Thermodynamic analysis of the selective carbothermic reduction of electric arc furnace dust

Selective reduction and separation of both the zinc and the lead as metallic vapours, from the iron, in oxide form, was examined. The separation of the zinc or the lead from the iron, was defined quantitatively in terms of the selectivity factor (log β) as follows.for zinc βZn/Fe=XZngXFemYFeoYZnofor lead βPb/Fe=XPbgXFemYFeoYPbo+lwhere the subscript symbols refer to the metal being present in gaseous (g), metallic solid (m), solid oxide (o) or metallic liquid (l) form, respectively. The standard calculations were performed for one hundred grams of dust at atmospheric pressure. The variables investigated were as follows; temperature in the range of 1273-1873 K, reactant ratio (i.e. moles of carbon per gram of dust), dust composition, addition of inert gas and reduced total pressure. The calculated values were in reasonable agreement with those from previously published studies and also industrial results.