Continuous fuming of zinc-bearing residues: Part II. The submerged-plasma zinc-fuming process

A new high-temperature submerged plasma zinc-fuming process has been developed for the treatment of zinc leach residues, electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts, and other zinc-containing waste materials. Continuous operation of this process requires high zinc-fuming rates while retaining vessel integrity through the formation of a stable freeze lining. A zinc-fuming process model using the FactSage thermodynamic databases and ChemApp thermodynamic software has been developed, which simultaneously describes chemical, thermal, and heat-transfer outcomes of this process. The model has been used to systematically investigate the potential effects of operating parameters such as feed composition, fuel/oxygen ratio, electrical power and fluxing parameters on bath temperature, heat loss, Zn concentration and content in slag, Cu concentration, and content in matte.