Anglo Platinum may take a second slag-cleaning furnace after the introduction of the platinum industry's first model in 2003.

Speaking to miningweekly, Hugo Joubert, Executive Manager for Sales and Marketing at Tenova Pyromet, said: "There is only one slag-cleaning furnace in operation in the platinum industry at the moment, with another being built.

"No one else has done a slag-cleaning furnace for the platinum industry before," he added.

A feasibility study for a second unit is being undertaken and Mr Joubert is hopeful that Anglo Platinum will take another.

"We believe our trademarked Maxicool sidewall copper-cooling system, our patented electrode column and copper-launder system, as well as our furnace shell and feed system, give us a strong competitive advantage," he added.

Base metals and platinum-group metals (pgm) can be recovered from the slag-cleaning furnace at the Waterval Smelter.

"Higher and higher levels of chrome in the converter slag result in build-up in the primary smelters. The use of a slag-cleaning furnace is preferential in order to avoid transferring the chrome back into the primary smelters," explained Mr Joubert.

Source:

Slag-cleaning furnace only one of its kind in platinum industry, 25/01/08
http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=123486

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