Charge-induced dry concentration of lithium-containing components in fine slag powders

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Alfred Weber
• Subject Area: Mechanical Process Engineering
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 470551938

Triboelectric separation is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to separate non-conductive fine powders, which is widely employed in mineral processing and pharmaceutical applications. In the present project, it should be extended in modified form to the sorting of fine slag powders. Besides the large number of influencing parameters on the triboelectric charging, the strongly varying properties of the slag powders, which depend on composition, cooling kinetics and comminution process, makes it a challenging task. Therefore, a flexible process is intended, which is tunable to the properties of the powder of interest by controlling the contact potential. Here, the lithium-containing fine slag components are in the focus, however, the flexibility of the process allows for other target materials such as manganese and tantalum. While in the first funding period low powder loadings were investigated to elucidate the basic charging effects, higher loadings are in the focus in the second period including effects like stratification and electrostatic dispersion.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2315: Engineered Artificial Minerals (EnAM) – a geo-metallurgical tool to recycle critical elements from waste streams
• Co-Investigator: Dr.-Ing. Annett Wollmann