TITLE:
Pyrometallurgical Removal of Arsenic from Electrostatic Precipitators Dusts of Copper Smelting
AUTHORS:
Hector Henao, Ignacio Paredes, Rodrigo Diaz, Javier Ortiz
KEYWORDS:
Copper Smelter Dust, Electrostatic Precipitators of Copper, Removal of Arsenic, Sulfidation, Roasting Process
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.9 No.6,
November
5,
2021
ABSTRACT: This work describes the experimental results of pyrometallurgical removing of arsenic from the dust collected in the electrostatic copper precipitators within the gas cleaning system of a Copper Flash Smelting Furnace. The generation of dust in the copper smelting worldwide ranges from 2 - 15 wt% per ton of a copper concentrate. In Chile, copper smelters produce approximately 110 kt/y of dust with a concentration of arsenic between 1 and 15 wt%. The dust is a complex of metals oxides and sulfurs with copper concentrations greater than 10 wt% and relatively high silver concentrations. Since its high arsenic concentration, it is difficult to recover valuable metals through hydrometallurgical processes or by direct recirculation of the dust in a smelting furnace. Thus, the development of pyrometallurgical processes aimed at reducing the concentration of arsenic in the dust (