metallurgy

Proposal for the design and construction of enterprises in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, inorganic chemistry and building materials

in the territories of the countries of Central Asia, the European and African continents

1. The subject of this proposal.

The subject of this proposal is the design and construction of production facilities:

cast iron, reconstituted iron, including those obtained using direct reduction technologies; these materials are raw materials for further processing into metal products, machine-building products;
rolled metal for structural purposes;
steel sheet, LSTK profiles from it;
iron powder of various brands;
ferroalloys of manganese, nickel, chromium, vanadium, tungsten, molybdenum, and other metals that are alloying components of steels;
chemically pure metals, which are alloying components of steels;
high–purity iron, including for electrical purposes; also – products made from it: transformers, generators, motors, etc.;
carbides of many metals;
alloys of many metals with metallic silicon;
silicon carbide and silicon metal;
metallic copper and its alloys;
copper enamel wire, which is necessary for the production of transformers, generators, electric motors;
market – demanded magnesium salts;
metallic magnesium;
oxide and liquid zinc salts;
metallic zinc cathode,
oxide and liquid lead salts;
metal cathode lead;
carbon reducing agents, electrodes, adsorption filter elements;
enterprises will also be created, as well as separate production lines based on the industries proposed above, the main activity of which will be the environmentally friendly disposal of various types of industrial, municipal and other carbon-containing and inorganic waste (with the production of valuable chemical raw materials and building materials).

The products listed above are the basic raw materials for the production of many valuable materials used in mechanical engineering and in many other high-tech industries. All these materials are scarce on the global market.

Along the way, as a result of the processing of the initial ore raw materials, many inorganic wastes will form silica compounds. They will be used for the production of building materials using concrete, silicate, ceramic and composite technologies. It is also possible to create the production of container and plate glass, glass fibers of various brands. These solutions make it possible to create completely waste-free processes for processing any ore raw materials and inorganic waste.

These business projects can be created either individually, near mineral deposits or natural gas (if it is the basic energy resource for such production), or on the territory of one Industrial Park. The relevant range of issues about the sources of raw materials, energy, and labor will be considered in relation to the requirements of a specific business project (or a group of technologically related business projects).

Regions of Central Asia, the European and African continents hawe all the necessary mineral raw materials to create production facilities for all these and other (not mentioned above) products (metal raw materials).

It is not a fact that all raw materials will be in the country where we intend to establish its industrial processing, agreed upon with the country’s leadership. The necessary ore raw materials are available in huge quantities in the regions of Central Asia and the African continent, its extraction has already been established there and it is only necessary to organize its delivery.

Therefore, the implementation of projects can also be based on the supply of raw materials from neighboring countries for the implementation of planned projects.

At the same time, it is possible to temporarily consider (until the establishment of its own independent energy generating company) the purchase of electricity from neighboring countries that have already established a developed energy sector. The possibility of purchasing electricity will allow, without waiting for its own electricity generation, to begin the formation and development of the production sectors necessary for the country.

Of course, the price of electricity determines the feasibility of creating the above-mentioned industries, so the need to build power generating plants in the territories of the countries of Central Asia, the European and African continents should be considered as one of the main priorities of these countries.

This offer does not contain a detailed description of the production technologies of the commodity products listed above, as this is very extensive information that requires the attention of only technical specialists. This offer contains only the general concept and information:

about the proposed technologies in their briefest description;
about the main aspects of these industries (the need for raw materials, energy resources, technologies, qualified personnel, etc.);
about the main organizational decisions necessary to create such productions.

It is optimal to develop these industries as part of one industrial park, since in this case it is easier to solve problems related to the logistics of raw materials and products, and the production of electricity necessary for such industries in large quantities. It is also easier to solve problems related to the processing of the resulting silica-containing waste into construction or other materials.

2. The main idea of this proposal.

The main idea of this proposal is to create a system of business projects related to each other:

technological synergy;
a common technology platform.

The technological synergy of these projects lies in the fact that the by-products of one of the industries are raw materials or energy resources for other industries. For example:

as a result of the processing of copper, zinc, and other ores, as well as other materials containing valuable metals, iron will be extracted in large quantities; this is the raw material for steel production

processes;

as a result of pyrometallurgical processes for the production of all metals, a large amount of thermal energy will be generated; this is an energy resource for the production of building materials using concrete, silicate, and ceramic technologies;
as a result of the processing of all ore materials and waste, a large amount of silica waste will be generated; it is a raw material for the production of building materials using concrete, silicate, ceramic technologies; also, for the production of cast stone;
as a result of the processes of processing (environmentally friendly disposal) of various wastes, except for the mineral residue (raw materials for the extraction of metals and silica compounds), a large amount of thermal energy will be generated; this is a resource for the production of building materials using the technologies we offer; water will also be formed, which can be used for any technical purposes of any production.

The presence of this synergy makes it possible to significantly improve the technical and economic performance of these projects compared to the condition that these projects will be implemented separately (without using by-products as valuable resources).

The commonality of the technology platform is as follows:

all the projects proposed below include a hydro chemical process for the conversion of silica compounds, aimed at extracting all valuable metals from their composition and producing silica compounds suitable for processing into materials using concrete, silicate, ceramic technologies, as well as for producing cast stone;
all projects include melting furnaces of the same type: rotating tube furnaces, gas cupolas, and tub- type furnaces.;
all projects include the same type of heating devices: boilers, steam blast mills, vacuum evaporators, drying cabinets, etc.;
all projects include the same type of flue gas purification systems from SO₂+NO_x, as well as dust and dangerous ecotoxic ants;
all projects include the same type of solutions aimed at water purification with the creation of closed-loop circulating water supply systems.

This simplifies the tasks of designing, building, manufacturing standardized and non-standardized technological equipment, performing commissioning, working out Technical Regulations, etc. It also simplifies the task of training qualified personnel to work at such enterprises.

It is desirable to create many of these projects as a cluster of enterprises located within the same Industrial Park. This will allow solving energy problems and reducing logistics routes for intermediate products of processing various ore raw materials. The resulting products are intended for use as raw materials for the production of many products in the energy, mechanical engineering, and some other industries.

3. Environmental consequences of the creation of these industries.

For the purposes of this proposal, it is proposed to apply our existing technology for processing inorganic raw materials and waste. It allows the extraction of all metals from the initial inorganic raw materials, except calcium (in the form of hydroxides, which are metallurgical or chemical raw materials). The residue consisting of hydro silicate and calcium hydro aluminosilicate is supposed to be used for the production of cement and silicate building materials. Therefore, all these productions will be completely waste-free. There will be no need to set aside a territory for landfill disposal of any solid or liquid waste, or to remove it for disposal.

It is possible to connect equipment designed to convert many types of carbon-containing waste into fuels to these production lines. These fuels can be used in an environmentally friendly manner for metal reduction processes or for thermal processes of this production. It can be used (environmentally friendly disposal): solid household waste, sewage sludge, manure and chicken manure, waste from crop production, food industry, oil sludge, and much more. The inorganic residue from such waste will be environmentally friendly recycled into building materials with the associated extraction of all valuable metals from them.

Our proposed technology does not involve the formation of wastewater. At the same time, it can use wastewater heavily polluted with various organic and inorganic substances for its own production purposes. Therefore, it allows us to solve the problem of the ecological purity of the production of all products in enterprises built in accordance with this proposal.

We have technologies for cleaning flue gases from HCl, SO₂, NO_x, dust and dangerous ecotoxic ants; they are briefly discussed below. According to these technologies, appropriate flue gas treatment plants (designed for each emission source) will be created. They help to protect the atmosphere from emissions of these pollutants.

4. The relevance of the task of creating the production of each of these products (valuable materials).

4.1. The relevance of the task of producing reconstituted iron, rolled metal, steels and powders intended for use in mechanical engineering.

Iron is the basis for the production of steels and alloys used in many industries and economic activities. The volume of consumption of these materials within one country is estimated in millions of tons per year The markets of Central Asian countries and the African continent are experiencing a deficit of this product. The shortfall is covered by imports from Russia and China.

High-quality steels are mainly used in the engineering industry. This industry also requires a large number of iron powders of various grades (and compositions). Therefore, if there are plans for the development of this industry, it is necessary to create your own production of these materials.

The global consumption of iron powders of various grades (they differ both in chemical composition, granulometric composition, and the method of their production; more on this below), is estimated in millions of tons per year. Therefore, this product can also be exported.

4.2. The relevance of the task of creating the production of ferroalloys from alloying components of steels. Creation of production of metals free of impurities, which are alloying components of steels.

