Formation and arsenic distribution of egg-type structure of matte droplets inside the copper smelting slag

Abstract Arsenic (As) element is always accompanied with Cu-rich phase and forms egg-type structure in the copper slag concentrate through beneficiation process, which means that As element may be recycled through beneficiation process and therefore increase the burden of smelting system. In this work, the formation mechanism of egg-type structure in the slag is systemically studied through thermodynamics and dynamics, which may provide theoretic guidance to separate As and Cu elements in the copper smelting system.