Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.5
2.7
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products
share announcement

Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 18631

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Davide Mombelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Politecnico di Milano, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: characterization, treatment, and exploitation of metallurgy, iron, and steel by-products (i.e., slag, dust, sludge, etc.)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Carlo Mapelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Meccanica, Via La Masa 1, 20156 Milano, Italy
Interests: ironmaking and steelmaking; applied metallurgy; plastic deformation of metals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The metallurgical industry is one of the most impacting human activities in terms of solid, liquid, and gaseous emissions. Metals production involves the extraction of metals ores processed by hydro-, pyro-, or hybrid-metallurgical processes, and it is always associated with the generation of an important amount of wastes. Unfortunately, for certain metals, i.e., rare earths, and noble metals, a shortage of raw materials that began a few decades ago due to an increase in their utilization for specific applications (solar panels, microelectronics, etc.). Generally, the solid and liquid residues from a specific metallurgy contain significant fractions of valuable elements suitable as raw materials for other metallurgies, like EAF dusts for Zn production. Thus, this Special Issue of Applied Sciences focuses on the possibility to extract (or recover) metals, oxides, or other compounds from metallurgical wastes (slag, dusts, sludges, skims, and dross) produced by the most widespread metallurgies (like iron-making, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead), noble metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.), refractory metals (tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, etc.), and rare earths. The purpose of this Issue is to collect novel and promising processes to recover valuable elements and compound from waste products. Pyro-, hydro-, or hybrid- metallurgical processes will be well accepted. Preferable papers will be those explaining a feasible process, at laboratory scale; a pilot plant; or an existing process, with special regard to the economic aspects of compound extractions and the environmental impact of process residues.

Dr. Davide Mombelli
Prof. Carlo Mapelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circular economy
  • extractive metallurgy
  • metallurgical residues recovery
  • secondary raw materials
  • waste management
  • slag
  • dusts
  • sludges
  • skims
  • dross

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 5853 KiB  
Article
Minimizing Chromium Leaching from Low-Alloy Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Slag by Adjusting the Basicity and Cooling Rate to Control Brownmillerite Formation
by Ida Strandkvist, Kjell Pålsson, Anton Andersson, Jenny Olofsson, Andreas Lennartsson, Caisa Samuelsson and Fredrik Engström
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(1), 35; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10010035 - 19 Dec 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2190
Abstract
Brownmillerite is connected to chromium leaching when present in steel slags. To prevent chromium leaching, brownmillerite in slag should be prevented. Two methods for decreasing brownmillerite content in low-alloy electric arc furnace (EAF) slag were investigated: decreasing the basicity and increasing the cooling [...] Read more.
Brownmillerite is connected to chromium leaching when present in steel slags. To prevent chromium leaching, brownmillerite in slag should be prevented. Two methods for decreasing brownmillerite content in low-alloy electric arc furnace (EAF) slag were investigated: decreasing the basicity and increasing the cooling rate. The methods were tried on both laboratory scale and in full-scale production. In the laboratory scale experiments, chromium leaching decreased as the basicity decreased until brownmillerite was no longer present, slower cooling resulted in increased chromium leaching, and faster cooling decreased chromium leaching. In full-scale production, basicity modified single batches, with a basicity below 2.2, generally leached less chromium than slag batches with higher basicity, thus verifying the correlation between basicity and chromium leaching seen in laboratory scale experiments. The cooling process in the full-scale experiments was achieved either by letting the slag cool by itself in the air or by water spraying. The water-sprayed slag, which cooled faster, had less chromium leaching than the air-cooled slag. The full-scale production experiments confirmed that both decreasing basicity below 2.2 and increasing the rate of cooling could be used to decrease chromium leaching. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 4443 KiB  
Article
Iron Recovery from Bauxite Tailings Red Mud by Thermal Reduction with Blast Furnace Sludge
by Davide Mombelli, Silvia Barella, Andrea Gruttadauria and Carlo Mapelli
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(22), 4902; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9224902 - 15 Nov 2019
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4276
Abstract
More than 100 million tons of red mud were produced annually in the world over the short time range from 2011 to 2018. Red mud represents one of the metallurgical by-products more difficult to dispose of due to the high alkalinity (pH 10–13) [...] Read more.
