Guillermo Rios

Abstract:

The gases from the Flash Smelting Furnace (FSF) and the Slag Cleaning Electric Furnace (SCEF) tapping operations are conducted through exhaust hoods located in the launders, to a baghouse filter in order to meet the current emission limits established in Atlantic Copper’s Environmental Permit (EP). This off-gas stream contains 20.9% O2 at environment temperature so that, once it has been dedusted, it can be partially recirculated as blast air in the FSF, with the rest being sent into the atmosphere. Foreseeing changes in European environmental legislation, and as a result of the latest revision of the best available techniques reference document on non-ferrous metals (NFM BREF) in compliance with the European Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75 (IED), Atlantic Copper launched a project aimed at defining the most suitable SO2 abatement treatment of FSF and SCEF tapping ventilation system off-gas. Preliminary pilot tests were performed in SCEF tapping ventilation system in 2015 and 2016, which confirmed the expected SO2 removal using Sorbacal® SP and SPS. As a result of these promising results, a third campaign of tests was carried out in 2017 that confirmed the technical feasibility of the selected technology, based on SO2 dry abatement. This paper describes the results of these pilot-testing campaigns.