Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Distillation Recovery of Tellurium from Copper Telluride in Oxide Forms

  • METALLURGY OF RARE AND NOBLE METALS
  • Published:
Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The results of study aimed at extraction of tellurium from its compound with copper in the form of oxides by the pyrometallurgical method are presented in the paper. Technical copper telluride of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP containing crystalline phases (%) 36.5 Cu7Te4, 28.5 Cu5Te3, 12.9 Cu2Te, 16.2 Cu2.5SO4(OH)3·2H2O, and 6.0 Cu3(SO4)(OH)4 was used as an object of research. As a result of the physical and chemical research and technological experiments, the fundamental possibility of processing technical copper telluride by oxidative distillation roasting with the extraction of tellurium into a separate product has been shown. Air oxygen was used as an oxidant. It has been established that a pressure decrease in the range of 80–0.67 kPa at the same temperature entails an increase in the degree of tellurium extraction. However, from a technological point of view, the value of the degree of tellurium extraction (93.0–98.0%) at all pressures (within 1 h) is achieved at a temperature of 1100°C. Increasing the exposure to 3 h has a minor beneficial effect. Diffractometric studies of cinders from technological experiments showed a decrease in the content of copper oxides in the pressure range of 80–40 kPa and an increase in the content of the Cu3TeO6 phase. With a subsequent increase in rarefaction from 40 to 0.67 kPa, there is a noticeable decrease in the amount of cuprite and, as a consequence, a sharp increase in the amount of cuprous oxide. A slowdown in the increase in the amount was noted for copper tellurate at pressures of 40–20 kPa, and a sharp drop in its content was noted at pressures below 13.3 kPa. The derived condensate is a free-flowing mixture of crystalline phases of tellurium dioxide (67.7%) and tellurium oxysulfate (32.3%). This condensate is a middling product for further production of elemental tellurium.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Efimov, A.A., Leonov, A.S., Kozhanov, A.L., and Kuzmina, I.S., Processing of copper electrolyte slimes with a carbonaceous reductant, Tsvetn. Met. (Moscow, Russ. Fed.), 2018, no. 6, pp. 52–58. https://doi.org/10.17580/tsm.2018.06.07

  2. Mastyugin, S.A. and Naboichenko, S.S., Processing of copper-electrolyte slimes: Evolution of technology, Russ. J. Non-Ferrous Met., 2012, vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 367–374. https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821212050070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Xing, W.D. and Lee, M.S., Leaching of gold and silver from anode slime with a mixture of hydrochloric acid and oxidizing agents, Geosyst. Eng., 2017, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 216–223.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Xiao, L., Wang, Y.L., Yu, Y., Fu, G.Y., Han, P.W., Sun, Z.H.I., and Ye, S.F., An environmentally friendly process to selectively recover silver from copper anode slime, J. Cleaner Prod., 2018, vol. 187, pp. 708–716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ding, Y., Zhang, Sh., Liu, B., and Li, B., Integrated process for recycling copper anode slime from electronic waste smelting, J. Cleaner Prod., 2017, vol. 165, pp. 48–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.094

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Liu, G., Wu, Yu., Tang, A., Pan, D., and Li, B., Recovery of scattered and precious metals from copper anode slime by hydrometallurgy: A review, Hydrometallurgy, 2020, vol. 197, article no. 105460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2020.105460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mahmoudi, A., Shakibania, S., Mokmeli, M., and Rashchi, F., Tellurium, from copper anode slime to high purity product: A review paper, Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 2020, vol. 51, pp. 2555–2575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-020-01974-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Mastyugin, S.A., Volkova, N.A., Naboichenko, S.S., and Lastochkina, M.A., Shlamy elektroliticheskogo rafinirovaniya medi i nikelya (Slimes from Electrolytic Refining of Copper and Nickel), Naboichenko, S.S., Ed., Yekaterinburg: Ural Federal Univ. Named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Liu, W., Jia, R., Sun, B., Zhang, D., Chen, L., Yang, T., and Lu, S., A novel process for extracting tellurium from the calcine of copper anode slime via continuous enrichment, J. Cleaner Prod., 2020, vol. 264, article no. 121637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121637

