Pyrometallurgical Systems for Recycling and Thermal Treatment of Industrial and Municipal Wastes

摘要

The process industries and the human society annually generate a huge amount of by-products and wastes. Although the priorities in waste management are reduction and reuse, normally recycling and external treatment are the practical solutions apart from landfilling. Recycling of waste streams saves resources as well as land space. From an economic and environmental point of view it is, however, important to find the most suitable treatment solution in order to maximize the conversion of the waste into a useful product or energy, while minimizing the secondary waste generation. The processing conditions achieved in pyrometallurgical reactors are commonly very suitable for treating various types of inorganic as well as organic wastes. The chemical and physical characteristics of various types of wastes, such as residues from the metallurgical industry and municipal wastes, will be systematically analyzed and discussed. The thermo-characteristics of the available recycling technologies and practices as well as the potential pyrometallurgical solutions will also be reviewed. Three practical examples will be given to show how the pyrometallurgical systems could be applied for conversion of wastes to energy and useful materials. These examples include concepts for recovery of zinc from EAF dust and use of ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) for scrap preheating.