Objective TO PRODUCE AN ECONOMICAL SINGLE STAGE PROCESS USING A REACTIVE PLASMA SYSTEM FOR THE TREATMENT OF CATALYST AND ELECTRONIC MATERIALS WHICH CONTAIN INSUFFICIENT PRECIOUS METALS FOR CONVENTIONAL RECOVERY AND RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY TO BE A COMMERCIAL PROPOSITION. A THERMODYNAMIC SURVEY WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY JOHNSON MATTLEY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY IN ORDER TO CORRELATE EXISTING DATA ON PRECIOUS METAL FORMATION AND STABILITY AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. THE RESULTS WILL BE USED TO CONSTRUCT A MODEL OF THE APPROPRIATE REACTANT PLASMA SYSTEM AND WILL INCLUDE GAS/LIQUID AND SOLID/SOLID REACTIONS. PARTICULAR ATTENTION WILL BE PAID TO SYSTEMS WHICH FORM COMPLEX PRECIOUS METAL COMPOUNDS WITH HIGH VAPOUR PRESSURES. THE EXISTING PLASMA SMELTING FURNACE WILL BE MODIFIED TO PRODUCE A SINGLE LONG LAMINA, EITHER TRANSFERRED OR NON-TRANSFERRED, REACTIVE PLASMA ARC THROUGH WHICH THE PRECIOUS METAL CONTAINING MATERIAL AND REACTANTS WOULD FALL. ALTERNATIONS TO THE POWER SUPPLY AND PLASMA TORCH WOULD BE CARRIEDOUT IN CONJUNCTION WITH LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVE3RSITY. A RANGE OF PRECIOUS METAL CONTAINING MATERIALS OF INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE WILL BE EVALUATED IN THE REACTANT PLASMA SYSTEM TO ESTIMATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROCESS. THE EXPERIMENTS WILL INCLUDE THE ADDITION OF GASEOUS AND SOLID REACTANTS. THE RESULTS WILL BE USED TO REFINE THE THERMODYNAMIC MODEL. ENERGY CONSUMPTION DATA WILL BE GENERATED AND PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE PROCES PRODUCED. ON THE BASIS OF THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY BEING SATISFACTORY THE FINAL STAGE OF THE PROJECT WOULD INCLUDE THE OPERATION OF A FULL-SCALE PILOT FACILITY IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION. THIS WILL INVOLVE THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN OPTIMISED REACTIVE PLASMA SYSTEM TOGETHER WITH PRODUCT RECOVERY EQUIPMENT. THE RESULTS WILL BE USED TO CONFIRM THE OVERALL VIABILITY OF THE PROCESS AND TO PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR THE ENGINEERING DESING OF A FULL-SCALE PLANT. Programme(s) PRE-RAWMAT 2C - Research and development programme (EEC) in the raw materials sector, 1982-1985 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC EU contribution No data Address BLOUNTS COURT, SONNING COMMON READING United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data
