– Beneficiation of Bauchi Graphite for Crucible Production –
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ABSTRACT
Crucibles are manufactured from naturally occurring substance in the earth crust – clay, quartzite, chromate, bauxite, graphite etc.
All these materials do not occur in their pure form, hence needs some form of treatment before their usage in manufacturing.
In this study, the graphite from Bauchi State of Nigeria was beneficiated and characterized. The optimum pulp condition for the floatation using froth floatation method was found to be at, 0.3mls of kerosene, 0.5 mls of turpentine and 0.3 mls of 25% Na2CO3 in 50g of graphite ore with 300 mls of water.
It was also found that, the agitation time required for optimum recovery before and after addition of the reagent was 10 minutes and 5 minutes respectively.
The carbon content was found to be 82wt % for the beneficiated and 42wt% for the raw sample. The density of the beneficiated sample was found to be 2,250 kg/m3 which closely agrees with the literature value of 2,260 kg/m3.
The largest flake size was found to be about 1000µm, which makes it a good material for crucible production.
30kg tar bonded crucible were formed using data from laboratory results earlier carried out. But every effort made to fire the crucible failed.
Reasons for the failure could not be ascertained. The use of clay pots as substitute for the conventional saggar in the firing could be responsible due to the low gas permeability of the pots.
INTRODUCTION
Technological advancements have led to the development of a special class of refractories, which promotes effective and efficient operation of new processes in steel making with marked reduction in the consumption of refractories per ton of steel produced.
Such refractories are called “Ceramic graphite refractory” products and they have excellent features for applications where resistance to thermal shock and basic slag at high temperatures is needed (Chesti, 1986).
For these reasons, they are used in producing crucibles. These crucibles are high refractory, open mouth vessels made of graphite and ceramic materials.
Graphite is found naturally in the earth crust though it can also be manufactured artificially from petroleum coke using electrical furnace. Graphite is a crystalline and most stable form of carbon that occurs as mineral.
It can be used in many ways because of its resistance to high temperature, resistance to corrosive chemicals and oxidants, and its non-wittedness. These qualities accounts for its effectiveness and high efficiency in graphite crucibles.
In the US, it is used for steel making refractories and crucibles (Graffin, 1975). These account for about 70% consumption with the 30% remaining being used for lubricant, pencils, brake lining and batteries.
REFERENCES
Awareng, Z.A. (1997), Beneficiation of Graphite (unpublished B.Eng Thesis) Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University,
Asala, K.O. (1999) Production Of Graphite Crucible (Unpublished) B.Eng Thesis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University,
Black man, L.C.F. (1982) Modern Aspect of Graphite Technology in: “Mc-Graw Hills Encyclopedia of Science and Technology”, Vol. 6, McGraw Hill Book Publishers New
Buhari, Sekula Abdulghaniy (2001) Beneficiation Of Bauchi Graphite. (Unpublished B.Eng Thesis) Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University,
Chesti, A.R., (1986) Refractories: Manufacture, Properties and Applications prentice-Hall of India Private Limited New Delhi – 11001
Cirkel, F. (1966), Graphite: It’s Properties Occurrence, Refining and Uses, Vol. 202, Department of Mines, Monitreal, Canada, p.
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