Without alloying components, it is impossible to obtain a single grade of steel used in construction, mechanical engineering, and other industries. Global markets are experiencing a shortage of alloying components of steels. Therefore, if there are raw materials for their production in the region of Central Asian countries and the African continent, such production also needs to be created.

These metals are in demand on the world market and in their pure form. They are in short supply.

It is possible to create projects aimed at obtaining them. It is optimal to create such projects on the basis of enterprises engaged in the production of ferroalloys of such metals. In this case, it is possible to use part of the production processes to obtain concentrates of such metals (from source ores and waste), as well as to dispose of the resulting waste (iron, silica compounds, and some other elements).

Of particular relevance is the task of creating the production of ferroalloys, ferrosilicon and pure metallic manganese. Manganese is a necessary component of any structural steels (rolled metal), special purpose steels (with special properties used in mechanical engineering and other industries).

Without it, ferrous metallurgy cannot produce any valuable commodity products. Its concentration in the composition of steels exceeds 2%, so the total consumption of manganese in the region is very high.

Metallic manganese is also used as a component of aluminum alloys with special properties. Therefore, it is necessary for the production of such alloys.

Manganese is a scarce raw material on the global market. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading producers of manganese, ferromanganese, and manganese-silicon alloys. As a result of the war, the relevant production facilities were destroyed. This will increase the shortage of manganese in the global market.

4.3. The relevance of creating a production of high-purity iron, including for electrical purposes.

Especially pure iron can be obtained by several methods. Only the method of electrolytic refining allows to obtain iron with a very high degree of chemical purity.

As a raw material for this method, it is possible to use both steels obtained as a result of the reduction of primary iron ore raw materials, and ferroalloys with some metals that do not form passivating films on the anode. In the second case, the formation of metal concentrates forming an impurity (nickel, chromium, others less active than iron) will occur. These concentrates are the raw materials for extracting pure hydroxides of such metals from them (by hydrometallurgy methods) and then obtaining such reduced metals that are pure from impurities.

High-purity iron is in high demand on the global market. It is used both for the production of special-purpose steels and for the production of magnetic circuits for transformers, electric motors, and generators.

The availability of production of such materials makes it possible to create adjacent production facilities for magnetic circuits on the territory of such enterprises. On their basis – the corresponding products (transformers, motors and generators). If there are opportunities to purchase (or manufacture) copper enamel wire, it is also possible to consider creating such a vector for the development of this business project.

The production of high-purity iron by electrolytic refining consumes electricity in very large quantities. At the same time, the corresponding installations can be switched on and off at any time without affecting the production process and the equipment used. Therefore, such projects make it possible to create shunting consumers of electricity. They can carry out shunting consumption in order to balance both the network of these enterprises and the regional (state) energy system.

4.4. The relevance of creating the production of metal carbides and their alloys with metallic silicon.

Mainly metal carbides and their alloys with metallic silicon are used as strong, impurity-free reducing agents in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy processes. Technologies based on their use make it possible to obtain materials that are free from impurities of pollutants. Such materials will be in demand both in the regional and global markets. Global prices for such materials are high.

Calcium carbide is used to produce acetylene. Acetylene is used as a gas for gas welding of metals (mainly water pipes and other pipes). The volume of consumption of this product in the world is very large.

4.5. The relevance of creating the production of silicon carbide and metallic silicon.

Metallic silicon is produced through the intermediate production of silicon carbide. Therefore, information about these materials is considered jointly.

Silicon carbide is used as a reducing agent to obtain iron (steel) and some other metals that are pure from impurities. It is also used as a very durable abrasive material (in mechanical engineering), to produce particularly durable ceramic materials (in mechanical engineering). There are other ways to use it.

Metallic silicon is used to create alloys with aluminum and iron (to produce steels with special properties). It is also used as a raw material for the production of crystals of extremely pure silicon; such silicon is used for the production of semiconductors, photovoltaic converters.

These products are the basic raw materials for the production of particularly valuable (especially durable) materials used in mechanical engineering. It is in demand both for enterprises of this industry in the region and on the global market.

4.6. The relevance of creating the production of metallic copper, enamel wire, products made of enamel wire, as well as electrical steel.

The countries of Central Asia and the African continent have large reserves of copper ores.

Copper is a strategic raw material. It is used for the production of alloys (with aluminum, tin, and some other metals); such alloys are used in mechanical engineering. It is also used for the production of enamel wire, which is necessary for the production of transformers, generators, and motors. A lot of copper is also spent on the production of cables used in the automotive industry and other fields of technology.

Currently, due to the development of the electric vehicle industry, copper has become a very scarce raw material. Its prices are constantly rising. It is difficult to purchase it on the world market in large volumes (necessary for the development of the electric power industry).

If there is a production of metallic copper, it is advisable to immediately process it into enamel wire. This material is in demand in large quantities in any region of the world (for the production of transformers, motors, generators).

It is very important to simultaneously create the production of electrical steels and powders from them. They are necessary for the production of transformers, generators, motors, and some other equipment. Without creating the production of these materials, it will be difficult to create the production of these products. Electrical steels are expensive, and they are in short supply on the global market.

The concentration of iron in copper ore is more than 5 times higher than the concentration of copper. Therefore, in any case, this enterprise will be provided with raw materials for the production of electrical steel. The excess amount of iron raw materials can be sold or processed into other products: reconstituted iron, liquid iron salts.

Our existing technologies allow us to process not only copper ores (with a copper concentration of over 2.5%), but also waste from their enrichment with a copper concentration of less than 1%. We can also consider the possibility of creating such business projects.

Copper ores usually contain gold. Platinum group metals and silver may be present. Therefore, when creating projects aimed at processing copper ores, projects aimed at extracting these valuable metals will be created at the same time.

4.7. The relevance of creating the production of magnesium salts and magnesium metal. Its use for the production of other metals and special purpose alloys.

Hydroxide, oxide, and some magnesium salts are essential raw materials for many industries. The global market volume for these products is estimated in millions of tons per year. They will be formed as by-products during the processing of ore materials (provided that dolomite is used as an additional raw material, as well as other raw materials containing magnesium cations). Therefore, such productions will be created.

Refractory ceramic materials are produced on the basis of magnesium oxide (used for laying metallurgical furnaces). It is also needed for the production of other types of high-quality ceramic materials.

Magnesium chlorite is in high demand on the market. It is a defoliant (used for growing cotton). We can also create the production of this product on the platform of the relevant enterprises.

Magnesium is also used in the field of mechanical engineering. As an independent structural material, as well as in alloys with aluminum and some other metals.

It is a scarce commodity on the world market. The price of magnesium metal on the world market is not stable, it varies between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars per ton.

Magnesium is also in demand as a chemical raw material for the production of various, including pure metals, silicon by the method of magniothermal reduction. For example, titanium is produced using this method. Magnesium metal is also used to produce many other metals (by reducing them from oxides and chlorides), and it is possible to produce very pure silicon (by reducing extremely pure silicon oxide, which we can also produce). It is also possible to consider the creation of such related business projects.

4.8. The relevance of the task of creating the production of oxide and liquid salts of zinc, oxide, dioxide and liquid salts of lead, metallic zinc and lead.

There are large reserves of zinc-lead ores in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent. These ores are valuable raw materials for the combined production of zinc and lead, their compounds with other elements.

These ores are often processed using outdated technologies. As a result, a large amount of toxic waste containing zinc and lead is generated.

There are also ferrous metallurgy wastes, such as hart-zinc (formed during the hot-dip galvanizing of steel), remnants of metallurgical furnaces. They may contain a lot of zinc and lead. Such waste is usually not recycled due to the lack of cost-effective technologies in the world.

We have cost-effective technologies suitable for processing such waste. Therefore, we can also use them as raw materials for similar business projects. Fees can be charged for the disposal of these toxic wastes. This compensates for the increased costs of such processing compared to the costs of processing ore materials; it can even become a source of very significant income for such business projects.

Zinc oxide is used:

as a filler for rubbers in the manufacture of rubber products (a catalyst for the rubber vulcanization reaction); without it, it is impossible to create the production of such products.
as a white pigment for paint and varnish materials;
in the production of cast white stone (we also plan to create such projects);
as a chemical raw material and for some other purposes.

Lead oxide is a valuable chemical raw material. It is in demand by some enterprises.

Lead hydroxide and carbonate are also in demand on the market. They are used for the production of lead meerkats (protective coatings for steel products).

Zinc dioxide is used as an anode material in lead-acid batteries. Some salts of these metals are also in demand in various industries.

Metallic zinc is consumed in large quantities for the production of galvanized steel. Galvanizing is carried out in order to protect against corrosion (to extend the service life of the product). When creating business projects in the ferrous metallurgy, this material will be in great demand.

