Determining and Interpreting Minor Element Distributions in Copper Matte Smelting
The presence of impurity elements within a base metal production circuit presents opportunities for increased revenue via by-product production but may also induce extra cost for impurity management or potentially impact human health and the environment. Quantifying and understanding the behavior of impurity elements during smelting, particularly how they distribute between product and waste phases, is therefore essential in operating copper smelters in a sustainable manner. This work illustrates the thermodynamic principles of element distribution behavior between copper matte and iron silicate slag using measured distribution data for two impurities, cobalt and tungsten. The distribution data for cobalt and tungsten were determined experimentally using synthetic matte and slag at 1250 °C under a low oxygen partial pressure. The experimental technique is described in detail and the key issues associated with ensuring that reliable element distribution data are obtained are discussed.