More than 100 million tons of red mud were produced annually in the world over the short time range from 2011 to 2018. Red mud represents one of the metallurgical by-products more difficult to dispose of due to the high alkalinity (pH 10–13) and storage techniques issues. Up to now, economically viable commercial processes for the recovery and the reuse of these waste were not available. Due to the high content of iron oxide (30–60% wt.) red mud ranks as a potential raw material for the production of iron through a direct route. In this work, a novel process at the laboratory scale to produce iron sponge (≤ 1300 °C) or cast iron (> 1300 °C) using blast furnace sludge as a reducing agent is presented. Red mud-reducing agent mixes were reduced in a muffle furnace at 1200, 1300, and 1500 °C for 15 min. Pure graphite and blast furnace sludges were used as reducing agents with different equivalent carbon concentrations. The results confirmed the blast furnace sludge as a suitable reducing agent to recover the iron fraction contained in the red mud. For all the conditions tested, the metallization degree was higher than 70%, and the best condition to reduce red mud through blast furnace sludge was identified at 1:1 red mud/blast furnace (B.F.) sludges equal to 0.85 C/Fe2O3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2132 KiB  
Article
The Use of High-Alloyed EAF Slag for the Neutralization of On-Site Produced Acidic Wastewater: The First Step Towards a Zero-Waste Stainless-Steel Production Process
by Mattia De Colle, Pär Jönsson, Andrey Karasev, Alicia Gauffin, Agnieszka Renman and Gunno Renman
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 3974; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9193974 - 23 Sep 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3615
Abstract
Recycling of steelmaking slags has well-established applications, such as their use in cement, asphalt, or fertilizer industries. Although in some cases, such as the electric arc furnace (EAF) high-alloyed stainless-steel production, the slag’s high metal content prevents its use in such applications. This [...] Read more.
Recycling of steelmaking slags has well-established applications, such as their use in cement, asphalt, or fertilizer industries. Although in some cases, such as the electric arc furnace (EAF) high-alloyed stainless-steel production, the slag’s high metal content prevents its use in such applications. This forces companies to accumulate it as waste. Using concepts such dematerialization, waste management, industrial symbiosis, and circular economy, the article drafts a conceptual framework on the best route to solving the landfilling issue, aiming at a zero-waste process re-design. An experimental part follows, with an investigation of the use of landfill slag as a substitute of limestone for the neutralization of acidic wastewater, produced by the rinsing of steel after the pickling process. Neutralization of acidic wastewater with both lime and slag samples was performed with two different methods. Two out of four slag samples tested proved their possible use, reaching desired pH values compared to lime neutralizations. Moreover, the clean waters resulting from the neutralizations with the use of both lime and slag were tested. In terms of hazardous element concentrations, neutralization with slag yielded similar results to lime. The results of these trials show that slag is a potential substitute of lime for the neutralization of acidic wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7542 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Agglomerates from Secondary Raw Materials Reinforced with Paper Fibres by Stamp Pressing Process
by Thomas Echterhof, Thomas Willms, Stefan Preiss, Matti Aula, Ahmed Abdelrahim, Timo Fabritius, Davide Mombelli, Carlo Mapelli, Stefan Steinlechner and Iñigo Unamuno
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 3946; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9193946 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2787
Abstract
The use of secondary raw materials in metallurgical processes such as steelmaking is an important contribution to the circular economy aspired to by EU members and many other countries. The agglomeration of dusts, fines and sludges is an important pretreatment step to enable [...] Read more.
