Composition modification of ZnO containing fayalite slag from secondary source copper smelting

Fayalite based slag is formed during the smelting process of secondary copper resources. It was found that with the presence of high ZnO, the slag became viscous, causing a slag tapping problem. In the present paper, the phase relations of the slag system ZnO-"FeO"-SiO2-Al2O3-CaO (ZnO = 0-12 wt%, Al2O3% =0-15 wt%, CaO = 0-1.5 wt%, with iron saturation) at 1150°C is studied by using quenching technique followed by phase identification and compositional analysis of equilibrated samples. The dependence of FeO and Al2O3 solubility in the liquid slag on the chemical composition of slag is characterized. Based on the experimental data, the solid fraction of the slag, which may considerably, influences the slag viscosity, at the tapping temperature can be reasonably estimated and, therefore an appropriate modification of the slag composition can be made.status: publishe