Project Description

The classic method for removing tin, arsenic and antimony from lead is the oxidation of the metal by atmospheric oxygen in the refining furnace. However, the question of the possibility of selective removal of the accompanying elements of the factory lead and the question of the achievable speed of refining remained unclear. From an operational point of view, the most selective removal of accompanying elements and the maximum enrichment of the oxide phase with the accompanying element to be removed, which enables an increase in production and facilitates the further processing of the oxide phases, are particularly important,
Thermodynamic calculations have shown that the order of oxidation of the accompanying elements is dependent on the oxygen content (oxygen partial pressure) of the gas mixture, composition of the lead and temperature and that even the oxygen concentration of the air causes a simultaneous oxidation of all accompanying elements in the lead.