GB211895A - Process of splitting up ores and metallurgical products - Google Patents

Abstract

Relates to the treatment of ores, concentrates, smelter products, metals, alloys, and other metalliferous materials, particularly sulphides, selenides, tellurides, arsenides, antimonides, sulpho-salts, matts, speisse, phosphides, carbides, &c., for the production of separate constituents or ingredients in crystalline or other form, and comprises generally the treatment of the materials, usually in molten state, with a reagent which may be, for example, a sulphide, with the result that on cooling of the mass, certain constituents crystallize or separate out, and on solidification are bound together by the material having the lowest melting point; the whole mass is then reduced to powder by treatment with agents such as air, water, carbon dioxide, or sulphides of alkaline earths or of aluminium or chromium, the mixture being afterwards separated by mechanical, magnetic, electric, wet, or other means. The rate of cooling may be regulated to obtain different constituents in larger or smaller crystals. Oxide ores may be treated according to this process if they are first transformed to sulphides or the like. In some cases a material such as sodium chloride may be added. Molybdenum sulphide may be purified by treatment with iron sulphide and sodium sulphide, impurities such as copper and bismuth sulphides being separated. Iron pyrites containing nickel and copper may be melted with materials which form sodium sulphide, successive products being obtained each of which may be separated by magnetic or other means. In some cases the temperature need not be raised to that of melting, for example in freeing iron pyrites from copper. In some cases a sulphide may be added electrolytically by the method described in Specification 211,883. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 (3) (a) refers also to the production of arsenic sulphide by treating a molten sulphide with a molten arsenide. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.