Abstract

A thermomechanistic model was developed for the thermal decomposition of the enargite contained in a copper concentrate at 650°to 750°C in a fluidized bed with an inert atmosphere. At the particle level, the model permits one to predict the thermal profile inside the reacting enargite particles, as well as their thermal cycle. At the macroscopic level, a population-based model coupled to the bubbling-bed fluidized bed model allows one to predict the fractional conversion (dearsenification) of an enargite-bearing copper concentrate.