Abstract
The existing tin smelting processes have the disadvantages of high smelting temperature, long smelting time and
especially high tin losses. In this paper, the effect of basicity on the product quality during tin smelting was studied by monitoring the
CaO/MgO ratio. It was found that the iron content in the metal product depends on the Fe/Sn ratio in the slag. A high tin metal product
(98.52% Sn and 1.02% Fe) was obtained and a small loss of Sn went into the slag (<10%) at a reduction temperature of 14000C and
basicity of 1.2. The low Fe content in the Sn metal would make the subsequent tin refining easier. The Nb and Ta content in the slag
increased to 4.96 and 5.06% respectively. The main phases in the slag were Ferrocolumbite, Niobium oxide and Tantalum oxide. The
recovery was high for Sn in the metal and Nb/Ta in the slag.