Energy Technologies and CO2 Management: Energy Technologies
Sponsored by: TMS Extraction and Processing Division, TMS Light Metals Division, TMS: Energy Committee
Program Organizers: Shafiq Alam, University of Saskatchewan; Donna Guillen, Idaho National Laboratory; Fiseha Tesfaye, Metso Metals Oy, Åbo Akademi University; Lei Zhang, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Susanna Hockaday, Curtin University, WASM; Neale Neelameggham, IND LLC; Hong (Marco) Peng, University of Queensland; Nawshad Haque, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization; Liu Yan, Northeastern University

Tuesday 2:30 PM
March 21, 2023
Room: 33B
Location: SDCC

Session Chair: Shafiq Alam, University of Saskatchewan; Joseph Hamuyuni, Metso Outotec


2:30 PM  
Investigation of Slag and Condensate from the Charge Top in a FeSi75 Furnace: Marit Buhaug Folstad1; Karin Jusnes2; Merete Tangstad1; 1Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 2Finnfjord AS
     Metallurgical silicon/ferrosilicon is produced industrially in submerged arc furnaces by carbothermic reduction of quartz. In addition to raw materials, oxide impurities are present in the furnace. Accumulated slag is typically found along the furnace walls towards the charge top, as well as the furnace bottom and taphole. During optimal tapping the slag will follow the alloy. Accumulated slag in the furnace will affect the furnace operation. Large amounts of accumulated slag will have a negative effect on the operation and lead to more CO2 emissions. Partly melted charge at the surface from a FeSi75 furnace have been collected and analyzed. All samples contained slag/condensate, carbon and/or unreacted SiO2. The slag samples contained SiO2, in addition to Fe, Na, K, Mg, Al and Ca. Slag at the charge surface may be due to sufficient high temperature to produce slag, which again can affect how the materials distribute in the furnace.

2:50 PM  Invited
Lithium Extraction from Natural Resources to Meet the High Demand in EV and Energy Storage: Valan Namq1; Shafiq Alam1; 1University of Saskatchewan
    Electrification of vehicles increases lithium demand drastically in the next decades, as the demand increases the supply remains constant. Lithium is mainly produced from hard rock spodumene mining and high concentration brines in South America but most of the lithium reserves are in the low lithium concentration continental brine. The exploitation of this reserve would make the industry easily meet the demand. But current technology has limitations to extract lithium from low concentration brine. This paper will describe most of the applicable methods alongside with mass balance sheet for concentrating lithium from the brine into lithium chloride solution, then purifying and crystallization of lithium solution to lithium carbonate salt.