Metallic lead is used for the production of automotive sulfuric acid batteries (as a cathode material). There are other industrial uses for them.

Cadmium and some other metals, including rare earths, are also extracted from such raw materials along the way. They are also in demand by the global market of such raw materials.

4.9. The relevance of the task of creating the production of carbon reducing agents, adsorption carbon, electrodes, and adsorption filter elements.

For the production of some of these materials, carbon reducing agents are needed that are free of sulfur, phosphorus, metals and silica compounds. Their expense will be very significant. Therefore, it is necessary to create our own production of these reducing agents.

You also need a lot of electrodes for electrolysis furnaces, electric arc furnaces. They also need to be produced.

To solve the problems of obtaining clean drinking water and wastewater treatment, coal-based adsorption materials and filter elements obtained from them are needed. The possibility of creating such productions may also be considered.

4.10. The relevance of the task of creating production facilities aimed at processing organic and inorganic waste.

Organic waste is generated wherever people live or economic activities are carried out. They have long been one of the main environmental pollutants. The task of their environmentally friendly disposal is relevant all over the world.

At the same time, such waste, as a rule, has some (low) calorific value. In the presence of environmentally friendly technologies for their combustion or thermochemical processing into valuable substances (fuel) This allows them to be used as a free source of energy for steam or hot water production.

Steam or hot water can be used in various technological processes to produce many types of products. It is also used for desalination of water, production of building materials and some products using ceramic technology. Therefore, the acquisition of this Industrial Park by relevant enterprises or technological lines will be relevant. It will process both Industrial Park waste and imported waste.

The inorganic part of these wastes can be used to extract valuable metals. Many organic wastes contain valuable metals in large quantities, so they can be considered as valuable raw materials.

Inorganic waste is also generated in large quantities. Billions of tons of such waste have already been accumulated in the world. Many of them contain valuable metals. They can be extracted and used for the economic activities of Industrial Park enterprises.

A lot of such waste will be generated in the production processes of Industrial Park enterprises. Therefore, they must be equipped with processing lines designed for their processing (each enterprise has its own, since the composition and concentration of substances in the waste of each enterprise are different).

It is also very promising to import some waste containing iron and valuable metals. You can receive payment for their processing, as well as extract these metals and turn them into metallurgical or chemical raw materials.

One of the areas of processing organic and inorganic waste may be the production of CO₂. CO₂ is necessary for many technical purposes in metallurgy, mechanical engineering (used to create protective atmospheres), for the production of building materials using carbonate technology, for the production of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates; they are used to obtain drinking water from distilled (obtained by desalination of seawater).

5. About the raw materials and resources needed for the implementation of all proposed projects.

For all proposed projects, they are needed in varying quantities.:

low-value grades of coal, preferably with a low yield of volatile compounds;
natural gas;
electricity;
limestone (calcium carbonate); it is possible to use limestone heavily contaminated with silica, iron oxides, aluminum oxide;
dolomite (a mixture of calcium and magnesium carbonates); it is possible to use dolomite heavily contaminated with silica, iron oxides, aluminum oxide;
fossil NaCl, it is permissible to use NaCl contaminated with any impurities, including sea salt.

In the territory of the countries of Central Asia, the European and African continents there are all the resources listed above in large quantities at low prices. The sea salt required for this process is a non-scarce item that is freely available for purchase on the global commodity market.

6. On the production of reconstituted iron, ferro alloys of alloying components of steels, pure alloying metals, as well as various commercial steel products.

6.1. Briefly about the production processes.

The proposed processes for the production of end products (rolled metal, machine-building products, iron powders, etc.) will be carried out using two main production stages:

production of cast iron that is not filled with alloying components of direct reduction steels or iron; it is a raw material for subsequent conversion into marketable products;

2) processing of materials obtained at the previous stage into rolled metal, machine-building products, iron powders, and other valuable marketable products.

The first stage of the process is based on the consumption of iron ore, iron-containing waste, as well as coal and natural gas. Electricity is consumed in small quantities for these processes.

This process is based on the consumption of a large number of mineral resources and leads to the formation of a large number of silica-containing materials: slags, sludge from the enrichment of ore materials. These silica-containing materials (waste) will be processed into cement, other building materials, and other valuable products using concrete, silicate, carbonate, ceramic, and composite technologies. Some of this material will also be processed into white stone using carbonate (artificial marble), composite and stone-casting technologies. It is also planned to create a production of stone products from synthesized iron silicate (basalt stone). This is a very significant part of these business projects.

The second stage of the process is based on remelting processes in electrometallurgical furnaces: electric arc or induction. This is the main resource of this production. The consumption of additional mineral resources (except for reduced iron) in these processes is not large. These are mainly alloying components of steels (other metals or their ferroalloys), as well as flux (calcium oxide and silicate). The yield of slags is relatively small; they will also be processed into building materials at the place of their formation.

These stages of the process are supposed to be implemented at various enterprises that are part of our holding group. They can be in different places. The former are closer to the places of extraction of valuable resources, the latter are in large settlements (closer to the locations of the workforce). It is possible to create enterprises with a full cycle of processing the initial primary raw materials into final products, but as an exception to the rule; only if all the conditions necessary for the implementation of such a business project are met.

6.2. The raw materials needed to produce reduced iron from primary ore materials.

The countries of Central Asia have reserves of iron ore raw materials. But it is characterized by a low concentration of iron (from 20 to 40%), high concentrations of sulfur and phosphorus. Usually, such raw materials are not used for the production of cast iron and steel, as there are many other raw materials in the world that are more suitable for these purposes.

The import of raw materials with the best composition in the Central Asian countries is difficult due to their lack of access to the world ocean. In this regard, we propose to apply technologies that can economically work with the raw materials that can be extracted in these countries. Additionally, it is proposed to consider the possibility of using iron-containing waste as such a raw material.

At the same time, Central Asian countries have cheap coal, cheap natural gas and electricity. This creates a good economic basis for the creation of profitable industries, even taking into account the additional costs associated with the use of iron ore raw materials with poor chemical composition of its components.

6.3. The possibility of using various iron-containing industrial waste to produce reconstituted iron and other valuable metals.

We have technologies that make it possible to use iron-containing waste as raw materials. The most promising are the furnaces of metallurgical furnaces. There are a lot of them accumulated, even in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent there must be several million tons (despite the fact that the metallurgical industry is not developed). They can be imported in unlimited quantities from Russia, China, the European Union and even charge for their environmentally friendly disposal.

You can also use hart-zinc (formed in the processes of hot-dip galvanizing of steel), various iron alloys, car bodies (China will supply an unlimited number of used cars for recycling; they have a problem where to put them). Any waste with a high concentration of iron and other valuable metals is suitable.

This technology is based on the conversion of all the initial polymetallic raw materials into a mixture of iron oxides and silicates by oxidative remelting (together with iron ore or its tailings). This requires only furnaces and natural gas (in small quantities). Then, by applying the hydro chemical technology available to us, iron hydroxide, pure from impurities of other elements, as well as other metals in the form of concentrates of their hydroxides, will be extracted from the products of remelting.

The formed silica-containing compounds, which do not contain valuable metals, will be recycled into building materials.

The resulting iron hydroxide concentrate will be processed into direct reduction iron. Only natural gas is used for this process. The resulting direct reduction iron is a valuable raw material for the production of steels of any composition. It practically does not contain sulfur, phosphorus, or other elements that poison steel.

This solution will make it possible to provide additional raw materials to enterprises that do not have access to ore raw materials with a satisfactory chemical composition, to obtain other valuable metals (zinc, copper, steel-alloying metals). It is also possible to receive additional income in the form of fees for the disposal of iron–containing waste.

6.4. Raw materials necessary for the production of ferroalloys and impurity-free alloying steel components.

On the territory of the countries of Central Asia and the African continent there are many deposits of polymetallic ores containing metals that are alloying components of steels. The concentrations of alloying components in them are always low (up to 5%). Therefore, other valuable metals will be extracted along the way. It is mainly low-value iron, which will be used as a raw material for the production of direct solid-phase reduction iron.

Ore materials containing nickel, chromium, vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum have been discovered in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent.

All of them are of interest to this project. If there are no ores necessary for the production of any metal, then such ores can be imported from other countries. Currently, the cost of transportation of ore (low-value) materials is not high. Low-value materials, including ores, are transported all over the world.

No information has been found on the presence of manganese ores in the territories of these countries. At the same time, manganese is the main alloying component of steels, and its consumption is very high. Therefore, related projects aimed at obtaining valuable manganese compounds for metallurgy are necessary. Manganese ores can also be supplied from other regions of the world. For example, from Georgia.

