CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SMELTER FLUE DUSTS

The chemical composition of two copper and three lead smelter flue dust samples has been studied by wet chemical analysis techniques for sulfite, sulfate, arsenite, anenate, chloride, fluoride, phosphate and acid species; by photoetoctron spectroscopy; by X-ray diffraction analysis; and by proton induced X-ray emission spectroscopy. The results indicate the acidity, chemical composition, and time stability of the flue samples varies greatly. Specific components identified in the samples include; sulfate, sulfite, bisulfate, elemental sulfur, sulfide, arsenite, arsenate, arsenic suifide, chloride, fluoride, phosphate, Fe(II), Fe(III), total trace metal composition, and the specific compounds As2O3, PbSO4, PbO · PbSO4, ZnO, Fe3O4, and Fe2O3. Acidity, and die chemical components controlling acidity vary widely among the samples studied. Comparisons of the bulk and surface composition of the samples indicate that the surface species cannot be predicted from the bulk composition. From the data obtained, satisfactory total mass and charge balance is obtained for the major (> 1 wt%) components present in the flue dusts studied. © 1979.