Preliminary Investigation of Desilication of Minerals With Sulfur and Carbon.

摘要

This study was made to investigate a possible method to selectively remove the SiO2component of silicate minerals and ores. Of specific interest were aluminum ores and zircon. Methods are described for the removal of SiO2from these ores as volatile silicon sulfides by treating the ore with fulfur and carbon;the sulfur,carbon and a reducing gas;or with sulfur compounds and carbon. Comparative results are also given for the desilication of some of the ores with carbon alone to form volatile silicon monoxide. The silica component can be removed partially from bauxites at temperatures above the sublimation temperature of SiS (940C) by treatment with carbon,sulfur and methane;however,it is more dificult to remove the silicon from kyanite,manganese silicate,red muds from aluminum processing,kaolinite, lateritic nickel ores,and zircon. Complete desilication requires temperatures varying from 1,100C for bauxite to 1,450C for zircon. The high temperatures required and the undesirable metal sulfides produced eliminate any practical application of this method with present technology.