Instead of ore materials, it is possible to use waste containing the metals we need. Moreover, any of them. Their composition does not matter. Only the concentration of the target valuable metals matters; it must be high enough. In some wastes, concentrations of valuable metals exceed their concentrations in ores, so they can be even more valuable raw materials.

There is a lot of manganese-containing waste generated by applying standard technology for processing manganese ores (millions of tons at each landfill). There is a lot of such waste. We have a technology that allows us to extract manganese from such waste to produce products valuable for metallurgy.

6.5. About technologies for the production of reconstituted iron.

Our proposed technologies are based on the application of ore enrichment processes followed by agglomeration processes, remelting of the resulting agglomerate in gas tanks or bath-type furnaces (consuming natural gas).

Our proposed enrichment processes are based on the application of:

commonly used flotation enrichment technologies;

the hydro chemical technology developed by us for the separation of valuable metals from mixtures of their oxides and silicates;

the technology of direct reduction of iron followed by the extraction of reduced iron by magnetic separation; these processes are based on the use of cheap grades of coal as raw materials, as well as water-coal fuels.

At the same time, the resulting enrichment tailings will be completely processed into building materials.

The agglomerate will be produced and fired using standard technologies used for this purpose. But at the same time, the project will provide for the purification of all exhaust gases from dust, SO₂+NO_x and other air pollutants.

Gas burners or bath-type melting furnaces will be used for remelting, ensuring the flow of direct liquid-phase reduction processes. Blast furnaces will not be used. Therefore, the pyrometallurgical processes we propose do not need coke at all.

The slags formed in metallurgical furnaces will be used as raw materials for the production of building materials or as calcium-containing raw materials for hydro chemical processes of processing ore materials and waste. Moreover, not only for the purpose of obtaining iron concentrates; these slags can be used as raw materials for processing copper, zinc and many other ores, including polymetallic ores.

These business projects will be implemented through individual design:

the technological process of production as a whole;

individual modules that perform a specific technological operation; there will be many such identical modules; the number is determined by the production capacity of one individual module and the plant as a whole.

The design and supervision of the construction will be carried out by a contractor affiliated with us located in Ukraine. He will also carry out all the commissioning work, as well as providing such enterprises with personnel from Ukraine (for the period of training the local population in the specialties necessary to work at such enterprises). Ukraine has a developed ferrous metallurgy industry, so finding qualified specialists necessary for new enterprises will not be a big problem.

6.6. About ferroalloy production technologies.

Ferroalloys are produced through the reduction processes of all metals contained in the source or. Iron is usually the dominant (in concentration) impurity of such ores.

They can also be produced by isolating hydroxides of certain metals that are pure from impurities (from ores, waste) using hydrometallurgy methods. Then they can be mixed with coal, iron hydroxide or other iron-containing material (enriched ore), limestone, agglomerated and remelted in the same furnaces that are proposed for the production of reduced iron. All the production processes of ferroalloys and reduced iron are completely similar. The differences are only in the composition of the raw materials used and in the processes of its production.

These projects will be carried out either at the location of the corresponding ore materials or at the place of consumption of the corresponding ferroalloys.

6.7. About technologies for the production of rolled metal and various machine-building products made of various grades of steel.

The technologies used by these industries are known and used all over the world. They are based on

the remelting of those obtained at the previous stage of the process.: cast iron, non-filled with alloying components of steels, direct reduction iron together with alloying components of steels, purification of the obtained steels from undesirable impurities. Next, the processes of casting blanks and rolled products (or other metalworking methods) are carried out. The necessary molding processes depend on the type of product being produced. It is most promising to develop production:

rolled metal for structural purposes;

steel sheet, LSTK profiles from it;

iron powder of various brands.

To create appropriate enterprises (or production lines), it is necessary to purchase a complete package of design documentation from enterprises that already have experience in designing and building such enterprises. There is also a complete set of technological equipment.

Currently, due to high energy prices, many ferrous metallurgy enterprises are shutting down and shutting down in the European Union and some other countries of the world. There are no prospects for such enterprises to resume their activities, as they cannot compete with enterprises located in China or other countries of the world with cheap energy. Therefore, there is an opportunity to purchase complete technological lines from such enterprises with their transportation and installation in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent; they may be much cheaper than new ones.

6.8. About the production technologies of iron powders.

Iron powders are produced from steels (iron filled with alloying components). There are quite a lot of steel grades, we will be able to produce powders with a chemical composition that meets the requirements of certain consumers.

Powders are produced using two main technologies:

metal melt spraying;

reduction of metal from its oxide by generator or other reducing gas.

The quality of the powder produced by the first technology is much higher. In addition, it becomes possible to fill the iron with the necessary alloying components, as well as additionally purify it from unwanted impurities. Therefore, only the processes of obtaining atomized iron powders are considered.

Electric arc furnaces are mainly used to produce melts. But to obtain powders of a special composition and quality, it is better to use induction furnaces. The melt is sprayed with an inert gas. Nitrogen, CO₂, and generator gas can be used. Nitrogen is safe, but its use leads to the formation of undesirable metal-nitrogen compounds. Therefore, the choice of the spraying gas is carried out in accordance with the requirements for the products obtained (upon approval of the design assignment for the corresponding production lines).

Powders obtained by spraying the melt usually do not have a spherical shape. This leads to a decrease in the quality of products obtained from them by powder metallurgy methods. To change the form factor (to give them a spherical shape), there is a technology based on partial melting (previously obtained by spraying melt) of powders in the arc discharge field.

When remelting steel powders by this method, the power consumption is about 2 kWh per 1 kg. These are acceptable costs, which are repeatedly compensated by an increase in the cost of the resulting powder.

This technology allows you to use low-power installations (several kilowatts each), turn them on and off at any time (there is no inertia in production processes). Therefore, in addition to producing valuable products, it also allows balancing electrical networks.

6.9. About technologies for the production of high-purity iron.

Particularly pure iron can be produced both from reduced iron obtained in smelting processes, and from its alloys containing metals less active than iron, as well as its oxide. If its alloys are used, the impurities will be isolated as concentrates of the corresponding metals; they can be used to produce the corresponding high-purity metals. This iron must be molded into rods (anodes) by casting.

The method of electrolytic refining is used to obtain high-purity iron. According to it, the raw material is dissolved in a special electrolyte on the anode, then the resulting electrolyte solution is purified from impurities (by hydrometallurgy), then iron is deposited on the cathode. The cathode precipitates have a high porosity, so the resulting iron must be remelted. It is optimal to do this in induction furnaces. A part of the iron obtained by remelting is spent on the manufacture of cathodes.

This technology is well-known and proven in many developed countries of the world. We have it. We will manufacture the necessary equipment ourselves.

Mostly high-purity iron is used for electrical purposes. As magnetic circuits of transformers, electric motors, generators. Therefore, it is optimal to mold the corresponding magnetic circuits immediately after melting. They can be supplied to consumers (relevant enterprises).

If it is possible to supply copper enamel wire, it is possible to immediately create a production of such products. Magnetic cores are the main (by weight) a component of such equipment, therefore, it is

optimal to combine these productions on one production site.

7. About the production of silicon carbides, calcium, other metals, silicon alloys with other metals, metallic silicon.

The production of silicon carbide and metal carbides is carried out by thermal reduction of the corresponding metal oxides with carbon in electric arc furnaces. Silicon alloys with other metals (ferrosilicon, ferromanganese, and others) are carried out by reducing carbon mixtures of the corresponding metal oxides with silica, or their silicates in electric arc furnaces. Metallic silicon is obtained by preliminary preparation of silicon carbide, followed by its fusion with silicon oxide (sand) in electric arc furnaces. All these productions are based on the same technological platform (electric arc furnaces), the differences are only in the composition of the raw materials used.

Production based on the use of electric arc furnaces requires a very large amount of electricity. Typically, the unit power of electric arc furnaces is in the range of 10-50 MW. The specific energy consumption depends on the type of product being produced.

8. About the production of metallic copper, enamel wire.

8.1. Raw materials.

There are the following potential sources of copper:

ore raw materials;
waste generated during the processing of copper ores containing copper in low concentrations (usually below 1%);
various wastes (insulated wire, alloys, machine-building products, some industrial wastes) containing copper.

There are many copper ore deposits on the African continent. The concentration of copper in ore raw materials is usually 1.5-3.8%. In other words, most of these raw materials (mainly silica and iron compounds) will be recycled into other materials.

Ore raw materials can be purchased. The cost of transporting it is not very high and will be justified by the fact that other components of this raw material will also be processed into liquid materials. However, it should be borne in mind that in order to produce relatively small volumes of copper, it is necessary to process very large (about 100 times larger) volumes of the initial ore raw materials and additional substances (reagents used in the processing of ore raw materials).

