Features of the Extraction of Metals from Waste in a Solar Furnace
Аннотация
This paper analyzes the potential for using solar plants based on mirror-concentrating systems in technological processes for processing inorganic materials, in particular, processing materials in a stream of concentrated high-density solar radiation. To solve the problem of waste disposal of the mining and metallurgical process, it is proposed to use mobile, compact solar devices that allow the processing of mining and metallurgical waste directly in the immediate vicinity of dumps with the extraction of metals. The geometric and optical-energy parameters of the concentrator for processing in order to extract metals from mining wastes are calculated. It is shown that a system of mirrors that consists of a heliostat (100 m2) and a paraboloid-shaped concentrator with a diameter of 10 m can focus a solar radiation flux with a density, which is sufficient to melt metallurgical waste from the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Plant. It has been revealed that when the material is heated in a carbon medium the process of metal reduction from their oxide states proceeds according to the reaction MeO + C = Me + CO. Some metals oxidize when cooled in air according to their chemical affinity for oxygen. It has been revealed that the continuous supply of material to the melting unit will make it possible to melt the material in the amount of 2400 kg per 1 sunny day. This indicates that in 1 year one solar furnace can process 500 tons of industrial waste with the extraction of 110 tons of iron and 16 tons of copper. It is shown that ultrasonic treatment of waste materials stimulates an increase in the amount of reduced copper in the melt by 8 times compared to the initial state of the material.