Characteristics of magnetic beneficiation of Waelz clinker from electric arc furnace dust processing using various field density

The present study addresses the challenge of the utilization of Waelz clinker, which is formed during the treatment of electric arc furnace dust, for the recovery of iron and associated non-ferrous metals. The investigation focused on Waelz clinker samples from two Russian metallurgical plants – PJSC «CZP» and LLC «Alfatrans». The aim of the research was to assess the efficiency of magnetic separation under varying magnetic field density and to identify optimal conditions for the selective recovery of valuable elements. Wet magnetic beneficiation was conducted within a magnetic density range of 0.05–1.6 T followed by quantitative chemical analysis of the separated products. The results demonstrated that high-gradient magnetic separation is ineffective for iron recovery due to the ultrafine dissemination of iron-bearing phases. Sequential four-stage separation results revealed distinctions in the distribution of iron, copper, and zinc between magnetic and non-magnetic fractions for different clinker samples, which can be attributed to variations in mineralogical composition and particle size distribution of iron phases. The optimal separation conditions were identified as 0.1 T for the clinker from PJSC «CZP» and 0.2 T for that from LLC «Alfatrans». The magnetic concentrate obtained from the PJSC «CZP» sample can be utilized as a copper-bearing intermediate product for copper metallurgy or as a feed for the production of corrosion-resistant steel grades.

Grudinsky P. I., Anisonyan K. G., Dyubanov V. G. Characteristics of magnetic beneficiation of Waelz clinker from electric arc furnace dust processing using various field density. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(9-1):41-54. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_ 1493_2025_91_0_41.

This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 24-23-00507, https://rscf.ru/project/24-23-00507/.

P.I. Grudinsky¹, Junior Researcher, e-mail: pgrudinskiy@imet.ac.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7358-150X,
K.G. Anisonyan¹, Senior Researcher, e-mail: kanisonyan@imet.ac.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0001-7208-662Х,
V.G. Dyubanov¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Leading Researcher, e-mail: vdyubanov@imet.ac.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0001-5830-7799,
¹ Institution of Russian Academy of Sciences A.A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science RAS (A.A. Baikov IMET RAS), Moscow, 119334, Russia.

P.I. Grudinsky, e-mail: pgrudinskiy@imet.ac.ru.

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