The present invention provides a copper billet horizontal continuous casting apparatus with a vertical shaft furnace for smelting and a corresponding process. The copper billet horizontal continuous casting apparatus with a vertical shaft furnace for smelting includes: a vertical shaft, a refining furnace, a mixing furnace, a holding furnace, and a continuous casting furnace; wherein the refining furnace comprises a furnace body, and a gas flushing device disposed beneath the furnace body, a gas flushing brick is provided at the chamber bottom wall of the furnace body; a gas inlet device is provided on the vertical shaft furnace; the vertical shaft furnace further includes a detecting device and an adjusting device which are connected with the air inlet device.

The present invention provides a method which is capable of more strictly controlling the oxygen partial pressure required during the melting of a starting material, thereby being capable of recovering a valuable metal more efficiently. A method for recovering valuable metals (Cu, Ni, Co), said method comprising the following steps: a step for preparing, as a starting material, a charge that contains at least phosphorus (P), manganese (Mn) and valuable metals; a step for heating and melting the starting material into a melt, and subsequently forming the melt into a molten material that contains an alloy and slag; and a step for recovering the alloy that contains valuable metals by separating the slag from the molten material. With respect to this method for recovering valuable metals, the oxygen partial pressure in the melt is directly measured with use of an oxygen analyzer when the starting material is heated and melted.

The present invention provides a copper billet horizontal continuous casting apparatus with a vertical shaft furnace for smelting and a corresponding process. The copper billet horizontal continuous casting apparatus with a vertical shaft furnace for smelting includes: a vertical shaft, a refining furnace, a mixing furnace, a holding furnace, and a continuous casting furnace; wherein the refining furnace includes a furnace body, and a gas flushing device disposed beneath the furnace body, a gas flushing brick is provided at the chamber bottom wall of the furnace body; a gas inlet device is provided on the vertical shaft furnace; the vertical shaft furnace further includes a detecting device and an adjusting device which are connected with the air inlet device.

A method for treating combustible material of the present invention includes providing a pipe opened to a molten substance surface above the molten substance surface of molten substance stored in a furnace body for smelting nonferrous metals, and blowing combustible material containing valuable metals and oxygen-enriched air into the molten substance surface of the molten substance from the pipe.

A method of continuously processing nickel-containing copper sulphide materials into blister copper, waste slag, and copper-nickel alloy includes oxidizing smelting along with SiO2 and CaO-containing fluxes and coal in a conversion furnace for conversion to produce blister copper, gases with concentration of SO.sub.2, and slag with an SiO2:CaO concentration ratio of 0.4:1 to 3:1, in which the sum of the iron, nickel, and cobalt is not more than 30 wt. %, at a specific oxygen consumption in the range of 150-240 Nm.sup.3 per ton of dry sulphide material, and depleting the slag in a separate reduction furnace, using a mixture of an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon fuel at an oxygen consumption coefficient (α) in a range of 0.5 to 0.9, while supplying coal in an amount of up to 15% of weight of the slag produced by the oxidizing smelting, to produce a waste slag and a copper-nickel alloy.

The present invention provides a method which is capable of more strictly controlling the oxygen partial pressure required during the melting of a starting material, thereby being capable of recovering a valuable metal more efficiently. A method for recovering valuable metals (Cu, Ni, Co), said method comprising the following steps: a step for preparing, as a starting material, a charge that contains at least phosphorus (P), manganese (Mn) and valuable metals; a step for heating and melting the starting material into a melt, and subsequently forming the melt into a molten material that contains an alloy and slag; and a step for recovering the alloy that contains valuable metals by separating the slag from the molten material. With respect to this method for recovering valuable metals, the oxygen partial pressure in the melt is directly measured with use of an oxygen analyzer when the starting material is heated and melted.

The processes can comprise feeding a furnace with a raw material. These materials can contain impurities and valuable metals (base metals, precious metals, platinum group metals, minor metals). The processes can allow the volatilization of arsenic and indium contained therein. Before volatilizing the material, composition of the material is optionally modified so as to obtain a ratio % S/(% (Cu/2)+% Ni+% Co) of about 0.5 to about 2. The processes can comprise feeding a melting device with the depleted material, and with a source of carbon in order to obtain a multi-layer product and an off gas. Before melting the depleted material, the depleted material composition is optionally modified so as to obtain a ratio % S/(% (Cu/2)+% Ni+% Co) of about 0.5 to about 2. Thus, it is possible to recover Cu, Ni and Co as well as several other metals, including In, Ge, Pb, Bi, precious metals and platinum group metals.

The present method can be used for converting nickel-containing copper sulphide materials. A method for continuously converting nickel-containing copper sulphide materials into blister copper, waste slag and a copper-nickel alloy includes smelting the materials together with SiO2 and CaO-containing fluxes and coal in a Vanyukov converting furnace to produce blister copper, gases with a high concentration of SO2, and slag with an SiO2/CaO concentration ratio of from 3:1 to 1:1, in which the sum of the iron, nickel and cobalt concentrations is not more than 30 wt %, at a specific oxygen consumption in the range of 150-240 nm3 per ton of dry sulphide material for conversion, and depleting the slag in a separate unit, namely a Vanyukov reduction furnace, using a mixture of an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon fuel at an oxygen consumption coefficient () in a range of from 0.5 to 0.9, together with coal, to produce waste slag and a copper-nickel alloy. The technical result is the production of blister copper, waste slag and a copper-nickel alloy using a continuous method, while separating the processes of conversion and reduction into separate units, namely two single-zone Vanyukov furnaces.

The processes of the present disclosure can comprise feeding a furnace with a raw material chosen from a copper-containing material, a nickel-containing material, a cobalt-containing material and mixtures thereof. These materials can be quite complex and contain various levels of impurities and valuable metals (base metals, precious metals, platinum group metals, minor metals). The processes allow the volatilization of arsenic and indium contained therein, thereby obtaining a material at least partially depleted in at least one of arsenic and indium, wherein before volatilizing the material, composition of the material is optionally modified so as to obtain a ratio % S/(% (Cu/2)+% Ni+% Co) of about 0.5 to about 2. The processes can comprise feeding a melting device with the depleted material, and with a source of carbon in order to obtain a multi-layer product and an off gas, wherein before melting the depleted material, the depleted material composition is optionally modified so as to obtain a ratio % S/(% (Cu/2)+% Ni+% Co) of about 0.5 to about 2. While one of the main purposes of the processes of the present disclosure is to recover Cu, Ni and Co from complex materials, it also provides a means of recovering several other metals, including In, Ge, Pb, Bi, precious metals and platinum group metals. Cu, Ni, Co and other metals are conveniently recovered in different products from the processes (gaseous, dust, slag, matte, speiss and metal).

According to the present invention there is provided a method for treating a zinc leach residue comprising the steps of: adding the zinc leach residue and a sulfide material comprising copper and flux to a furnace having a molten bath therein; operating the furnace to produce a matte comprising copper and a slag comprising zinc; separating the matte from the slag; and recovering zinc from the slag. The method preferably comprises the additional step of recovering the copper and/or other precious metals such as silver and gold, from the matte.