Production, Refining and Recycling

Metals, as the most common groups of engineering materials, play an important role in manufacturing industry and human civilization. Metals production begins with extraction metals from oxide or sulphide minerals: smelting and refining. The end-of-life products containing metals form an increasingly important source for metals supply. Metal recycling is critical to sustainable development, and it saves resources and energy and reduces waste and environmental impact.

Metals production, refining and recycling forms the upstream discipline in metals science and technology. As the only process metallurgy group in the Netherlands, MPRR focuses on three major aspects of extractive metallurgical processes: (1) primary metals extraction and refining, (2) metals recovery and recycling, and (3) environmental issues related to metals production and recycling. “Closing the metals cycle” is the philosophy and driving force of the group’s research strategy.

Figure 1: Closing metals cycle

The research focuses on

•         new process development of sustainable production technologies for ferrous and non-ferrous metals

•         metallurgical process fundamentals –alloy theory, slag chemistry, and reaction thermodynamic and kinetic modelling

•         metallurgical process simulation, optimization and modernization

•         innovative development of metallurgical recycling technologies for metals

•         waste management and reducing environmental impact in metals production

The research is carried out at 3 different levels: MSc research, PhD research, and the research conducted by the scientific staff. The pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical laboratories are well-equipped with modern research facilities. Thermal analysis (DSC, DTA, TGA) and microstructure analysis (SEM, EMPA) are extensively utilized to investigate the thermodynamics and reaction mechanisms of primary metals production and metals recycling processes.          Various modern modelling and computational tools (CFX, Fluent, EDEM, HSC, FactSage) are available and used for better understanding of process insight and mechanisms. Application of Computational Fluid-Dynamics (CFD) modelling in combination with population balance modelling (PBM) and discrete element model (DEM) to complex metallurgical processes has been one of the developed approaches. Recent research examples are illustrated in Figure 2 through Figure 7.

Figure 2: Research examples in ironmaking and steelmaking processes

Figure 3: CFD simulation of submerged arc furnace for phosphorus production

Figure 4: Reaction kinetics of chromite reduction for FeCr production

Figure 5: Compact aluminium production process (CAPP)

Figure 6: Metals recycling: from scrap to pure metal

Figure 7: Solid waste processing and resource recovery from MSWI bottom ash