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.

In the disclosure, a method for recycling a material is disclosed, the method including: carrying out a first pass operation, wherein the first pass operation includes preparing an E-waste material and a solid oxide material, wherein the E-waste material includes Fe and Si, blending the E-waste material with fluxing agents, feeding a furnace with the blended E-waste material and the solid oxide material, and carrying out smelting the blended E-waste material and the solid oxide material to obtain a slag including iron oxide and a molten metal including copper. A system for recycling an E-waste material including Fe and Si is also disclosed, where the system includes an E-waste material blending unit where the E-waste material blending unit is configured to prepare the E-waste material, fluxing agents and a copper oxide material, and a furnace configured to carry out gasification and smelting the E-waste material and the copper oxide material to obtain a slag including iron oxide and a molten metal including copper.

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).

The invention relates to a method and to an arrangement for refining copper concentrate. The arrangement includes a suspension smelting furnace comprising a reaction shaft, and a settler. The reaction shaft is provided with a concentrate burner for feeding copper concentrate such as copper sulfide concentrate and/or copper matte and additionally at least reaction gas into the reaction shaft to obtain a blister layer containing blister and a first slag layer containing slag on top of the blister layer in the settler, and a slag cleaning furnace. The arrangement includes a feeder configured for feeding blister from the blister layer in the settler and for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler into the slag cleaning furnace.