During primary copper sulfide smelting and converting, one of the main copper losses is to the slag, which decreases the overall copper recovery. To decrease the copper losses, which are mechanically entrained or dissolved, a slag cleaning route can be used. At the Boliden Rönnskär smelter in Sweden, the slag from the smelting furnace is treated under reducing conditions in a fuming furnace and then tapped into an electric settling furnace where the copper is separated from the slag under the action of gravity. A trial was conducted in the settling furnace at the Rönnskär smelter to increase the knowledge of the copper content in slag and how the process parameters temperature and settling time influence the final slag copper content. The slag was also modified with CaO, to enhance the slag properties for an increased settling velocity and thus decreased copper content. The trial was evaluated by collecting multiple samples of the ingoing and outgoing slag and then compare the slag copper content in the samples. The results showed that the copper content increased with increasing temperature and decreased when the slag was modified with CaO, both parameters had a more pronounced effect compared to the settling time. The slag was also characterized showing that copper was associated with spinels and bubbles, which hinders the settling.
Funder: Bolidenpaketet, Boliden