High-Performance Method of Recovery of Metals from EAF Dust-Processing without Solid Waste.

A highly effective method of the processing of steelmaking dust in an arc-resistant furnace has been presented. The aim of the research was to investigate the possibility of processing steelmaking dust in terms of waste minimization and selective recovery of valuable components. For this purpose, an electric arc resistance furnace was used. Granulated steelmaking dust with reducer (coal dust) was the input material. The products of the process are zinc oxide, iron alloy and slag, with properties meeting high ecological requirements. The technology does not generate solid waste. Zinc recovery is over 99% and iron recovery over 98%. The content of heavy metals (Zn + Pb + Cu) in glassy slag is below 0.2%, which ensures very low leachability.