Many copper ores are very rich in gold, silver, and platinum group metals. They also contain other valuable metals, usually molybdenum, an alloying component of steels. Extraction of these metals can also provide an additional source of substantial income from projects for processing such ore materials (or waste from ore processing).

8.2. Well-known and standard applied technologies in the world. Their disadvantages.

Sulfide ores are mainly used to produce copper (consisting of copper sulfide with sulfides of other metals (except gold, platinum, and other precious metals, these metals are always in a reduced form). There are oxide ores, but they are not widespread.

The technology based on sequential processes is mainly used for processing sulfide ores in the world:

processing of sulfide ores by flotation; as a result, sludge with a copper concentration of up to 1% is formed; it is toxic due to contamination with flotation reagents, it is not processed;
smelting of enriched ore in bath furnaces for matte (copper sulfide); at the same time, a significant part of copper, as well as gold and precious metals, goes into the slag; sulfide slags are toxic, they are not processed into valuable products or waste safe for burial;
remelting of copper sulfide to oxide followed by reduction to metallic copper;
fire refining of the obtained copper in order to remove metals more active than copper into slag.
electrolytic refining of copper (to produce copper with chemical purity of at least 99.99%).

In some countries of the world (Russia, for example) There is a problem of cleaning flue gases from the generated SO₂ and other toxic substances that enter the atmosphere with flue gases. In addition to the fact that this technology has many environmental problems, it requires very significant economic costs for the necessary equipment (it is very expensive), as well as very significant costs of hydrocarbon energy resources.

Gold, silver and platinum group metals are partially extracted in this process. The efficiency of extraction depends on the extent to which these metals become part of the sulfide matte and then part of the rough copper. As a rule, about 50% of these valuable metals are extracted.

Currently, another technology has been developed and is being actively implemented, based on sintering pre-enriched initial sulfide ore with sodium chloride and subsequent dissolution of the formed copper chloride, its separation from other soluble impurities. Subsequently, copper hydroxide is obtained by reaction with lime. The resulting hydroxide is thermochemically reduced to metallic rough copper, which is purified by fire and electrochemical refining.

This process does not involve the possibility of extracting gold and precious metals from the ore. Usually, their cost is approximately equal to the cost of recoverable copper. Therefore, despite the fact that this process requires less economic costs, it also has less revenue.

Theoretically, it is possible to extract gold and platinum group metals from such waste. The processes of dissolving these metals with cyanides, mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acids, and some other reagents are used. The economic feasibility of using these processes depends on the initial concentration of the extracted metals. As a rule, at concentrations of less than 1.5 g/ton, these processes are not cost-effective.

This process also has environmental problems. These are the formation of ore dressing tailings, the formation of sludge from the dissolution of copper salts, the formation of aqueous solutions of calcium chloride and sodium sulfate (formed during sintering of the initial ore).

We have the technology to process these slimes. Including those contaminated with acids, cyanides and other toxic substances that dissolve gold, silver and other valuable metals. But there is a question about how technologically advanced the process of processing ore materials in general will be. The answer to this question can only be obtained by creating several pilot lines operating using this and alternative technological processes proposed below. Trial operation of these lines will allow us to determine the real economic indicators of these projects.

Based on this, several possible processes for processing ore raw materials and waste containing copper that do not have environmental issues of solid waste generation, environmental pollution from flue gases, and wastewater are proposed below. At the same time, I believe their economy will be better, since they have less specific economic costs per 1 ton of copper produced. Gold and precious metals are extracted using less expensive methods and technologies.

8.3. The process based on the application of the technology of processing of inorganic raw materials and waste proposed by me.

8.3.1. The basic process.

We can use the following technological process for processing sulfide or oxide ore raw materials:

1) roasting and sintering of the initial sulfide (or oxide) ore with sea salt and limestone or its mixture with magnesium carbonate;

2) subsequent leaching (dissolution in water) of the formed complex compound of copper oxide in sodium hydroxide (sodium cuprite);

3) precipitation of copper carbonate c in mixtures with calcium carbonate and carbonates of other (non-ferrous) metals soluble in sodium hydroxide;

4) firing of this sediment with the conversion of all carbonates into oxides;

5) hydrometallurgical separation of the initial mixture of oxides of copper, calcium and other metals with separate precipitation in the form of hydroxides;

6) agglomeration together with coal and slag-forming substances, followed by pyrometallurgical reduction in a gas container and separation of the copper melt from the slag melt;

7) pyrometallurgical refining (copper is purified from all metals more active than copper); as a result, copper is formed with a degree of chemical purity of at least 99 %;

8) electrometallurgical refining (in an aqueous solution of copper salt and electrolyte); as a result, copper is formed with a degree of chemical purity of at least 99, 999%.

This process is fundamentally different from the above in the composition of the substances used to extract copper cations. Instead of NaCl, which leads to the formation of mixtures of CuCl₂+NaSO₄, a mixture of NaCl+CaO+H₂O is used, which leads to the formation of CaSO₄ (precipitates together with silica compounds) and Na₂Cu(OH)₄. The leaching processes with these reagents are more efficient, copper is extracted not only from compounds with sulfur, but also from compounds with silica and other metals.

This process is technically simple and does not lead to the formation of solid waste and pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. Its efficiency in terms of the residual concentration of copper in the silica-containing residue is much higher than the efficiency of any other known and practically used technologies for processing copper ore raw materials. This is determined by the high efficiency of the leaching agent, sodium hydroxide, formed in this process. The residual concentrations of copper in the residue will be below 0.1% and depend on the settings and efficiency of the equipment used).

Gold, silver and platinum group metals are not extracted at all in this process. They must be extracted by dissolving in special leaching agents. Due to the fact that this process grinds silica compounds to a very fine fraction (less than 5 microns), it becomes possible to dissolve these valuable metals more efficiently.

First, it is necessary to remove cations of all metals from the composition of this sludge. Otherwise, a lot of substances used for leaching gold and other valuable metals will be consumed in reactions with them. This is done by reaction with ammonium chloride. During the reaction, ammonia is released, which is captured and further used.

As a result, reactions with all alkalis occur, all silicates are opened to form chlorides (all are soluble) and mixtures of silica with aluminum silicate and calcium sulfate. All chlorides are removed as part of their aqueous solution with separation from silica, aluminum silicate and calcium sulfate by filtration; it will contain gold, silver and all platinum group metals.

In order to leach (dissolve) these valuable metals, it is proposed to apply a method of their dissolution in mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acids. This method is rarely used due to the high consumption of nitric acid and the formation of NO, which is released into the atmosphere (a polluting substance). We propose to modernize this method by additional use of synthesized hydrogen peroxide. H₂O₂ oxidizes NO to HNO₃, which eliminates the problem of this process.

We can obtain hydrochloric acid for this process in sufficient quantities by processing calcium chloride, which is formed during the hydro chemical conversion of silica waste (into raw materials suitable for the production of building materials). This is done by treating it with sulfuric acid (to form calcium sulfate; this is gypsum). The production of sulfuric acid will have to be created.

There is a nitrous method for the production of sulfuric acid. It allows the simultaneous production of both nitric and sulfuric acids. Installations are not technically difficult. The disadvantage of the method is the formation of NO. But we will eliminate this disadvantage by producing and using H₂O₂.

The gold and other valuable metals obtained by acid leaching are precipitated by alkaline reagents (with loss of acids). They can also be deposited by electrolysis (on the cathode). In this case, only hydrochloric acid will be lost (with the release of molecular chlorine, which may be useful to use for other technological processes or for the production of sodium hypochlorite). The nitrous acid formed during the leaching of precious metals will be converted into nitric acid.

The resulting mixture of SiO₂+Al₂O₃⋅SiO₂+CaSO₄ can be used as a raw material for the production of building materials. It is a good filler for products made of concrete and silicate materials.

It can also be used to produce silica free of impurities (DCP up to 99.999 999%) using fluoro-ammonium technology. We have it. This is a very valuable commodity product, the price on the world market ranges from 2-5 Euros per 1 kg, depending on the degree of chemical purity and the region of sale.

At the same time, the formation of fluoride or aluminum hydroxide will occur. These substances are valuable raw materials for the production of metallic aluminum.

The remainder is calcium sulfate (gypsum), which can be used for the production of putties, silicate bricks or other gypsum-containing building materials.

8.3.2. The upgraded process.

The above-described process of processing sulfide ores leads to the formation of calcium sulfate, which contaminates the silica residue. It also leads to an increased consumption of limestone and the thermal energy required for its decomposition. This disadvantage can be eliminated as follows.

