| Abstract Scope |
Leaching residues out of primary zinc industry like the so called jarosite, move more and more into the focus of research and development, due to environmental reasons and the potential to recover zinc, lead, silver as well as other valuables. Even though values of lead and zinc can be found in a range of 2 to 8 % sometimes accompanied by up to 500 ppm of silver, missing concepts for concentration, e.g. by flotation, and failing hydrometallurgical approaches, make an economic treatment difficult to realize. At the University of Leoben, together with associated R&D-companies, a pyrometallurgical process for jarosite treatment has been developed, realizing a multi metal recovery and the formation of slag, allowing a utilization in construction or cement industry. However, to avoid a high specific energy consumption, at least a certain grade of concentration would be beneficial. The paper describes the general process idea, the characterization of the material and the first results of mineral beneficiation trials and how they could influence the economy of the concept. |