US 4,372,929 AGranted

Energy conservation and pollution abatement at phosphorus furnaces

AssigneeJames C. Barber and Associates, Inc.

InventorJames C. Barber

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Abstract

A process and product of waste recovery at phosphorus furnaces is disclosed wherein small sized discrete particles of carbonaceous material or beneficiated phosphate ore are mixed with a mineral acid, an alkaline fluid and water, and the reacted mixture is tumbled in a horizontal cylinder at a temperature below that at which the carbonaceous material oxidizes to form agglomerates which are then indurated to discrete particulate size as desired for a charge component; the agglomerates are fed to a phosphorus smelting furnace together with other materials needed to make elemental phosphorus, furnace gases are cooled with recirculating water, a side stream of the water is taken off, treated, and used as feedstock in fluid fertilizers. Apparatus is disclosed for agglomerating coke and phosphate and; further, for measuring the abrasion and shatter resistance of agglomerates.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A process for smelting phosphate ore at phosphorus furnaces comprising the steps of:

(a) mixing minus 1/4-inch phosphate ore with a mineral acid, an alkaline fluid, and water;
(b) tumbling the mixture in a rotating cylinder to form agglomerates of the desired size;
(c) indurating the agglomerates in a hardening heat range;
(d) removing the minus 6-mesh fines from the agglomerates;
(e) recycling fines from step (d) to step (b);
(f) removing minus 6-mesh fines from reducing carbon;
(g) mixing the reducing carbon fines from step (f) with a mineral acid, an alkaline fluid, and water;
(h) tumbling mixture from step (g) in a horizontal rotating cylinder;
(i) indurating agglomerates from step (h) by heating in the temperature range of 200.degree. to 280.degree. F.;
(j) adjusting and maintaining the quantities of liquid phase in the steps of agglomerating reducing carbon fines and phosphate ore to prepare reducing carbon and phosphate ore agglomerates of the same average particle size and particle size distribution;
(k) preparing a proportioned charge mixture comprised of lump silica rock, onsize reducing carbon, agglomerated reducing carbon fines from step (i), and agglomerated phosphate ore from step (c);
(l) smelting the proportioned charge mixture from step (k) in a conventional electric phosphorus furnace to produce elemental phosphorus.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.