There is a technology for electrohydraulic crushing of solid materials. It is based on the treatment of solid materials with a water hammer resulting from a high-voltage spark discharge. The technology makes it possible to grind any solid materials, except plastic (reduced metals), to particles with a size of less than 10 microns. This grinding method has a side effect – when grinding metal sulfides or sulfur-containing organic substances, sulfur compounds decompose to form elemental sulfur.

The same effect can be obtained by additional processing of materials crushed at the previous stage of the process in a special high-voltage electrochemical reactor. It uses a streamer discharge rather than a spark discharge; the unit cost of electricity for such a process is several orders of magnitude lower.

This effect can also be achieved by treating crushed ore materials with hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and molecular chlorine.

During the pretreatment of copper ore using these methods and technological processes, sulfur will be converted into a reduced form. Further, during firing, sulfur sublimates (at a temperature slightly above 400 °C), oxidizes and goes into the flue gases. The formed SO₂ is captured in flue gas purification processes and converted into calcium sulfate or elemental sulfur (depending on the task and configuration of the gas purification plant).

Next, the initial sulfide ores are processed according to the process described above.

8.4. Another possible technological process based on the remelting of raw materials. Recycling of waste containing copper.

This process is based on the extraction of copper, gold and other precious metals into the iron melt. Then they will be extracted from an alloy with iron by applying one of two possible technologies (the choice will be determined by the results of technical and economic calculations).

This process makes it possible to simultaneously convert iron-containing waste and copper ore materials, as well as many wastes (alloys) containing copper into raw materials for obtaining metals free of impurities. All metals included in the feedstock are extracted.

In this process, all the pre-raw materials are pre-dried. For this purpose, it is possible to use rotating tube furnaces; the heating temperature of the raw materials is not high – slightly more than 100 °C.

The dried raw materials containing copper or waste are sent for joint remelting with iron-containing waste to the bathroom furnace. The remelting process is oxidative, but with the formation of a metal melt. Part of the consumed iron must go into the composition of this melt.

Any polymetallic waste can be used as sources of iron: cut car bodies, cast zinc, galvanized iron, any polymetallic waste to be disposed of regardless of their composition, substandard cast iron, including extracted from slags (a lot of such waste is generated and accumulated). There are a lot of such waste in the world. They will be ready to bring them to the territory of any country in the world, and also pay money for their disposal.

During remelting in a bath furnace, iron will be partially oxidized, and all metals more active than iron (zinc, manganese, and many others) will be completely oxidized and converted into oxides and low melting compounds with silica and aluminosilicate. The furnace should have several zones: a melting zone, a zone with intensive mixing of slag, and a zone of metal and slag separation.

As a result of the stratification, the formation will occur:

iron melt, in which copper, gold and precious metals will be dissolved, all metals that are more passive than iron and do not go into combustion (as part of flue gases);

slag formed from oxides and silicates of iron and metals is more active than iron.

The molten metals are poured into a ladle. It is possible to add copper oxide (hydroxide) obtained as a result of hydrometallurgical processes of processing copper raw materials, iron-copper alloys obtained in this process (more on this below) or slags formed in this process (they may contain copper residue). In this case, the reduction reaction of copper with the oxidation of iron will take place. Oxidized iron is removed in the composition of slags.

The resulting iron melt containing copper can then be processed according to two technological processes:

Electrochemical purification of iron to obtain extremely pure iron; copper in this process is converted into hydroxide accumulated in the electrolysis unit, gold and precious metals will be part of the anode sludge (this process was described above in the section on obtaining extra pure iron);
As a result of this process, mixtures of copper hydroxide with iron hydroxides and other metals will be formed; copper hydroxide, pure from impurities, is further extracted by hydrometallurgy methods;
Fire refining, in which all metals except copper and precious metals turn into oxides; it is possible to add copper hydroxide obtained during the electrochemical purification of iron; then the resulting rough copper is sent for electrolytic refining.

The process of fire refining is the basic one for producing rough copper. It will make it possible to obtain rough copper with a degree of chemical purity (abbreviated as DCP) of at least 99%). Next, it is processed into pure copper (DCP up to 99.999%) by electrolytic refining. This is a standard process, using standardized technological equipment.

In essence, this is a joint recycling process of iron-containing, zinc-containing and copper-containing waste. It differs from the above-described process of processing iron-containing waste only by the presence of a technological branch designed to produce. You can charge for the acceptance and environmentally friendly disposal of many waste containing iron (used cars, and much more). Therefore, from an economic point of view, it should have a perspective.

This process is very promising for recycling waste containing copper. there are a lot of such waste in the world. The most promising are copper alloys with other metals, insulated copper wire, copper alloys, as well as used generators, motors, and transformers. Not all such waste is recycled (by disassembling it), since in some countries the economic cost of manual labor exceeds the cost of scrap copper extracted from them. In this process, it is possible (and probably optimal) to use both ore raw materials and such waste at the same time.

In reality, such waste is a more promising raw material for copper production than primary ore raw materials. This is due to the fact that the concentration of copper in them is much higher, and silica components are absent (their processing requires large investment costs for the necessary equipment and leads to the formation of low-value products).

8.5. Energy of these industries.

All processes, except for the process of refining copper and iron by electrolysis, do not require the consumption of electricity in large quantities. They are based on the consumption of thermal energy and carbon energy sources.

The processes of electrolytic refining of iron and copper in aqueous solutions of their salts require the consumption of a large amount of electricity. However, these processes can be stopped and resumed at any time instantly. Therefore, they can solve the problem of balancing the power supply networks of enterprises or centralized power supply networks in the region to which they are connected.

9. About the production of metallic magnesium.

Magnesium metal is optimally obtained by electrolysis of its chloride, which is pure from impurities of less active metals. It is possible to obtain the magnesium chloride necessary for processing this in large quantities by applying the technology of processing inorganic raw materials and waste developed by me (which is also offered for processing “red sludge”). The source of magnesium cations, as well as chlorine anions, is sea salt (its raw material). It can be obtained in water desalination processes, and it can also be purchased on the regional market ($30-40 per ton).

The production of metallic magnesium also requires significant amounts of electricity consumption – up to 40 MWh per ton of magnesium. The power supply of this process must be continuous, and this process is not suitable for balancing electrical networks.

As a result of the electrolysis process, molecular chlorine is formed. This is a technogenically dangerous substance, so it is better not to accumulate it for the purpose of transportation to consumers, but to immediately process it into safe marketable products. These are hypochlorites of calcium (bleach), sodium. Lime (obtained by calcining limestone) or caustic soda (they can be obtained in large quantities by processing ore raw materials, silica slurries using the technology we propose) is used as additional raw materials.

Calcium and sodium hypochlorite’s are used as a disinfectant. Territories (contaminated land) are treated with calcium hypochlorite, and drinking water and premises are treated with sodium hypochlorite. For all countries of Central Asia and the African continent, these substances are needed in very large quantities (much larger than we can produce).

There are no negative environmental consequences from this production. However, it is necessary to take measures aimed at preventing the leakage of dangerous ecotoxic ants (they can also form); they consist in filtering the isolated molecular chlorine followed by environmentally friendly disposal (the necessary technologies are available) of spent filter elements.

As a result of the processes of electrolysis, sludge is formed containing mixtures of sodium, magnesium, carbon, magnesium phosphate (as a result of the release of phosphoric acid from carbon electrodes impregnated with it), and some other substances. They can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner with the release of sodium and magnesium chlorides free of impurities by using the technology I propose for processing inorganic raw materials and waste. The production lines for the production of magnesium will be equipped with lines for the production of magnesium chloride and the disposal of the resulting sludge.

10. On the production of zinc oxide, zinc metal, lead, chemical compounds of zinc and lead,with extraction from raw materials and other valuable metals.

10.1. Raw material.

It is assumed that for the production of these substances will be used:

zinc-lead ores;
waste from the processing of zinc-lead ores (these metals are present in ores together); when processing these ores to extract zinc using commonly used technologies, lead compounds (sulfate) remain in them; when processing them to extract lead, reduced zinc with some other reduced metals.
waste containing large amounts of zinc.

As such waste, it is promising to use:

Furnaces of metallurgical furnaces; they can contain from 1 to 35% zinc; the rest is iron, lead, cadmium, and up to 20 metals, including rare earths, are still present.;
Hart is zinc; this waste is formed in the processes of hot-dip galvanizing steel by immersing it in molten zinc; a lot of such waste has accumulated in the world and is constantly being formed.

10.2. Technological process of obtaining zinc hydroxide, liquid zinc salts.

For the processing of all these and any other zinc-containing waste, the following universal process is proposed (it is possible to process ore raw materials with any concentration of zinc and lead).

First, all the raw materials are passed through a bath furnace with oxidative remelting.

