Continuous feed shaft retort process for recovery of non-ferrous metals from process dust
AssigneeZia Technology, Inc.
InventorsNorman G. Bishop, N. Edward Bottinelli, Norman L. Kotraba
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for recovering primary metals from pyrometallurgical process dust, in which a vertical shaft retort, situated in a furnace or afterburner associated with a pyrometallurgical apparatus, such as an inclined rotary reduction smelter, and preferably having a tapered cross-section with the larger end at the bottom, receives greenball pellets from a pelletizer, vaporizes volatile metal metals therein, and removes them to an associated volatile metal recovery apparatus, while reducing and recovering the major metal oxide components in the pellets in metallized form.
Claims13
A method for recovering primary metals from pyrometallurgical process dust comprising:
- blending said dust with solid carbonaceous material and a binder, and pelletizing the blended materials to form greenball pellets;
- charging a vertical shaft retort with said greenball pellets and causing them to move continuously downwardly through said retort, said retort having an upper preheating and coking zone, an intermediate transition zone, and a lower reduction and vaporization zone;
- providing heat to the interior of said retort by heating the exterior thereof;
- prereducing the greenball pellets in the preheating and coking zone, and releasing water vapor, gases, and volatiles from the pellets;
- removing the released water vapor, gases, and volatiles from the upper portion of the upper preheating and coking zone;
- reducing the pellets and vaporizing reduced metals therein in the lower reduction and vaporization zone;
- removing the vaporized metals from the interior of the retort at the transition zone between the upper and lower zones;
- and
- discharging the reduced pellets from the bottom of the retort.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.