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mahmoudi, A., Shakibania, S., Mokmeli, M., and Rashchi, F., Selective separation and recovery of tellurium from copper anode slime using acidic leaching and precipitation with cuprous ion, J. Sustainable Metall., 2021, vol. 7, no.4, pp. 1886–1898. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-021-00462-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Ma, Z., Yang, H., Huang, S., Lu, Y., and Xiong, L., Ultra fact microwave-assisted leaching for the recovery of copper and tellurium from coper anode slime, Int. J. Miner., Metall. Mater., 2015, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 582–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-015-1110-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Xu, L., Xiong, Y., Zhang, G., Zhang, F., Yang, Y., Hua, Z., Tian, Y., You, J., and Zhao, Z., An environmental-friendly process for recovery of tellurium and copper from copper telluride, J. Cleaner Prod., 2020, vol. 272, article no. 122723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122723

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Vaisburd, S.E., Fiziko-khimicheskie svoistva i osobennosti stroeniya sul’fidnykh rasplavov (Physicochemical Properties and Structural Features of Sulfide Melts), Moscow: Metallurgiya, 1996.

  14. Dutchak, Ya.I., Korenchuk, N.M., and Korenchuk, S.V., Study of vapor pressure and thermodynamic analysis of alloys of the Cu2S-Cu2Te system, Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Neorg. Mater., 1975, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 201–203.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Krätschmer, A., Odnevall Wallinder, I., and Leygraf, C., The evolution of outdoor cooper patina, Corros. Sci., 2002, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 425–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-938X(01)00081-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Nitsenko, A.V., Burabaeva, N.M., Tuleutay, F.Kh., Seisembaev, R.S., Linnik, X.A., and Azlan, M.N., Study of physical and chemical properties of tellurium-containing middlings, Kompleksn. Ispol’z. Miner. Syr’ya, 2020, no. 4, pp. 49–56. https://doi.org/10.31643/2020/6445.36

  17. Kindyakov, P.S., Korshunov, B.G., Fedorov, P.I., and Kislyakov, I.P., Khimiya i tekhnologiya redkikh i rasseyannykh elementov (Chemistry and Technology of Rare and Trace Elements), Bol’shakov, K.A., Ed., Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola, 1976, part 3.

  18. Volodin, V.N. and Tuleushev, Yu.Zh., The liquid-vapor phase transition in a copper-calcium system, Russ. J. Phys. Chem. A, 2020, vol. 94, no. 8, pp. 1526–1531. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0036024420070304

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kukleva, T.V., Fedorova, T.B., Vishnyakov, A.V., and Kovtunenko, P.V., Features of low-temperature oxidation of copper (I) telluride, Neorg. Mater., 1988, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 1469–1471.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Zhu, X., Wang, Zh., Su, X., and Vilarinho, P.M., New Cu3TeO6 ceramics: phase formation and dielectric properties, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2014, no. 6, pp. 11326–11332. https://doi.org/10.1021/am501742z

  21. Dimitriev, Y., Gatev, E., and Ivanova, Y., High-temperature X-ray study of the oxidation of CuTeO3, J. Mater. Sci. Lett., 1989, no. 8, pp. 230–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00730736

  22. Volodin, V.N., Isakova, R.A., and Nesterov, V.N., On the rate of oxidation of cinnabar by water vapor under reduced pressure, Izv. Akad. Nauk Kaz. SSR, Ser. Khim., 1977, no. 5, pp. 68–72.

  23. Volodin, V.N. and Isakova, R.A., Distillyatsionnye protsessy razdeleniya sul’fidnykh i metallicheskikh rasplavov: teoriya i tekhnologiya (Distillation Processes for the Separation of Sulfide and Metal Melts: Theory and Technology), Karaganda: Tengri Ltd., 2015.

Download references

Funding

The work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (grant АР08052016).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Satbayev University, JSC Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation (IMOB), 050010, Almaty, Kazakhstan

    A. V. Nitsenko, V. N. Volodin, X. A. Linnik, F. Kh. Tuleutay & N. M. Burabaeva

  2. Institute of Nuclear Physics, Almaty, Kazakhstan

    V. N. Volodin

Authors
  1. A. V. Nitsenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. N. Volodin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. X. A. Linnik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. Kh. Tuleutay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N. M. Burabaeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. V. Nitsenko.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nitsenko, A.V., Volodin, V.N., Linnik, X.A. et al. Distillation Recovery of Tellurium from Copper Telluride in Oxide Forms. Russ. J. Non-ferrous Metals 63, 284–291 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222030105

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821222030105

Keywords:

Search

Navigation