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Metalcess lead blast furnace 01.jpg
Metalcess Copper blast furnace.jpg
Metalcess Copper anode slime blast furnace.jpg
Metalcess Copper blast furnace 01.jpg
Metalcess Antimony blast furnace.jpg

Blast furnace

Blast furnace is a metallurgical furnace used in pyrometallurgical smelting of copper, lead, zinc, antimony, tin, etc. It features a high bed capacity, high metal recovery rate, low investment, and small floor area. Besides raw ores such as copper sulfid ore and lead sulfide ores, the blast furnace can also be used for the smelting of lead paste recycled from lead battery scraps, anode slime, zinc residues, copper-containing hazardous waste, and copper scraps. Metalcess can provide high quality blast furnace for non-ferrous metal smelting with nice budget. The minimum capacity can be less than 1 square meter.

General introduction for Blast furnace

The blast furnace for non-ferrous metal smelting is a vertical, continuous or semi-continuous metallurgical furnace. The blast furnace smelting features high bed capacity, high metal recovery rate, low cost, and small floor area. It holds an important position in the lead and copper smelting industries and is one of the key equipment in pyrometallurgy. The key to its successful operation lies in efficient raw material preparation, stable operation control, and strict environmental protection measures. 

It is mainly used for processing: 

Copper sulfide concentrate, lead sulfide concentrate, zinc sulfide concentrate, antimony sulfide concentrate or their sintered blocks/granular materials. 

Lead paste from spent lead-acid batteries, anode slime, zinc residue, copper-containing hazardous waste, copper scraps, etc. 

Metalcess can provide customers with high quality blast furnaces based on their raw material processing capacity and technological process requirements.         

Blast furnace capacity: ~25 tons per square meter per day (25 tons of feed material include ore/materials + coke + flux, etc.). Metalcess can offer blast furnaces smaller than one square meter.


Core function of blast furnace
Metalcess lead blast furnace 01.jpg
Core function of blast furnace

Smelting: The solid charge (concentrate, flux, return material, coke, etc.) is melted at high temperature. 

Oxidation/Reduction: Under the condition of air (or oxygen-enriched air) injection, the charge undergoes oxidation reactions (sulfur is removed to form SO₂ flue gas) or selective reduction reactions. 

Separation: By taking advantage of the density differences of the melton metal, effective separation of metal (or matte), slag and flue gas is achieved. 


Application field of blast furnace
Metalcess Copper blast furnace.jpg
Application field of blast furnace

Lead smelting: It is used in the blast furnace reduction smelting of lead ore and recycled lead paste to produce crude lead. 

Copper smelting: It is used in the blast furnace smelting of copper concentrate, copper-containing hazardous waste, copper anode slime and other sintered blocks or granular materials (producing copper matte/cuprous oxide). 

Zinc smelting: The blast furnace zinc smelting (ISP - Imperial Smelting Process) is the only process that can simultaneously produce crude zinc and crude lead, and zinc leaching residue. 

Tin smelting: It is used in the reduction smelting of tin concentrate (producing crude tin). 

Others: Smelting of nickel, antimony and other metals.


Main structure of blast furnace
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Main structure of blast furnace

The structure design of blast furnace for different types of feed materials is different to meet the different reaction required, the below takes a typical lead/copper blast furnace as an example: 

Furnace top: charging device (sealed to prevent flue gas leakage and cold air intake). 

Furnace body: mostly rectangular in cross-section (also circular in some cases), composed of water jackets (copper or steel water jackets with water flowing inside for cooling). The height of the furnace body is relatively low. 

Furnace hearth: located at the bottom, usually constructed with refractory bricks or water-cooled copper molds, used for collecting and separating the smelting products (metals/liquids and slag). 

Air blast ports: arranged along the lower sides or all around the furnace body, used for introducing preheated air or oxygen-enriched air. 

Front bed: most non-ferrous metal blast furnaces (especially for lead and copper) are equipped with a front bed (a small refractory-lined pool connected to the furnace hearth). The molten materials (metals/liquids and slag) flow from the furnace hearth into the front bed, where they undergo more thorough clarification and separation before being discharged separately. The front bed is crucial for ensuring metal recovery rates and slag metal content. 

Slag outlet & metal outlet: located on the front bed or furnace hearth. 

Flue: collects high-temperature flue gas rich in SO₂ and sends it to the flue gas treatment system (dust collection and acid production).


Technological and environmental protection upgrades

To help client save equipment investment, reduce production cost, and meet the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements, Metalcess can upgrade the blast furnace with technologies such as oxygen-enriched blowing (to enhance production capacity, reduce coke consumption, and increase the SO₂ concentration in flue gas for acid production), fuel/reducing agent injection (partially replacing coke), strengthening sealing and automation, and improving the flue gas treatment system (to increase SO₂ recovery rate, control dust and heavy metal emissions).        

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