METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING PGM AND FERRO-CHROME FROM PGM BEARING CHROMITE ORE

摘要

In a method for recovering PGMs and ferrochrome from platinum group metals bearing chromite ore, a concentrate is prepared that contains most of PGMs and chromite of the ore and the concentrate is subjected to a heating step to dry and/or preheat the concentrate, after which the preheated concentrate is smelted under reducing conditions in a DC smelting furnace (14) to produce molten metal alloy containing the PGMs of the feed and molten slag containing the chromium of the feed. The molten slag is tapped from the smelting furnace (14) into an AC slag furnace (16), where iron and chromium are reduced to produce a ferrochrome alloy. PGMs are recovered from the metal alloy tapped from the smelting furnace (14) utilizing hydro-metallurgical processes.