Production of crude zinc oxide from steel mill waste oxides using a rotary hearth furnace

Certain steel mill wastes contain significant amounts of zinc oxide due to the use of galvanized scrap during the steel making process. Typically electric arc furnace (EAF), and basic oxygen process (BOP) Rue dusts contain 20 to 30% zinc oxide and 40 to 50% iron oxides, along with smaller quantities of lead and cadmium. These materials can be recovered from the flue dusts by using a proven rotary hearth furnace (RHF) process. By-products of the recycling operation include a crude zinc oxide fume, which is captured in a baghouse filtering system, and sponge iron that may be recycled into the steel making operation. Crude zinc oxide properties plus the operating experience from two commercial RHF installations utilizing MR&E's DRyIron(TM) Process will be presented.