US838125A

US838125A - Separation of nickel from copper.

Info

Publication number: US838125A
Application number: US29313305A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert R Maffett
Original assignee: International Nickel Co Inc
Current assignee: Huntington Alloys Corp
Priority date: 1905-12-23
Filing date: 1905-12-23
Publication date: 1906-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1923-12-11

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT R. MAFFETT, OF BAYONNE,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTER- NATIONAL NICKEL COMBANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSE Y- SEPARATION OF NICKEL FROM COPPER- Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed December 23, 1905. Serial lilo. 293.133.

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that 1, ROBERT R. MAFFETT,

of Bayonne, Hudson county, New Jersey,-

' ores, inwhich' these metals are associated, it

has been the ractice to smelt the matte containing s' fids of nickel, copper, and

iron in a cupola-furnace, together with a charge of coke and sulfate of soda in the form of crude niter-cake. The carbon of the coke reduces the sulfate of soda to sulfid of-soda, and this material having a solvent action for the copper and iron sulfids contained in the matte will dissolve them to a considerable extent, so that when the molten contents of the furnace are tapped into settling-pots the materials will stratify therein, the sulfid of nickel, together with some sulfid of soda, settling to the bottom, the sulfid of copper being dissolved in the mass of sulfid of soda which floats on the top. The mass when solidified is divided into tops and bottoms, the tops containing sulfids of copper and iron in solution in'the sulfid of soda and the bottoms containing sulfid of nickel, together with such of the sulfids of copper and iron as have not been taken up in solution in the sulfid of soda.

- In the process as practiced heretofore the imperfect solubility of the suliids of copper and iron in the sodium compound has made it necessary to subject the bottoms to several successive smelting operations,- generally four in all, in order to effect the separation to the desired degree and to obtain a product containing less than one per cent of copper. I have discovered that the operation can be performed much more effectively and the work which has heretofore been accomplished by four or five smeltings effected as well in two smeltings by the use of a polysulfid of soda instead of sim 1e sulfid of soda. Thus if crude sulfur be added to the charge in the cu 01a it will convert the sulfid of soda into a p0 ysulfid and will increase its solvent ac tion, so that two smeltings will be sufficient to effect the separation of the nickel, iron,

andcop er. I have found-it sufiicient to add .to t e usual charge of sodium sulfid in the-cupola-furnace three to four per cent. of its weight in sulfur, mixing it with the sodium sulfid when it is charged into the cupola. Those skilled in the art,however,will be able to modify my invention in many ways and to form the polysulfid by other modes of procedure, all that is necessary being to provide for the solution of the copper and iron sulfids a polysulfid of an alkaline metal insteadof a simple sulfid as ordinarily employed.

I claim as my invention- 1. An improvement in the art of separat ing matte containing copper and another metal .or metals, which consists in fusing the matte to ether with a polysulfid of an alka line meta 2. An improvement in the art of separat ing matte containing copper and another metal or metals, which consists in bringing the molten matte into contact with a polysulfid of an alkaline metal.

3. An improvement in the art of separating matte containing copper and nickel, which consists in fusing the matte together with a polysulfid of an alkaline metal.

4. An improvement in the art of separating matte containing copper and another metal, which consists in fusing the matte with the polysulfid of an alkaline metal.

5. An improvement in the art of separating matte containing cop er and another metal, which consists in ing the matte with the sulfid of an alkaline metal and adding sulfur to thecharge in addition to that which is contained in said sulfid.

6. An improvement in the art of separating matte containing 061) er and another metal, which consists in ing the matte with a charge containing the sulfate of an alkaline metal and carbon, together with sulfur in additionto that which 1s contained in the sulfate, whereby the sulfate is reduced to a sulfid and is combined with the added sulfur and as a polysulfid acts upon the matte.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand December 22,1905.

, ROBERT R. MAFFETT.

Witnessesz' Tnoms W. BAmwELL, GEORGE E. SONNEBORN.