Abstract
Through addition of basic oxides, the increase of basicity of multicomponent silicate slags leads to breaking a silicate
network and enhances the recovery of valuable metals. In this study, an acidic copper slag containing Cu, Co, Ge, Fe
and Zn was used to produce matte for base metal recovery. XRF, XRD and SEM-EDS were used for characterization.
CaSO4 was used as Sulphur provider and for basicity change. FeSi was added to enhance the diffusion of Ge from the
slag. The sample was placed in a graphite crucible with carbon added to favor reduction and limit the reactivity of the
crucible. CO was blown to favor reduction for easy matte formation. A tube furnace was used for the experiments and
was set at 1400 °C as working temperature. Preliminary results have confirmed the formation of matte with Fe, Cu
present in the matte with low Ge content with no zinc present.