PYROMETALLURGICAL RECOVERY OF VALUABLE METALS FROM Zn-Pb SLAGS

Slags formed during pyrometallurgical extraction of zinc and lead contain numerous metals, and can provide a valuable source of these. Metal recovery from Zn-Pb slags can be accomplished using a pyrometallurgical method consisting in recovering materials at sufficiently high temperatures by transferring them to specific condensed phases (including metallic alloys) or the gas phase with subsequent condensation. The paper presents the results of research on the chemical and phase composition of products and waste generated during the pyrometallurgical processing of refining slags from the Zn-Pb metallurgy. It was found that there was a significant content of metallic lead in the product - sinter, with a very high share of silicate and oxide phases in the waste. The chemical and phase composition of the tested materials proves the correct course of the pyrometallurgical processing of slags, and the high lead yield indicates the correct selection of its recovery technology, which is the basis for continuing research on the processing of refining slags using the pyrometallurgical method.