Structure–Thermodynamics Interrelation for the GeO2 and PdO Containing MgO-Saturated Ferrous Calcium Silicate (FCS) Slag Relevant to E-waste Processing

In black Copper smelting, the recovery of the valuable metals from the Electronic waste depends on the slag and copper’s chemistries. It is therefore important to understand the Slag chemistry and its relation to the structure and Thermodynamics, and how these are affected by processing conditions. This paper explains the recent work from the authors on the study of the structure of MgO-saturated ferrous calcium silicate (FCS) slags containing Cu2O, GeO2, and PdO investigated using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) FTIR spectrometry. The effect of Slag chemistry on the structure of silicate slag was evaluated. The Partition ratio of Ge and Pd in slag and copper was correlated to the structure of the FCS slags. It was found that acidic slags with lower non-bridging oxygen per tetrahedra (NBO/T) are more favourable for Ge-partitioning to copper, and for Pd, the relation is the opposite.