It is optimal to carry out joint remelting of ore raw materials and waste from enrichment zinc ores (with a low concentration of zinc) with furnaces fired by metallurgical furnaces, cast with zinc and other alloys containing zinc. In it, all metals are converted into oxides and silicates. All the sulfur is separated and discharged with the flue gases as SO₂; then, during the flue gas purification process, it will be converted into elemental sulfur.

Then the products of remelting enter the process of processing inorganic raw materials and waste according to our proposed technology. In it, zinc, lead, and all other metals soluble in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide are converted into solution and jointly precipitated as carbonates. The process is similar to that proposed for processing copper-containing raw materials.

The resulting mixtures of metal carbonates are further converted to oxides by calcination. They are then separated from each other in the processes of ammonium chloride technology to form hydroxide concentrates of each base metal that is part of the feedstock.

The resulting zinc hydroxide can be used to produce liquid zinc salts. These are mainly zinc chloride and sulfate (used in industry). To obtain them, the resulting hydroxide should be optimally treated with ammonium chloride or sulfate. Ammonia will be released. It will be captured and used for other purposes of these business projects (it will be spent on hydro chemical processes, flue gas purification from SO₂+NO_x).

10.3. Production of zinc oxide.

The zinc hydroxide obtained at the previous stage of the process is sent for calcination into a rotating tube furnace. As a result, zinc oxide is formed. The resulting zinc oxide will be very pure from lead compounds (due to the admixture of this component, there are always technical restrictions on the production of materials using it).

10.4. Production of metallic zinc.

The resulting zinc hydroxide is sent for dissolution with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. The resulting solution is sent for additional purification from impurities by cementation (precipitation of all metals less active than zinc by reaction with zinc oxide), selective extraction (used to remove some metals).

Then the resulting zinc sulfate solution enters the electrolysis unit, in which metallic (cathode) zinc and sulfuric acid are formed. The acid is returned to the process of dissolving the feedstock.

The formed cathode zinc is sent for remelting and casting into piglets of standard shape and weight. Some of the recycled cathode deposits must be used for the production of new cathodes.

Additionally, it is optimal to create the production of zinc powder; this product is in great demand for hot-dip galvanizing of steel (the method is more economical than the method of galvanizing by immersion of the product in the melt).

10.5. The energy of this production.

This process of obtaining metallic zinc requires the consumption of electricity in very large quantities. It takes about 3.5 MWh of electricity to produce 1 ton of zinc by electrolysis of an aqueous solution of its sulfate. Therefore, this production requires a source of inexpensive electricity (the price of zinc on the world market is $ 2500-3500 per ton).

10.6. Production of reconstituted lead.

In the process described above, lead will be isolated from other substances by a compound of lead chloride (it is slightly soluble). Next, the resulting lead chloride must be treated with lime and converted to insoluble hydroxide. Lead hydroxide is sent to agglomeration with coal (any kind) and then the resulting agglomerate is sent for processing into a gas tank. Metallic (rough, that is, lead contaminated with impurities) is removed from it.

The resulting rough lead is pre-purified by fire refining (with the conversion of all more active metals into oxides). After processing, it is poured into rods, which are used in the subsequent electrochemical process as soluble anodes.

Next, the electrometallurgical process of refining (purification) of lead is carried out. As a result, a lead cathode precipitate with a chemical purity of over 99% is obtained. Cathode deposits are processed into ingots or products (plates, etc.); part of the resulting cathode deposit must be processed into new cathodes.

10.7. Production of lead dioxide.

Lead dioxide is formed on the anode during the electrolysis of aqueous solutions of lead salts. Nitric acid is used to transfer it to a solution. The resulting lead chloride must first be converted to hydroxide by treatment with lime or caustic, then (after removing the solution of other metals) treated with nitric acid.

Upon electrolysis of an aqueous solution of lead nitrate, lead is also released at the cathode (together with other metals). Cathode deposits can be cleaned of impurities by their repeated purification (refining) by electrolysis.

10.8. Production of hydroxide, lead carbonate.

These substances are used to produce lead meerkats. Therefore, they are in demand by the market in large quantities.

Lead hydroxide can be obtained by treating lead chloride with an aqueous solution of NaOH. Lead hydroxide is insoluble, and therefore it is easily separated from the resulting water-soluble NaCl.

Lead carbonate can be obtained by treating lead chloride with an aqueous solution of Na₂CO₃ (soda). Lead carbonate can also be separated from an aqueous NaCl solution by filtration.

The resulting NaCl solutions are used as raw materials in hydro chemical processes for processing silica-containing materials. Consequently, no waste is generated in the form of such wastewater.

11. On the production of carbon black (which will be used as a reducing agent or adsorbent) and products from it (highly dispersed coke, electrodes, filters, etc.).

11.1. Production of chemically pure carbon.

The carbon black needed for these purposes can be produced by pyrolysis of coal (of any grade, coking coal is not needed) or petroleum coke. There is a lot of cheap coal in the world. Petroleum coke can be produced from bitumen and other oil sludge; there are a lot of such waste in the world, they can be brought for disposal and free of charge. The process of processing such raw materials is as follows.

First, all the raw materials are sent to pyrolysis plants (we have the necessary pyrolysis technologies, documentation on the design of pyrolysis plants). In this process, the raw material is heated to a temperature of 500-600 °C and converted into carbon containing impurities. Carbon and impurities must be separated, this is done as follows.

All pyrolysis products are fed into an electrohydraulic or cavitation mill. They are crushed in it. At the same time, carbon is crushed much better, so the size of carbon particles after grinding will be about 1 micron, the silica components will not be crushed below 20 microns, and the non-crushed components will remain in their original sizes. Next, the resulting grinding product is sent for separation.

The separation of such substances must be carried out by the method of centrifugal separation in hydro cyclones. In Ukraine (in the city of Dnipro), such installations have been developed; they successfully isolate carbon from ash and slag formed by burning coal. The same lines will be able to separate substances obtained by pyrolysis and subsequent grinding of its products.

The extracted carbon must be sufficiently pure from impurities to be used as reducing agents, a material for making electrodes, and a sorbent. But if any impurities undesirable for its use for certain purposes are present, they can be removed by chemical methods. Metals and their compounds can be removed by dissolution in hydrochloric acid, silica compounds in hydrofluoric acid (aqueous HF solution). The need for chemical cleaning will arise only in certain cases.

11.2. Manufacture of electrodes, brushes for generators or motors.

The raw material for this process is chemically pure carbon obtained by the above process.

The electrodes are produced according to the following process:

obtaining carbon pure from impurities (according to the technologies described above);
mixing it with modifying additives (silica, other);
formation of a suspension of carbon with a solution of polyethylene (it is optimal to use secondary, as it is 3-4 times cheaper than primary);
forming of electrodes by pressing with the insertion of a copper stranded conductor into the electrode body;
solvent drying;
sintering;
if necessary, additional mechanical processing (trimming, grinding);
if necessary, impregnation and subsequent heat treatment (to fix the impregnating materials).

The process of their production is primitively simple. It does not require complex technological equipment. It is necessary to use electricity for the operation of furnaces in which sintering of electrodes is carried out.

11.3. Production of carbon with adsorption properties.

In order for the carbon obtained by the above process to acquire adsorption properties, it must be made porous. To do this, it is processed in special steam blast mills, as well as with hot steam heated to 800 °C and above. It is better to use generator gas containing steam and CO₂ in its composition instead of hot steam; this process will be more economically profitable. The equipment necessary for these processes can be custom-made in Ukraine.

11.4. Production of filter elements.

The raw material for this process is carbon with adsorption properties obtained by the above process.

The production of filter elements is carried out approximately in the same way as the production of electrodes and brushes. At the same time, other molding methods are used: the casting method and the foaming casting method (to create channels for the passage of liquids through the filter). It is possible to create this production on the basis of the same technological equipment that is used for the production of electrodes (except for product forming lines).

12. Complete all flue gas sources with SO2+NOx purification systems, as well as dust and tar.

All flue gas sources will be equipped with highly efficient systems for dry (high-temperature) and wet (low-temperature) flue gas purification from SO₂+NO_x+HCl, as well as dust and dangerous ecotoxicants. We have a technology that makes it possible to achieve guaranteed residual concentrations of both SO₂ and NO_x below 5 mg/m³. Despite the fact that the EU standards limit these indicators to SO₂ concentrations at 500 mg/m³, and NOx at 800 mg/m³. These systems will be completely cleaned of HCl, dust and dangerous ecotoxic ants. In other words, these power plants will be absolutely clean in terms of atmospheric pollution.

The gas purification technology we offer does not lead to the formation of liquid and solid waste. The only waste will be elemental sulfur. It will be processed into composite materials (for construction purposes) or used for the construction of highways.

