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Christian Doppler Laboratory for Extractive Metallurgy of Technological Metals
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The Christian Doppler Laboratory for Extractive Metallurgy of Technological Metals under direction of Ass.Prof. Stefan Luidold, which is established at the Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy of the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and funded by the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy aims in collaboration with industrial enterprises on the one hand at the development of applicable technologies and process routes for the reclamation of these elements from so far unused particular sources (unconventional ores, residues, scraps, used consumer goods) and on the other hand at extension of the limited knowledge about their behaviour in diverse process steps. The latter constitutes an excellent base to broaden the range of economically and ecologically exploitable resources. Ultimately, this should encourage the position of the highly developed Austrian industry.

Semidirect recycling of cemented carbides

The key factor for pushing ahead the semidirect recycling route is, that at the moment most of the industrially applied techniques for cemented carbide recycling are based on a modulation of the primary route (indirect recycling) or the zinc-process (direct route). Depending on the scrap quality the latter isn’t appropriate, because of the remaining coating material in the recyclate which reduces its utilizability. Nevertheless a complete processing through the primary route after the mandatory oxidation is neither the ideal method.

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Production of FeNi and other ferroalloys

Today, not only primary sources, such as ores and concentrates, but also secondary materials (residues and by-products from various industrial processes) are in general feedstocks for production of ferroalloys. A significant increase of their demand during the last decades as well as progressively stricter environmental laws effected intense research activities in that field to improve existing or develop new processes, especially for the utilization of secondary raw materials aiming either to a complete conversion in marketable products or to an inertisation of the non-usable residue. Examples therefore are the feed of lithium ion as well as nickel metal hydride batteries for the recovery of ferronickel at which it is also progressively attempted to extract additional elements such as lithium or rare earth elements.

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Recycling of oil/gas drill bits

Nowadays, industrial applications for recycling of hard metals focus on the zinc process and on feeding scrap into the primary, hydrometallurgical route. The latter is only suitable for pure hard scrap of sufficiently small particle size due to the required process time. The zinc process works based on the fact that zinc forms voluminous intermetallic phases with cobalt metal that acts as a binder in most common hard metals. In summary, it effectuates only disintegration without separation of impurities. Also, the matrix used in drill bits for oil and gas exploration consists of a complex alloy made of copper, manganese, nickel, and zinc.

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Recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment

Some elements, such as precious metals, exhibit low concentrations in common ores. In secondary resources, e.g. waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), these metals are more concentrated than in primary raw materials. Furthermore some other special metals, such as rare earth elements (REE), are contained in WEEE. This generally forms a big advantage for the recovery of these metals, but there are further aspects, which must be considered.

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Semidirect recycling of cemented carbides

Production of FeNi and other ferroalloys

Recycling of oil/gas drill bits

Recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment

 

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Franz-Josef-Straße 18
8700 Leoben, Austria

E-Mail: tmcd-labor@unileoben.ac.at
Phone: +43 3842 402 5220
Fax: +43 3842 402 5202

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