TREATING LOW GRADE ANTIMONY ORE BY BATH SMELTING-CONTINUOUS FUMING PROCESS

Abstract

The volatility of antimony and tin was compared and, the feasibility, mechanism and process characteristic of treating low-grade antimony ore by bath smelting-continuous fuming process were discussed as well. A 4m~2 furnace was used to treat antimony ores with grade of 15% ~ 30%. Good technical and economical targets, such as, the furnace hearth of 12.5t feed/m~2·d, antimony volatility of 97.97%, recovery of 90%, slag bearing 0.4675% Sb, antimony oxide containing 76.4% Sb, coal consumption of 24%, iron ore ratio of 27%, lime stone ratio of 15% were achieved. By adopting this process, the coke was replaced by coal, the energy consumption and production cost were cut down, and the smelting recovery was improved greatly. The commercial scale test and the commissioning results confirmed that the operation was normal, the targets were stable and technical process was advanced. This has opened up a new way for China's antimony industry, and is a significant innovation in antimony smelting technology, which is significative of the technical improvement in antimony industry.