The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-04-02
USE OF ELECTRICITY
IN SMELLING ORES
HIGHLY IMPORTANT EXPERT.
MENTS BEING TRIED BY
BUREAU OF MINES.

With the view Of developing more
efficient methods in the smelling of
ores, the bureau began at its Pitts
burg experiment station detailed in
vestigation of the practicability Of
using the electric furnace as sub
sttute for or adjunct of the blast fur
mace, with particular reference to the
treatment Of low grade ores. One
problem studied is the possibility Of
using crude oil as a reducing agent.
The results Of these experiments,
which were made by ]. F. Cullen under
the direction Of D. A. Lyon, were in
corporated in report for publication.
Another problem, still under investiga-
ton is the possibility Of using the cleo
trio furnace in the smelling of copper
ores, especially sulphides The ex-
periments incidental to this investiga-
ton included work on
What Experiments Include.
/. The smelling of copper concen-
trates. Experiments have been made
copper in the Stag could be lessened
by smelling these concentrates in an
electric furnace
2. The use of the electric furnace in
the smelling of non-ferrous ores. The
purpose of this investigation is to de-
termine the feasibility Of using cleo
tricity as source Of heat in smelling
copper-iron sulphide ores, lead-zinc
and lead ores, and in fact all low
grade ores that are not amenable to
treatment by wet methods, and es-
pecally to ascertain whether the cleo
trio furnace may be used profitably
for treating ores from deposits tha'
are so far from a smelter that trans
portation charges exceed the value OF
the metals in the ores. In some cases
If NAV be possible to use hydro electric
power in an electric furnace. thus re-
moving the necessity Of transporting
worthless gangue and enabling the
metals of the ores to be transported as
matte or crude metal providing it was
not feasible to refine the metal at the
smelling plant.
2. The use of the electric furnace
AS an aid to the ordinary blast fur
mace. In the study Of this problem
the following points have been con-
sdered: (a) the possibility of recov-
ering the iron in the Stag as metallic
iron-at present as is well known, al
though the iron content Of gold, sill
YER copper or lead ore may be large,
| IL goes to the dump in the Stag, either
as iron oxide or iron silicate; CD the
possibility of producing ferro-silicon
from the slags ordinarily obtained IN
smelling non ferrous ores: (c) the re-
covery of the sulphur as by-product
in the smelling Of sulphide ores; (d)
the discovery, if possible, Of some suit
able collector or carrier other than
copper and lead for the precious met
ais in smelling practice
Work for Present Year.
The purpose Of the work has not
been to show that the electric furnace
should replace reverberatory or the
blast furnaces. but that in some places
lit may be substituted for them So far
only the possibility Of treating copper
sulphide ores has been studied the
results of the work will be published
in a bulletin. The electric furnace
work for these Investigations has been
done by r. NJ Keeney under the direc-
ton of D. A. Lyon.
New investigations proposed tor the
coming year include: The electric
smelling of zinc ores; the smelling o.
titaniferous iron ores; the production
Of natural alloys"-that is, the pro-
duction from complex ores OF alloys
containing different metals in such
proportions as to be Of commercial use
for structural materials, for tool MAX
ing etc; the use of an electric process
for removing moisture from the blast
supplied to blast furnaces; the remov-
al of su1nhur from producer gas for