Hydrogen Reduction of Zinc and Iron Oxides Containing Mixtures

Zinc is a metal of significant technological importance and its production from secondary sources has motivated the development of alternative processes, such as the chemical treatment of electrical arc furnace (EAF) dust. Currently, the extraction of zinc from the mentioned residue using a carbon-containing reducing agent is in the process of being established commercially and technically. In the current study, the possibility of reducing zinc from an EAF dust sample through a H 2 constant flux in a horizontal oven is studied. The reduction of a synthetic oxide mixture of analogous composition is also investigated. The results indicated that the reduction process is thermodynamically viable for temperatures higher than 1123 K (850 °C), and all zinc metal produced is transferred to the gas stream, enabling its complete separation from iron. The same reaction in the presence of zinc crystals was considered for synthesizing FeZn alloys. However, for the experimental conditions employed, although ZnO reduction was indeed thermodynamically hindered because of the presence of zinc crystals (the metal’s partial pressure was enhanced), the zinc metal’s escape within the gaseous phase could not be effectively avoided.