Calcination is a process that involves heating metal ores to a temperature below their melting point.
This typically happens in the presence of limited air or oxygen.
The main goal of calcination is to remove volatile impurities and moisture from the ore.
This process helps to purify the ore.
The term calcination comes from its major application, which is the heating of calcium carbonate ores.
What is the Process of Calcination of Metals? 5 Key Steps to Understand
1. Heating the Material
The process of calcination requires heating a material to a high temperature.
The aim is to achieve chemical dissociation or separation.
This is commonly used in the creation of inorganic materials.
2. Example of Calcination
A typical example is the dissociation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) into calcium oxide (CaO) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
This process is also used to remove bound moisture, such as that chemically attached in borax (Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H₂O).
3. Preparing the Ore
In the context of metal ores, calcination is crucial for preparing the ore for further processing.
This includes processes like reduction, which is necessary to extract the metal from its ore.
4. Types of Furnaces
The ore is heated in a calcination furnace.
These furnaces can be of various types, including muffle, reverberatory, or shaft furnaces or kilns.
They are designed to heat the ore to temperatures typically ranging from 800°C to 1300°C.
5. Key Distinctions
The key distinction between calcination and other heat treatment processes like sintering is that calcination focuses on the removal of impurities and volatile substances.
Sintering, on the other hand, involves welding together small particles of a metal.
Both processes involve heating the material below its melting point.
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