STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF VARYING GYPSUM ADDITION AND TEMPERATURE ON THE TIN FUMING PROCESS FROM PRIMARY TIN CONCENTRATE

• Main Author: Daffa Pratama, Muhammad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/73653
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The demand for tin commodities has been increasing as the time passes by. However, on the other hand, alluvial tin reserves, which are the main reserves for tin production, are predicted to be depleted in less than 10 years. These two conditions indicate the need for efforts to utilize tin reserves in other forms that can be used in the tin production process. Primary tin reserves are still more abundant than alluvial tin reserves and have not been optimally utilized. However, primary tin ore contains low tin content, so an effective tin enrichment process is needed to be used in tin production. The fuming process, or tin volatilization, is one of the processes that can be carried out to achieve this goal. Therefore, this research has been conducted to study the effect of temperature and gypsum addition variations on the tin fuming process from primary tin concentrate. In this study, the raw materials used include primary tin concentrate, gypsum as a reagent for tin fuming, and coal as a reductant. The raw materials are homogenized, placed in a stainless-steel cylindrical container, and reacted in a rotating horizontal tube furnace. The experimental parameters studied include reaction temperatures of 950, 1050, and 1150°C, and gypsum additions of 7, 14, 21, and 28% for a reaction time of 3 hours. The experiments are conducted using an argon gas flow rate of 1 L/minute and a tube rotation rate of 3 rpm. The experimental results in the form of residues are further analyzed using XRD and XRF, while dust is analyzed using SEM-EDS. These analyses are carried out to determine the chemical composition of the residues and dust, allowing the percentage of tin volatilization to be determined. Based on the results obtained, optimal tin volatilization is achieved at a temperature of 950°C. The characterization results show that the residue of the fuming process mainly consists of FeO (wustite) phase and other components such as SiO2. The dominant elements contained in the dust resulting from the fuming process include Fe, Sn, O, and S. Sn in the dust is predicted to exist as compounds SnS and SnO2. Tin volatilization success rates exceed 90% for each temperature variation and gypsum addition. Based on the series of experiments conducted, the optimum tin fuming process can already be achieved at a temperature of 950°C with a gypsum addition of 7%.