The use of secondary raw materials in metallurgical processes such as steelmaking is an important contribution to the circular economy aspired to by EU members and many other countries. The agglomeration of dusts, fines and sludges is an important pretreatment step to enable the use of these materials in subsequent melting processes, such as steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAFs). It also reduces the amount of by-products and waste materials that are currently waste for disposal and are landfilled. The presented research is part of the Fines2EAF project, which aims to increase the value of steelmaking residues by internal recycling and use or reuse in the form of agglomerates. The approach followed in this project is the use of a hydraulic stamp press and alternative binder systems to produce cement-free agglomerates. The first results of lab-scale agglomeration tests of six different recipes with varying pressing forces are presented in this paper. It is shown that the addition of fibres from paper recycling has a strong effect on the cold compression stability of the agglomerates, by far exceeding other effects such as increased pressing force. Overall, the agglomerates produced in the lab show promising characteristics, for example, cold compression stability and abrasion resistance, which should allow for use in EAF steelmaking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 3784 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Study on the Reduction Behavior of Dust Generated from Electric Arc Furnace
by Mengxu Zhang, Jianli Li, Qiang Zeng and Qiqiang Mou
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(17), 3604; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9173604 - 02 Sep 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2503
Abstract
To improve the utilization value of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) containing zinc, the reduction behavior of non-agglomerate dust was investigated with carbon and ferrosilicon in an induction furnace. The experimental results show that when the temperature increases, the zinc evaporation rate increases. [...] Read more.
To improve the utilization value of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) containing zinc, the reduction behavior of non-agglomerate dust was investigated with carbon and ferrosilicon in an induction furnace. The experimental results show that when the temperature increases, the zinc evaporation rate increases. When the reducing agent is carbon, zinc evaporation mainly occurs in the range of 900–1100 °C. When the reducing agent is ferrosilicon, zinc begins to evaporate at 800 °C, but the zinc evaporation rate is 90.47% at 1200 °C and lower than 99.80% with carbon used as a reducing agent at 1200 °C. For the carbon reduction, the iron metallization rate increases with a rise in the temperature. When the reducing agent is ferrosilicon, with an increase in temperature, the metallization rate first increases, then decreases, and finally, increases, which is mainly due to the reaction between the metallic iron and ZnO. In addition, the residual zinc in the EAFD is mainly dispersed in the form of a spinel solution near the metallic phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 4431 KiB  
Article
End-of-Life Liquid Crystal Display Recovery: Toward a Zero-Waste Approach
by Alessia Amato, Alessandro Becci, Paolo Mariani, Federica Carducci, Maria Letizia Ruello, Saveria Monosi, Chiara Giosuè and Francesca Beolchini
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(15), 2985; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app9152985 - 25 Jul 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2600
Abstract
End-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCD) represent a possible source of secondary raw materials, mainly glass and an optoelectronic film composed of indium (90%) and tin (10%) oxides. A strong interest for indium, classified as critical raw material, pushed research towards the development of [...] Read more.
End-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCD) represent a possible source of secondary raw materials, mainly glass and an optoelectronic film composed of indium (90%) and tin (10%) oxides. A strong interest for indium, classified as critical raw material, pushed research towards the development of high-efficiency recycling processes. Nevertheless, a deepened study of the technological innovation highlighted that only a small number of treatments included use of whole waste. Furthermore, these processes often need high temperatures, long times, and raw materials that have a significant environmental impact. In this context, this article shows an approach developed in accordance with the “zero waste” principles for whole, end-of-life LCD panel recycling. This process includes preliminary grinding, followed by cross-current acid leaching and indium recovery by zinc cementation, with efficiencies greater than 90%. A recirculation system further increases sustainability of the process. To enhance all waste fractions, glass cullets from leaching are used for concrete production, avoiding their disposal in landfill sites. Considering the achieved efficiencies, combined the simple design suitable for real-scale application (as confirmed by the related patent pending), this process represents an excellent example of implementing circular economy pillars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Extractive Metallurgy from Metallurgical Waste or by-Products)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop