2015 Vol. 22, No. 7
In the present investigation, magnetic separation studies using an induced roll magnetic separator were conducted to beneficiate low-grade ferruginous manganese ore. The feed ore was assayed to contain 22.4% Mn and 35.9% SiO2, with a manganese-to-iron mass ratio (Mn:Fe ratio) of 1.6. This ore was characterized in detail using different techniques, including quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed that the ore is extremely siliceous in nature and that the associated gangue minerals are more or less evenly distributed in almost all of the size fractions in major proportion. Magnetic separation studies were conducted on both the as-received ore fines and the classified fines to enrich their manganese content and Mn:Fe ratio. The results indicated that the efficiency of separation for deslimed fines was better than that for the treated unclassified bulk sample. On the basis of these results, we proposed a process flow sheet for the beneficiation of low-grade manganese ore fines using a Floatex density separator as a pre-concentrator followed by two-stage magnetic separation. The overall recovery of manganese in the final product from the proposed flow sheet is 44.7% with an assay value of 45.8% and the Mn:Fe ratio of 3.1.
This work studies the optimum reductive leaching process for manganese and zinc recovery from spent alkaline battery paste. The effects of reducing agents, acid concentration, pulp density, reaction temperature, and leaching time on the dissolution of manganese and zinc were investigated in detail. Manganese dissolution by reductive acidic media is an intermediate-controlled process with an activation energy of 12.28 kJ·mol-1. After being leached, manganese and zinc were selectively precipitated with sodium hydroxide. The zinc was entirely converted into zincate (Zn(OH)42-) ions and thus did not co-precipitate with manganese hydroxide during this treatment (2.0 M NaOH, 90 min, 200 r/min, pH > 13). After the manganese was removed from the solution, the Zn(OH)42- was precipitated as zinc sulfate in the presence of sulfuric acid. The results indicated that this process could be effective in recovering manganese and zinc from alkaline batteries.
The effects of Br- and I- concentrations on the cell voltage, anodic polarization, current efficiency (CE), and energy consumption (EC) of zinc electrodeposition from ammoniacal ammonium chloride solutions were investigated. The surface morphology of zinc deposits was also examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the morphology of zinc deposits and the phase of anodic sediments produced during electrolysis. The results clearly showed that the CE slightly increased from approximately 95.12% in the absence of I- and Br- to 97.08% in the presence of 10 g·L-1 Br-; in contrast, the CE significantly decreased to less than 83% in the presence of 10 g·L-1 I-. The addition of Br- and I- positively affected the EC, which decreased from 2514 kW·h·t-1 to approximately 2300 kW·h·t-1. The results of anodic polarization measurements showed that the voltage drops were 130 and 510 mV when the concentrations of Br- and I- were 10 g·L-1 at a current density of 400 A·m-2, respectively. SEM images showed that the addition of Br- and I- caused different crystal growth mechanisms, which resulted in the production of compact and smooth zinc deposits. The anodic reactions of I- were also studied.
Reduction of hematite pellets using H2-CO mixtures with a wide range of H2/CO by molar (1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1) at different reducing temperatures (1073, 1173, and 1273 K) was conducted in a program reducing furnace. Based on an unreacted core model, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant in several cases were determined, and then the rate-control step and transition were analyzed. In the results, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant increase with the rise in temperature or hydrogen content. Reduction of iron oxide pellets using an H2-CO mixture is a compound control system; the reaction rate is dominated by chemical reaction at the very beginning, competition during the reduction process subsequently, and internal gas diffusion at the end. At low hydrogen content, increasing temperature takes the transition point of the rate-control step to a high reduction degree, but at high hydrogen content, the effect of temperature on the transition point weakens.
This study investigates the surface of unpolished samples of blast furnace (BF) coke drilled from the tuyere zone, which hosts Fe-Si particles (mostly Fe3Si) that vary in size, shape, depth of submersion (penetration) into the coke matrix, and contact features with the surface. Based on the shape of the particles and the extent of their contact with the coke matrix, they have been grouped into three major types: (I) sphere-like droplets with limited contact area, (Ⅱ) semi-spheres with a larger contact area, and (Ⅲ) irregular segregations with a spherical surface, which exhibit the largest contact area among the three types of particles. Considering the ratio between the height (h) of the particles and half of their length at the surface level (l) along the cross-section, these three types can be characterized as follows: (I) h > l, (Ⅱ) h ≈ l, and (Ⅲ) h < l. All the three types of particles can be found near each other. The shape and the extent of the contact depend on the degree of penetration of the material into the matrix, which is a function of the composition of the particles. Type (I) particles were initially saturated with Si at an earlier stage and, for that reason, they can react less with carbon in the coke matrix than type (Ⅱ) and (Ⅲ), thereby moving faster through the coke cone. Thermodynamic calculations have shown that the temperature interval of 1250–1300℃ can be considered the starting point for Si entering into molten iron under quartz-dominated coke ash. Accordingly, the initial pick-up of Si by molten iron can be assumed to be mineral-related. In terms of BF practice, better conditions for sliding Fe-Si droplets through the coke cone are available when they come into contact with free SiO2 concentrated into small grains, and when the SiO2/ΣMexOy mass ratio in the coke ash is high.
The solidification microstructure, grain boundary segregation of soluble arsenic, and characteristics of arsenic-rich phases were systematically investigated in Fe-As alloys with different arsenic contents and quenching temperatures. The results show that the solidification microstructures of Fe-0.5wt%As alloys consist of irregular ferrite, while the solidification microstructures of Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys present the typical dendritic morphology, which becomes finer with increasing arsenic content and quenching temperature. In Fe-0.5wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1200℃, the grain boundary segregation of arsenic is detected by transmission electron microscopy. In Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1420℃, a fully divorced eutectic morphology is observed, and the eutectic Fe2As phase distributes discontinuously in the interdendritic regions. In contrast, the eutectic morphology of Fe-10wt%As alloy quenched from 1200℃ is fibrous and forms a continuous network structure. Furthermore, the area fraction of the eutectic Fe2As phase in Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys increases with increasing arsenic content and decreasing quenching temperature.
An induction levitation melting (ILM) refining process is performed to remove most microsized inclusions in ultra-low carbon steel (UCS). Nanosized, spheroid shaped sulfide precipitates remain dispersed in the UCS. During the ILM process, the UCS is molten and is rotated under an upward magnetic field. With the addition of Ti additives, the spinning molten steel under the upward magnetic field ejects particles because of resultant centrifugal, floating, and magnetic forces. Magnetic force plays a key role in removing sub-micrometer-sized particles, composed of porous aluminum titanate enwrapping alumina nuclei. Consequently, sulfide precipitates with sizes less than 50 nm remain dispersed in the steel matrix. These findings open a path to the fabrication of clean steel or steel bearing only a nanosized strengthening phase.
The effect of dislocation structure evolution on low-angle grain boundary formation in 7050 aluminum alloy during aging was studied by using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction analysis of misorientation angle distribution, cumulative misorientation and geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density. Experimental results indicate that coarse spindle-shaped grains with the dimension of 200 µm×80 µm separate into fine equiaxed grains of 20 µm in size as a result of newborn low-angle grain boundaries formed during the aging process. More specifically, the dislocation arrays, which are rearranged and formed due to scattered dislocations during earlier quenching, transform into low-angle grain boundaries with aging time. The relative frequency of 3°-5° low-angle grain boundaries increases to over 30%. The GND density, which describes low-angle grain boundaries with the misorientation angle under 3°, tends to decrease during initial aging. The inhomogeneous distribution of GNDs is affected by grain orientation. A decrease in GND density mainly occurs from 1.83×1013 to 4.40×1011 m-2 in grains with 〈111〉 fiber texture. This is consistent with a decrease of unit cumulative misorientation. Precipitation on grain boundaries and the formation of a precipitation free zone (PFZ) are facilitated due to the eroding activity of the Graff etchant. Consequently, low-angle grain boundaries could be readily viewed by optical microscopy due to an increase in their electric potential difference.
The hydrogen permeation behavior and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of precharged 7075-T6 Al alloy were investigated in this paper. Devanthan–Stachurski (D-S) cell tests were used to measure the apparent hydrogen diffusivity and hydrogen permeation current density of specimens immersed in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. Electrochemical experiment results show that the SCC susceptibility is low during anodic polarization. Both corrosion pits and hydrogen-induced cracking are evident in scanning electron microscope images after the specimens have been charging for 24 h.
The effect of rolling geometry on mechanical properties, microstructure, and recrystallization texture of Al-Mg-Si alloys was studied by means of tensile tests, microstructural observations, and electron backscatter diffraction measurements. The results reveal that the elongation and the average plasticity strain ratio (r) values of the T4P (pre-aging plus natural aging)-treated alloy sheet with a rolling geometry value between 1 and 3 are somewhat higher than those of the T4P-treated sheet with a rolling geometry value between 3 and 6. The deformation and recrystallization microstructures of the sheet with a rolling geometry value between 1 and 3 are more uniform than those of the sheet with a rolling geometry value between 3 and 6. The former also possesses somewhat higher surface quality. H {001}〈110〉 and Goss {110}〈001〉 orientations are the main recrystallization texture components for the former case, whereas the latter case only includes H{001}〈110〉 orientation. Texture gradients are present in the two alloy sheets. Shear texture component F on the surface of the sheet with a rolling geometry value between 3 and 6 and its higher texture gradients have revealed that non-uniform deformation occurred during cold rolling. The effects of texture on the yield strength and r value were also discussed.
The present study characterized NbSi2-Al2O3 nanocomposite powders plasma-sprayed on Ti-6Al-4V substrates. The powders were agglomerated to obtain suitable particle sizes for spraying. The agglomerated powders were then plasma-sprayed using atmospheric plasma spraying. The structural transformations of the powders along with the morphological and mechanical changes of the coatings were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and hardness testing. The results showed that after plasma spraying, the grain size increased, and the lattice strain decreased. However, the grain size of this compound after spraying was still in the nanometer range. The coating was uniform and exhibited good adhesion to the substrate. The microhardness and fracture toughness of the nanocomposite coating were higher than those of a nanostructured NbSi2 coating.
Using tellurium as a solvent, we grew ZnTe ingots of 30 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length by a temperature gradient solution growth method. Hall tests conducted at 300 K indicated that the as-grown ZnTe exhibits p-type conductivity, with a carrier concentration of approximately 1014 cm-3, a mobility of approximately 300 cm2·V-1·s-1, and a resistivity of approximately 102 Ω·cm. A simple and effective method was proposed for chemical surface texturization of ZnTe using an HF:H2O2:H2O etchant. Textures with the sizes of approximately 1 µm were produced on {100}, {110}, and {111}Zn surfaces after etching. The etchant is also very promising in crystal characterization because of its strong anisotropic character and Te-phase selectivity.
Rhombohedral-phase NiS micro/nanorods were synthesized on a large scale through a hydrothermal method using NiCl2·6H2O and thiourea crystals as starting precursors. Recrystallized thiourea was observed to play an important role in the formation of micro/nanosized rods and flower-like structures. The molar ratio and reaction temperature of the precursors influenced the morphology and phase of NiS products. Pure rhombohedral NiS micro/nanorods were obtained on a large scale when the molar ratio between NiCl2·6H2O and thiourea crystals was fixed at 2:1, and the mixture was heated at 250℃ for 5 h. Flower-like NiS nanostructures were formed when the molar ratio between NiCl2·6H2O and thiourea crystals was maintained at 1:1. The Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the as-prepared rhombohedral NiS micro/nanorods were collected, and their magnetic properties were investigated. The results showed that the FTIR absorption peaks of the as-prepared product are located at 634 cm-1 and their Raman peaks are located at 216 and 289 cm-1; the as-prepared NiS micro/nanorods exhibited weak ferromagnetic behavior due to the size effect.
Commercial activated carbons were modified by a series of chemical or physical treatments using H2O2, NH3, and heating under N2 flow without notably changing their pore structures. The resultant carbons were characterized by N2 adsorption and Bohem titration and then used to remove Ponceau 4R, methyl orange and brilliant blue from aqueous solutions. Surface chemistry was found to play a significantly different role in removing these three compounds. The removal of anionic Ponceau 4R increases with increasing carbon surface basicity due to the predominant dispersive interaction mechanism. In contrast, surface chemistry has little effect on the removal of anionic methyl orange, which can be explained by two parallel mechanisms involving electrostatic and dispersive interactions due to the basic amine group in a dye molecule. The influence of surface chemistry on the removal of amphoteric brilliant blue dye can also be ignored due to a weak interaction between the carbons and dye molecules, which is resulted from strong cohesive energy from electrostatic forces inside amphoteric dye molecules.