A process for a producing crude solder product and a copper product includes the steps of providing a black copper comprising >=50% wt of copper together with >=1.0% wt of tin and/or >=1.0% wt of lead, and refining a first portion of the black copper to obtain a refined copper product together with at least one copper refining slag. The process further includes the steps of recovering a first crude solder product from the copper refining slag, thereby forming a solder refining slag in equilibrium with the first crude solder product, and contacting a different portion of the black copper with the solder refining slag thereby forming a spent slag and a lead-tin based metal, followed by separating the spent slag from the lead-tin based metal.

A disclosed dilute copper metal composition has 57-85% wt Cu, ≥3.0% wt Ni, ≤0.8% wt Fe, 7-25% wt Sn and 3-15% wt Pb. A process includes partially b) oxidizing a black copper composition to obtain a first copper refining slag and a first enriched copper metal. The process further includes oxidizing h) the first enriched copper metal to obtain a second copper refining slag, whereby at least 37.0% wt of the amount of tin and lead processed through steps b) and/or h) is retrieved in the first and second copper refining slags together, partially reducing c) the first copper refining slag to form a first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag, adding the second copper refining slag to the first lead-tin based metal composition thereby forming a first liquid bath, partially oxidizing d) the first liquid bath, thereby obtaining the dilute copper metal composition.

A process for the production of a crude solder composition includes the provision of a first solder refining slag that includes tin and/or lead. The process further includes the steps of partially reducing the first solder refining slag, thereby forming a crude solder metal composition and a second solder refining slag, followed by separating the second solder refining slag from the crude solder metal composition, and partially reducing the second solder refining slag, thereby forming a second lead-tin based metal composition and a second spent slag followed by separating the second spent slag from the second lead-tin based metal composition

A copper containing fresh feed is added to step (ii), preferably before reducing the second solder refining slag.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for recovering copper, bronze and lead by allowing methane gas to flow into a reactor and heat-treating a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide under a temperature condition of 700-900° C., and comprises the steps of: placing a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide in a reactor; increasing the temperature inside the reactor; and allowing a reductive gas to flow into the reactor so as to heat-treat the mixture.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for recovering copper, bronze and lead by allowing methane gas to flow into a reactor and heat-treating a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide under a temperature condition of 700-900° C., and comprises the steps of: placing a mixture of copper oxide, tin oxide and lead oxide in a reactor; increasing the temperature inside the reactor; and allowing a reductive gas to flow into the reactor so as to heat-treat the mixture.

Disclosed herein is a method for reducing a metal oxide in a metal containing precursor. The method comprises providing a reaction mixture comprising the metal oxide containing precursorand an aluminium reductant; heating the reaction mixture in the presence of solid or gaseous aluminium chloride to temperature at which reactionsthatresultin the metal oxide being reduced are initiated; controlling reaction conditions whereby the reaction mixture is prevented from reaching a temperature at which thermal runaway can occur; and isolating reaction products that include reduced metal oxide.

Disclosed herein is a method for reducing a metal oxide in a metal containing precursor. The method comprises providing a reaction mixture comprising the metal oxide containing precursorand an aluminium reductant; heating the reaction mixture in the presence of solid or gaseous aluminium chloride to temperature at which reactionsthatresultin the metal oxide being reduced are initiated; controlling reaction conditions whereby the reaction mixture is prevented from reaching a temperature at which thermal runaway can occur; and isolating reaction products that include reduced metal oxide.

A process for the production of a crude solder composition includes the provision of a first solder refining slag that includes tin and/or lead. The process further includes the steps of partially reducing the first solder refining slag, thereby forming a crude solder metal composition and a second solder refining slag, followed by separating the second solder refining slag from the crude solder metal composition, and partially reducing the second solder refining slag, thereby forming a second lead-tin based metal composition and a second spent slag followed by separating the second spent slag from the second lead-tin based metal composition A copper containing fresh feed is added to step (ii), preferably before reducing the second solder refining slag.

A dilute copper metal composition includes 57-85% wt Cu, ≥3.0% wt Ni, ≤0.8% wt Fe, 7-25% wt Sn and 3-15% wt Pb. A process includes the steps of partially oxidizing a black copper composition to obtain a first copper refining slag and a first enriched copper metal, partially oxidizing the first enriched copper metal to obtain a second copper refining slag, whereby at least 37.0% wt of the amount of tin and lead processed is retrieved in the first and second copper refining slags together; and partially reducing the first copper refining slag to form a first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag. The process further includes the steps of adding the second copper refining slag to the first lead-tin based metal composition, thereby forming a first liquid bath; and partially oxidizing the first liquid bath, thereby obtaining the dilute copper metal composition.

A disclosed process produces at least one concentrated copper product together with at least one crude solder product, starting from a black copper composition with at least 50% of copper together with at least 1.0% wt of tin and at least 1.0% wt of lead The process includes the step of partially oxidizing the black copper thereby forming a first copper refining slag, followed by partially reducing the first copper refining slag to form a first lead-tin based metal composition and a first spent slag. The total feed to the reducing step includes an amount of copper that is at least 1.5 times as high as the sum of the amounts of Sn plus Pb present, and the first spent slag includes at most 20% wt total of copper, tin and lead together.