MMC Norilsk Nickel

V. T. Dyachenko, Chief of Scientific and Technical Direction, e-mail: DyachenkoVT@nornik.ru

The creation of new alternative technological processes eliminating the formation of large volumes of gas with sulfur dioxide content is one of the ways to solve ecological problems in non-ferrous metallurgy. From this point of view the promising processes are those that provide the possibility to remove from the principle cycle the major part of iron and sulfur of mineral feed on the early stages of processing without sulfur containing gases formation. As an alternative method of pyrrhotite concentrates processing the technology of concentrates sulfidizing with elemental sulfur can be considered. The paper presents brief literature survey of the data on phases equilibrium in the systems Fe—S, Cu—Fe—S, Ni—Fe—S in the area of sulfur content more than 35% (mass.) and the review on the investigations results concerning the interaction of pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite with elemental sulfur, that has made it possible to come to the following conclusions:
— he interaction of chalcopyrite and pentlandite with elemental sulfur may result in non-ferrous metals and iron differentiation with simple sulfides formation;
— the process of chalcopyrite sulfidizing was studied more than once as a thermal preprocessing improving the indices of downstream oxidizing leaching; data of different authors about sulfidizing products composition are not wholly consistent;

— any results of the investigations of the process of sulfidizing of pentlandite and the products of minerals solid phase interaction were not found.

1. Rosenquist T. A. Iron Steel Inst. 1954. Vol. 176, No. 1. pp. 37–57.

2. Mak-Kinstri Kh. E. Problemy endogennykh mestorozhdeniy : sb. Problems of Endogenous Deposits : collection. Moscow, 1960. Issue 1. pp. 34–46.

3. Arnold R. G. Economic Geol. 1962. Vol. 57. pp. 72–90.

4. Yund R. A., Kullerud G. J. Petrology. 1966. Vol. 7. pp. 454–488.

5. Kullerud G. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Year Book. 1966–1967. pp. 405–409.

6. Cabri L. J. Economic Geol. 1973. Vol. 68. pp. 443–454.

7. Sugaki A., Shima H., Kitakaze A., Harada H. Ibid. 1975. Vol. 70. pp. 806–823.

8. Vaugham D. J., Craig J. R. Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits. New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1997. pp. 367–434.

9. Barton P. B. Economic Geol. 1973. Vol. 68. pp. 455–465.

10. Craig J. R. Carnegie Inst. Geophysical Laboratory. 1966–1967. pp. 434–436.

11. Craig J. R., Naldrett A. J., Kullerud G. Carnegie Inst. Geophysical Laboratory. 1966–1967. pp. 440–442.

12. Shewman R. W., Clark L. A. Canad. J. Earth Sciences. 1970. Vol. 67. pp. 67–85.

13. Craig J. R., Kullerud G. Tr. geofizicheskoy laboratorii in-ta Karnegi. Proceedings of Carnegie Institute Geophysical Laboratory. Issue 63–65. Moscow, 1971. pp. 272–278.

14. Conard B. R., Sridhar R., Warner J. S. J. Chem. Thermodynamics. 1980. Vol. 12. pp. 817–833.

15. Abishev D. N., Orazalina K. N. Tez. dokl. III Vsec. soveshch. po khimii i tekhnologii khalkogenidov (Heads of Reports of the III All-Union Counsel «Chemistry and Technology of Chalcogens and Chalcogenides»). Karaganda, 1986. p. 62.

16. Ryumin A. I., Makarova T. S., Perfileva N. S. and etc. Sulfidirovanie metallicheskoy medi (Metallic copper sulphurizing). Cherkassy, 1986.

17. Vlasov O. A., Bychkov P. S., Cherentaev P. S. Kombinirovannye malootkhodnye protsessy kompleksnoy pererabotki sulfidnogo syrya : tr. Gintsvetmet. Combined low-waste processes of multipurpose processing of sulphide raw material : tr. of Gintsvetmet Institute. Moscow, 1990. pp. 54–57.

18. Habashi F. Chalcopyrite, its chemistry and metallurgy. Quebec (Canada), 1978.

19. Warren I. H., Vizsoli A., Forward F. A. The Canadian Min. and Metall. (CIM) Bulletin. 1968. Vol. 61, No. 673. pp. 637–640.

20. Patent 3459535 USA. Treatment of copper bearing complex sulphides. Vizsoli A. I., Armstrong A. M., Forward F. A. ; publ. 05.08.1969.

21. Subramanian K. N., Kanduth H. The Canadian Min. and Metall. (CIM) Bulletin. 1973. Vol. 66, No. 734. pp. 88–91.

22. Cathro K. J. Proc. Australasian Inst. Min. and Metall. 1974. Vol. 252. pp. 1–11.

23. Parker A. J., Muir D. M., Giles D. E. Hydrometallurgy. 1975. Vol. 1. pp. 169–181.

24. Demopoulos G. P., Distin P. A. Ibid. 1983. Vol. 10. pp. 111–122.

25. Padilla R. Yasawa Int. Symp. «Metallurgical and Materials Processing : Principles and Technologies». San Diego, 2003. Vol. III : Aqueous and Electrochemical Processing. pp. 89–103.