Ruhr Zink

W. Schmidt, Die Kadmiumgewinnung bei der Ruhr-Zink GmbH in Datteln, Elektrolyse der Nichteisenmetalle, Verlag Chemie, Wein-heim, 1982, pp. 163-168. 

Ruhr-Zink GmbH Wittener Strasse 1 Datteln 45711, Germany... 

Ruhr-Zink is the name of a German zinc plant located in the Ruhr area. This plant has an annual production of 105,000 tonnes of zinc. About 30 different concentrates are treated in this plant via the RLE process (roasting, leaching and electrowinning) to produce 6-t zinc ingots. 

In addition to treating concentrates, Ruhr-Zink also treats WSlz oxides. With this diversity of feed materials, Ruhr-Zink has entered the world of recycling and thus has created a new promising field of operation. 

The objective of this investigation was, therefore, (i) to assimilate flie rqipropriate plant data from various sources, (ii) to determine and estimate their accuracy, (iii) to calculate closed mass balances for defined intervals of time, and (iv) to develop quantitative model to predict the production of ZIC and its composition based on the feed materials and their analysis. In the course of the investigation, the mass balance model was developed first (Model 1) with the aid of data reconciliation. Then, the prediction model (Model 2) was calculated based on the results of Model 1 incorporating a multi-parametrical regression analysis, hi this paper, the capabilities of the combination of these two modem computer-aided tools will be demonstrated as applied to the Ruhr-Zink flowsheet. With these methods, a plant simulator can be updated in a relatively short time that incorporates the latest changes in the flowsheet. 

Ruhr-Zink can roughly be divided into seven process sections (Figure 1). These are ... 

For each of these sections, models were developed to provide a closed and coherent mass balance. The partial flowsheets were linked to produce a complete model for Ruhr-Zink that permits closme of all measured and umneasured flow rates and analyses. During zinc production not only zinc is recovered as a product, but also, concentrates suitable for sale or for further processing are generated. These by-products include concentrated sulphuric acid, zinc-... 

Figure 1 - Schematic Overview of the Present Flowsheet of Ruhr-Zink...

Plant Flowsheet of Study Ruhr-Zink Neutral Leach Residue Filtratjon... 

A known phenomenon at Ruhr-Zink is that, when ZIC production increases, the concentration of zinc remains constant, which results in increasing zinc losses. The mechanism is explained by an increase in the concentration of silica in the calcine as shown in Figure 4. 

It is qualitatively known (6) that increased silica contents in the feed materials could increase the production of neutral leach residue. However, now it possible for Ruhr-Zink to quantitatively examine not only the influence of silica on the production of ZIC but also the synergistic influence of alumina, iron, lead, silica, and zinc on the production of ZIC. 

E. Ozberk, M.J. Collins, M. Makwana, I.M. Masters, R. Pullenberg and W. Bahl, Zine Pressure Leaching at the Ruhr-Zink Refinery , Hvdrometallurgv. Vol. 39,1995,53-61. 

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