactor and heat-treating a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide under a temperature condition of 700-900° C. is disclosed. The method includes placing a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide in a reactor, increasing the temperature inside the reactor, and allowing a reductive gas to flow into the reactor so as to heat-treat the mixture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for recovering copper, bronze and lead from a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide, the method comprising:
placing a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide inside a reactor;
raising a temperature inside the reactor;
introducing a reducing gas into the reactor and heat-treating the mixture at 700 to 900° C. to separate and recover solid copper and molten bronze; and
recovering vaporized lead through a recovery line connected to an upper end of the reactor;
wherein recovering the lead through the recovering line includes:
cooling and depositing the vaporized lead;
dust-collecting a portion of lead that is not deposited in the depositing step; and
recovering a portion of lead that is not collected in the dust-collecting step.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing gas includes methane gas.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein raising the temperature includes introducing nitrogen or argon gas into the reactor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor contains a mesh structure therein,
wherein the mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide is placed on a top face of the mesh structure,
wherein a recovering unit for recovering molten material is disposed below the mesh structure.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the molten material includes molten copper-tin alloy.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein in the heat-treatment of the mixture, at least one of an inertial force, an impact force or a rotational force is applied to the mixture or the reactor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the inertial force, the impact force or the rotational force is applied to the mixture or the reactor 10 times for 1 minute to 3 minutes.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cooling and depositing step is performed one or more times.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixture of the copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide is obtained by burning a waste solar power module.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the lead in a condenser.

Assignees

• Pukyong National Univ Industry—Univ Cooperation Foundation
• Nat Univ Pukyong Ind Univ Coop Found

Inventors

• Wang Jei Pil

Classifications

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title

• C22B25/02

  by dry processes · CPC title

• C22B13/02

  by dry processes · CPC title

• C22B7/001

  Dry processes · CPC title

• C22B13/025

  Recovery from waste materials · CPC title