13. Energy of all the industries proposed above. Reducing the emission of pollutants and CO2 into the atmosphere. The use of carbon-containing waste as energy resources.

13.1. Basic energy resources.

These productions are based on the consumption of energy resources, primarily natural gas and electricity, in very large volumes. Therefore, their competitiveness is determined by both their unit cost and their cost. Therefore, they are promising in those countries where they are available and inexpensive.

Due to the high cost of energy resources in the European Union and many other countries of the world, such production facilities are not being established on their territories. And those that have already been created are being closed. Therefore, the products of such enterprises have great prospects for sale in the markets of such countries of the world. And it will also be in demand in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent.

The cost of natural gas and electricity depends on the location of the enterprise. Countries of Central Asia and the African continent have significant natural gas resources, the ability to produce cheap electricity by burning coal, and the energy potential of small mountain rivers.

Measures aimed at reducing their specific consumption will be implemented. These are solutions aimed at making the fullest use of all waste thermal potentials, as well as solutions aimed at using iron-

containing materials with the highest concentration of iron in pyrometallurgical processes (ore dressing, extraction and use of scrap, production of direct reduction iron).

13.2. Reducing CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere.

At the same time, the issue of reducing emissions of all pollutants into the atmosphere, including CO₂, is relevant on the world agenda. Metallurgical enterprises are among the largest sources of emissions of H₂S, SO₂+NO_x, CO, dioxins, furans and other dangerous ecotoxicants, dust, and sludge. These substances pollute the atmosphere not only directly near the location of the metallurgical enterprise. Transboundary movements pollute the atmosphere of other countries at distances of even thousands of kilometers.

This proposal does not describe technologies designed to protect the atmosphere from emissions of these pollutants. But at the same time, we have all the necessary technologies to ensure the environmental cleanliness of these industries. They will be implemented to the required extent. Information about them will be provided additionally to those interested in this offer.

The formation of wastewater from these industries is not expected. The water supply of all water-consuming equipment will be carried out through a closed-loop circulating water supply cycle with intermediate purification from all generated water pollutants.

At the same time, there will be water consumption for technical purposes. A water source is needed. In principle, it is possible to use wastewater contaminated with various impurities (we will purify them to the required levels).

The issue of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere is relevant. It is impossible to purify flue gases from them (even if it is possible, there is no answer to the question of where to put this CO₂ next). The solution to this problem should be to save and maximize the use of energy resources with minimal CO₂ emissions. Based on this.

All thermal and recovery processes should be focused on the consumption of natural gas with the maximum possible reduction in coal consumption. The amount of CO₂ emissions will be many times lower than in the case of creating processes that are maximally focused on coal consumption.

At the same time, for some thermal processes, it is possible to partially cover the consumption of thermal energy by burning carbon-containing waste. Such waste is recognized worldwide as a CO₂ neutral fuel, as its decomposition in the soil also leads to CO₂ emissions.

We have technologies that allow us to use crop waste, sewage sludge, and some other solid and liquid carbon-containing waste as fuel. They require the use of appropriate equipment. The relevant range of issues on the application of such solutions will be considered in the process of designing such enterprises, based on information about the presence of waste generation and accumulation facilities in the region.

Also, the technological processes of steel production should focus on the processes of electrometallurgical melting in electric arc and induction furnaces (as proposed above). The use of open-hearth and converter furnaces using natural gas and coal must be excluded.

These enterprises will consume electricity from the unified energy system of their country of location. Therefore, the CO₂ footprint from generation will depend on how much energy is produced in the energy balance of the energy system as a whole by burning coal and natural gas (with CO₂ emissions), and how much by using energy from rivers, the sun, wind, and nuclear power plants (without CO₂ emissions).

The potential for generating energy from mountain rivers and wind in the countries of Central Asia and the African continent is very large. We are ready to consider decisions on the creation of appropriate business projects, which should be considered and implemented separately from this business project.

All of the above sources of electricity without CO₂ emissions have one problem. Their electricity generation is not controllable, from all sources. Besides, it is not permanent (except for nuclear power plants). Therefore, its production and consumption require a system of measures aimed at balancing electrical networks.

This offer contains business projects aimed at creating manageable consumers. They can be connected to the grid during periods of excess energy in them and disconnected during periods of shortage. These projects are based on the production of metals by electrolysis of their aqueous solutions. On the basis of such technologies, processes of electrolytic production (reduction) of metallic zinc are created, production or purification by electrolytic refining of all metals that are to the right of zinc in the range of metal stresses.

It is also necessary to consider decisions on the construction of pumped storage plants. They allow you to take energy from the grid during a period of its excess and return it to the grid during a period of its shortage. According to the technical and economic parameters, this method of energy storage requires the lowest costs compared to any known competing solutions. Both in terms of the cost of the necessary equipment and the cost of its operation. Some Central Asian countries have mountains and mountain rivers on their territory. These are the necessary resources to create such energy facilities.

Such projects should also be considered separately from projects in the ferrous metallurgy. We are ready to consider and solve them by involving specialized enterprises from Ukraine that already have the experience and capabilities to design and build such energy facilities.

13.3. The use of carbon-containing waste as energy resources.

Carbon-containing waste is recognized as a fuel that does not increase CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. This is due to the fact that in the case of their landfill, they decompose with the release of CO₂ and CH₄. Methane is also a greenhouse gas, which further increases the thermal effect of heating the atmosphere than CO₂. Therefore, their use is more likely to lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The technologies proposed above:

production of reconstituted iron, cast iron and steel not filled with alloying components, which are used as raw materials for remelting in metallurgical furnaces;
processing of the resulting metallurgical slags;
the production of materials using concrete, silicate, and ceramic technology

may use carbon-containing energy sources contaminated with various substances in some processes. Petroleum and coke-chemical fuel oil, various grades of coal, coal-enrichment sludge, as well as carbon-containing waste of various origins can be used as such energy sources: solid household waste, sewage sludge, manure and bird droppings, oil sludge, and much more.

The possibility of using waste is provided by its intermediate conversion to liquid hydrocarbons by autoclave hydrolysis. All waste is loaded into an autoclave and treated at elevated temperature and pressure with water. As a result, chemical reactions occur leading to the conversion of solid organic substances into liquid water-soluble compounds. After autoclave treatment, the resulting liquid is separated from the solids by filtration. Solid (inorganic substances) are sent for firing into rotating tube furnaces (with limestone or dolomite) and further into hydro chemical processes for processing ore materials, slags, and waste. This ensures their complete environmentally friendly disposal with the extraction of all useful metals and the recycling of the remainder for building materials.

The aqueous solution (or emulsion) of organic substances obtained in the autoclave will be used as components of suspension composite fuels. Additional components will be crushed coal, and, if necessary, fuel oil. This fuel will be used for some rotary tube furnaces (not all), as well as steam boilers (if necessary).

The cost of such a waste disposal process is very low. The need for investments in the purchase of additional equipment (autoclaves, some other) is also not great. Therefore, such projects will help solve the environmental problem of waste disposal generated in the region where such enterprises are built.

It is not a fact that the obtained suspension composite fuels will cost less than natural gas, which can be used instead. Therefore, when using some waste (having low calorific value or high costs for their use), it will be necessary to charge a fee for their disposal. But at the same time, its size will be small (much smaller than it currently exists in the EU countries).

The process of converting solid organic waste into solutions or emulsions of liquid hydrocarbons with water is universal. It allows you to switch from one type of waste to another without reworking the equipment used. Therefore, the risks of introducing this technology in terms of dependence on waste supplies (receiving payment for their disposal) are not great.

14. Drawing up business plans for the construction and operation of each of the enterprises in accordance with this proposal.

Business plans can be created only on the basis of the prepared design and estimate documentation. It is possible to create business plans for some production facilities based on pre-project documentation. But only if there are sources of initial data for technical and economic calculations.

15. Final provisions.

Our company is ready to carry out a full range of work on the design and construction of such enterprises in the territories of the countries of Central Asia, the African and European continents.

We are ready to consider counter-proposals on this subject and provide information on issues that may be discussed during the preliminary consultations. Possible conditions for cooperation in the implementation of these projects will be determined as a result of such consultations, as well as after determining the main indicators of the design assignment for such construction facilities.

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metallurgy

Proposal for the design and construction of enterprises in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, inorganic chemistry and building materials

in the territories of the countries of Central Asia, the European and African continents

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 Succesful-development

successful development

info@successful-dev.com

successful development

metallurgy

Proposal for the design and construction of enterprises in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, inorganic chemistry and building materials

in the territories of the countries of Central Asia, the European and African continents

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 Succesful-development

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