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), iron (Fe) 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.

Disclosed is a process for recovering copper from secondary raw materials including in a feed batch smelting in a furnace a feedstock including copper oxide and elemental iron for forming a concentrated copper intermediate, whereby heat is generated by the redox reactions converting iron to oxide and copper oxide to copper, whereby copper collects in a molten liquid metal phase and iron oxides collect in a supernatant liquid slag phase, whereby at the end of the batch the liquid phases separate and may be removed from the furnace as smelter slag and as the concentrated copper intermediate, wherein during the smelting step an excess of elemental iron is maintained in the furnace relative to the amount required for completing the redox reactions, and further heat input is provided by the injection of an oxygen containing gas for oxidizing the excess iron.

A concentrate burner provided over a reaction shaft of a copper smelting furnace, is characterized by comprising: a raw material supply portion that supplies a starting material into the reaction shaft, the starting material including copper concentrate; and an additive supply portion that is provided separately from the raw material supply portion and supplies solid additive to the starting material.

An operation method of a copper-smelting furnace is characterized by including supplying an Fe metal source into a copper-smelting furnace together with a feeding material including copper concentrate and a flux, the copper concentrate including Al, the Fe metal source including an Fe metal of 40 mass % to 100 mass %.

The purpose is to provide a method for recovering a valuable metal at low cost. The present invention is a method for recovering a valuable metal, the method comprising a step of preparing a burden material containing at least a valuable metal to obtain a raw material, a step of subjecting the raw material to an oxidation treatment and a reductive melting treatment to produce a reduced product containing an alloy and a slag, and a step of separating the slag from the reduced product to collect the alloy, in which the copper grade, which is a ratio of the mass of copper (Cu) to the total mass of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu) contained in the alloy (i.e., a Cu/(Ni+Co+Cu) ratio), is adjusted to 0.250 or more.

An operation method of a copper-smelting furnace is characterized by including supplying an Fe metal source into a copper-smelting furnace together with a feeding material including copper concentrate and a flux, the copper concentrate including Al, the Fe metal source including an Fe metal of 40 mass % to 100 mass %.

A direct current plasma arc furnace includes a tank having a crucible delimiting a chamber to receive material to be melted and/or treated; refractory walls surrounding the crucible outer surface; a metallic frame covering the refractory walls; and a heating system for heating the received material. The heating system includes two electrodes acting as cathode and anode, respectively, wherein the first electrode is a movable electrode to project vertically into the chamber. The crucible is part of an anode system also having the second electrode and at least one part connecting the crucible and second electrode. The crucible receives and holds material to be melted and/or treated and provides electric conduction for the flow of current to heat the material, such that the voltage potential difference between the cathode and any point of the crucible surface defined to be in contact with the material is the same.

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.

The invention relates to a method for smelting non-ferrous metal sulfides (13) in a suspension smelting furnace and to a suspension smelting furnace. The suspension smelting furnace comprises at least one injection means (18) for injecting at least one of fluid (19) and pulverous matter (20) into a settler (2) of the suspension smelting furnace from at least one of a first side wall structure (8) and a second side wall structure (9) of the settler (2) so that fluid (19) and/or pulverous matter (20) is injected into the settler (2) above a top surface (16) of a layer of melt (15) in the settler (2).

Copper is produced by a looping oxidizing process wherein oxidation of copper sulfide concentrate to molten blister copper by conversion with copper oxides (and optionally oxygen from air) in a one step, molten bath operation to produce molten blister copper, iron oxide slag, and rich SO.sub.2 off gas. The blister copper is treated in an anode furnace to reduce the iron content and oxidize residual sulfur, and prepare it for either electrolysis or reoxidation.