Abstract
The present work is part of an investigation towards the development of a process route for the extraction of metal values from slag, low grade ores and other oxidic materials such as spent refractories using molten salts in the temperature range 800–950°C. The present paper focuses on the recovery of metal values, primarily Cr and Fe, from electric arc furnace slag and chromite ore. The impact of different factors to the dissolution of slag, such as temperature, holding time, flux content and weight ratio of flux/slag was studied. Based on the optimised experimental factors, the salt bath containing metal values extracted from the slag/ore was electrolysed under an applied voltage of 2·8 V. The cathode deposit was subjected to SEM/EDS and XRD analyses, which confirmed the formation of CrFe alloy. The process was also extended towards the production of CrFe alloy directly from chromite ore. The results show that the molten salt extraction process offers a promising route towards the recovery of metal values from slags and low grade ores.