Plastic-containing materials as alternative reductants for base metal production

Lotfian, Samira; Vikström, Tommy; Lennartsson, Andreas; Björkman, Bo; Ahmed, Hesham M.; Samuelsson, Caisa

doi:10.1080/00084433.2018.1532951

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The trials included 11 batches with only coal injection, two trials with the co-injection of coal and PE, four trials with coal and PUR, and six trials with coal and SRM. Table 2 summarizes the conditions during the trial; a more detailed description of the trial has been published elsewhere [21]. Table 2.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Management of the Plastic-Rich Fraction of WEEE by Utilization as a Reducing Agent in Metallurgical Processes

2019

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In modern society, there is a fast growth in the production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE); however, rapid growth results in the frequent discarding of this equipment. During the treatment of discarded materials, a stream is generated that contains a high fraction of plastic materials, but also metals and oxides. This stream, which is called shredder residue material (SRM), is heterogeneous, which limits its recycling options. Utilizing this material in metallurgical processes allows the plastic fraction to be used as a reductant and energy source and the metallic fraction to be recycled and returned to the production of EEE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of plastic-containing materials, especially SRM, as alternative reductants in metallurgical processes. The first step was to compare the thermal conversion characteristics of plastic-containing materials to the currently used reducing agent, i.e., coal. Three main candidates, polyurethane (PUR), polyethylene (PE), and SRM, were studied using a drop tube furnace and an optical single-particle burner. PE had the highest volatile content and the fastest conversion time, whereas PUR had the longest conversion time. Thereafter, plastic materials were tested at the industrial scale through injection to the zinc fuming process at the Boliden Rönnskär smelter. During the industrial trial, the amount of coal that was injected was reduced and substituted with plastic material. The results indicate the possibility of reducing the coal injection rate in favor of partial substitution with plastic materials.

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Section: Experimental Design and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Management of the Plastic-Rich Fraction of WEEE by Utilization as a Reducing Agent in Metallurgical Processes

2019

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“…The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of plastic materials, in particular, SRM to partially substitute coal as reductant in the zinc fuming process. To determine the possibility of utilisation of plastic materials, an industrial trial was performed at the Boliden-Rönnskär smelter [3]. In this study, thermodynamic calculation using FactSage 7.1 was performed and used as a tool to identify and compare the reduction potential of studied plastic materials.…”

Section: Objectives Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The conditions during the plant trials are presented in Table 3, a detailed description of the operation condition during industrial trials is provided elsewhere [3]. Figure 3 shows the flow sheet of the process, including the temperature and pressure of the gas phase.…”

Section: Description Of the Industrial Trial Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One example of a bath smelting process is zinc fuming, which involves the reduction of zinc from zinc-containing slag by injection of coal and air. In a previous study, the authors investigated the injection of two pure plasticcontaining materials and SRMs through industrial trials in a zinc fuming plant of the Boliden-Rönnskär smelter [3]. The finding indicates that plastic-containing materials can partially substitute coal in the process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the potential of plastic-containing materials as alternative reducing agents

Lotfian

Vikström

Lennartsson

et al. 2019

Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly

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The amount of discarded plastic-containing materials is increasing, and one option to help with this issue is to use these materials in bath smelting processes. The injection of plastic-containing materials to partially substitute coal in zinc-fuming processes has been studied in an industrial trial at Boliden-Rönnskär smelter. To evaluate the potential of plastic-containing materials, thermodynamic calculations were performed in this study. In the first step, a thermodynamic calculation was performed for trials with only coal injection, and then this calculation was applied to trials with the co-injection of plastic materials. The thermodynamic calculation shows that not all the injected coal participates in the reactions within the slag. Similarly, the calculation with the co-injection of plastic-containing materials shows that different amounts of each plastic material participate in the reactions within the slag bath. RÉSUMÉ La quantité de matériaux contenant du plastique et mise au rebut augmente, et une option pour aider avec ce problème est d'utiliser ces matériaux dans les procédés de fusion de bain. On a étudié l'injection de matériaux contenant du plastique pour substituer partiellement le charbon dans les procédés de volatilisation du zinc lors d'un essai industriel au four de fusion de Boliden-Rönnskär. Pour évaluer le potentiel des matériaux contenant du plastique, on a effectué des calculs thermodynamiques dans cette étude. Au cours de la première étape, on a effectué un calcul thermodynamique pour les essais avec uniquement des injections de charbon, et l'on a ensuite appliqué ce calcul aux essais de co-injection de matériaux plastiques. Le calcul thermodynamique montre que ce n'est pas tout le charbon injecté qui participe dans les réactions avec la scorie. Similairement, le calcul avec la coinjection de matériaux contenant du plastique montrait que différentes quantités de chaque matériau plastique participent dans les réactions avec le bain de scorie.

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“…Traditionally, coal is used as a reducing agent in this process. However, the utilization of plastic-containing materials such as shredder residue material is possible [4]. There are several studies available on the behavior of coal in the zinc fuming process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversion Characteristics of Alternative Reducing Agents for the Bath Smelting Processes in an Oxidizing Atmosphere

Lotfian

Ahmed

Umeki

et al. 2019

J. Sustain. Metall.

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The amount of plastic-containing materials, such as shredder residue material, which is generated after the processing of electronic equipment waste, is increasing. One interesting option for the sustainable management of these materials, instead of incineration or landfilling, is recycling through injection in a bath smelting process, such as zinc fuming. In this way, the plastic material could partially substitute coal as a reductant in the process. In such processes, shredder residue material is injected alongside air into the furnace at temperatures up to 1250 °C. Once the material is injected, it undergoes several conversion steps, including ignition, devolatilization, and char oxidation. In this study, the conversions of shredder residue material and other pure plastic materials were investigated using a drop tube furnace and an optical single-particle burner. The effect of particle size on the conversion time of each material was studied. The conversion time of the particles increases as the particle size increases, although the relationship is not linear. The results indicate that plastic materials with a particle size range of 1-7 mm have a considerably longer conversion time than that of coal used in the conventional processes.

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Plastic-containing materials as alternative reductants for base metal production

Cited by 11 publications

References 13 publications

Sustainable Management of the Plastic-Rich Fraction of WEEE by Utilization as a Reducing Agent in Metallurgical Processes

Sustainable Management of the Plastic-Rich Fraction of WEEE by Utilization as a Reducing Agent in Metallurgical Processes

Evaluating the potential of plastic-containing materials as alternative reducing agents

Conversion Characteristics of Alternative Reducing Agents for the Bath Smelting Processes in an Oxidizing Atmosphere

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