Process and apparatus for extracting zinc

Apparatus for extraction of zinc and lead from a material containing one or more iron oxides, zinc oxide and lead oxide, comprising:

• a first furnace chamber for receiving composite bodies that include said material and a carbonaceous material, wherein the first furnace chamber defines a reduction zone in which said composite bodies may be heated at a temperature insufficient to effect melting of the iron in the material but at a temperature and for a time sufficient to form a reductant from said carbonaceous material and to reduce a predetermined amount of the zinc oxide to zinc vapour, and reduce predetermined amounts of said iron oxides and lead oxides to iron and lead, respectively;
• a first arrangement comprising an outlet from the first furnace chamber which is structured to collect said zinc vapour from the first furnace chamber by flow of the zinc vapour into the outlet;
• a second arrangement comprising a condensing arrangement in communication with said outlet and structured to receive said collected zinc vapour and to cool the vapour therein to form liquefied or solid zinc;
• a second furnace chamber in communication with said first furnace chamber to receive therefrom material remaining after said zinc vapour has been collected from the first furnace chamber;
• a heating arrangement configured to further heat the remaining material in the second furnace chamber to a temperature sufficient to effect melting of the iron and lead therein;
• a third arrangement configured to separately recover the molten iron and separately recover the molten lead therefrom;
• a thermally insulated casing defining said first furnace chamber therein;
• one or more columns provided within said first furnace chamber, each column comprising a plurality of vertically orientated, vertically spaced, heat resistant tubes, wherein the cross-sectional area of each tube is smaller than that of an adjacent, lower tube, and wherein the ends of adjacent tubes are arranged so as to provide an annular space therebetween;
• an inlet through which a combustible charge is fed into the uppermost tube;
• an outlet from which reacted charge is removed from the lowermost tube;
• and
• a fluid conduit for conveying combustible volatiles evolved by heating said charge to a gas burning means for combustion, to thereby provide heat to said first furnace chamber.