With more and more limited primary resource availability, emerging technological development and increasing demand for high-technology products the circular economy and the usage of valuable elements from e.g. end-of-live electronic devices becomes more and more important. The conversion of end-of-live products to a silicate slag, i.e. an engineered, artificial ore and the development of specified comminution and recovery of the valuable, critical technology elements from such materials are the focus of research within the German Research Society funded Priority Programme 2315 “Engineered Artificial Minerals (EnAM) – a geo-metallurgical tool to recycle critical elements from waste streams”.
We will present the results for the targeted crystallization of mixtures of Copper slag with sewage ash slag via the traditional glass ceramic route. This involves the melting of homogenous glasses from the mixture of the waste materials and their controlled nucleation and crystallization in a two-step reheating process. Final samples as well as intermediate reaction products are phase analysed using light- and electron scanning microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.
DFG funding FU 1018_2-1 and WO 1220_17-1 within PP2315 is gratefully acknowledged.