Method of reprocessing metallurgical residues, which contain zinc and lead

A process for thermally treating a residual metallurgical material which contains zinc, lead and iron, in a circulating fluidized bed at elevated temperature and under reducing conditions, which comprises the steps of:

• (a) feeding a residual metallurgical material which contains zinc, lead and iron into an upper part of a fluidized bed reactor comprising an upper part and a lower part, said lower part having a height of up to 30% of the height of said reactor;
• (b) blowing a reducing fluidizing gas into the lower part of the fluidized bed reactor;
• (c) feeding an oxygen-containing gas into the upper part of the fluidized bed reactor to provide the oxygen required for combustion, said oxygen-containing gas containing more than 50% by volume of oxygen;
• (d) introducing a first and a second solid carbonaceous material having particle sizes below 2 mm and 10 mm, respectively, into the lower part of the fluidized bed reactor below a location at which the oxygen-containing gas is fed, wherein the amount of the first carbonaceous material being about 10 to 20% by weight of the sum of both carbonaceous materials, said first material having a low reactivity and being selected from the group consisting of coke, coke breeze, and petroleum coke, said second carbonaceous material being low flame gas coal and having a high reactivity, the solid carbon content in said lower part of the reactor being 5 to 30% wherein all heat required for combusting the residual metallurgical material is generated from the solid carbonaceous materials, and combusting the solid carbonaceous materials in the reactor and by a predominant combustion of the second carbonaceous material at a CO/CO.sub.2 ratio of 0.5 to 1.5, a temperature of 900.degree. to 1100.degree. C. is obtained, and during the combustion CO.sub.2 is formed only in such an amount that any metallic zinc contained in the residual metallurgical materials is not reoxidized;
• (e) adjusting a reduction potential in the lower part of the fluidized bed reactor by regulating an amount of the reducing fluidizing gas so that at least 80% of the iron content in the residual metallurgical material fed according to step (a) into the upper zone is present as Fe.sup.2+, up to 1% is present as metallic iron, and the balance is present as Fe.sup.3+ ;
• (f) reducing volatilized lead and zinc contained in the residual metallurgical material in the fluidized bed reactor to form metallic lead and zinc and reducing higher oxides of iron no further than to FeO, forming a gas-solids suspension in the upper part of the reactor;
• (g) removing the gas-solids suspension from the upper part of the fluidized bed reactor, separating substantially all solids from the gas-solids suspension in a cyclone, returning the separated solids to the fluidized bed reactor, and obtaining an exhaust gas containing metallic lead and zinc, the amount of solids which are returned per hour from the cyclone to the reactor is at least 5 times the weight of the solids contained in the reactor;
• (h) cooling the exhaust gas containing metallic lead and zinc in an evaporative cooler by injecting water into said cooler, thereby cooling the exhaust gas to oxidize the metallic zinc to ZnO as well as forming lead compounds;
• (i) separating the ZnO and the compounds of lead in the form of dust from the exhaust gas;
• and
• (j) from a major part of the exhaust gas removing water vapor and CO.sub.2 and recirculating said exhaust gas into the reactor as said reducing fluidizing gas.