Petteri Kangas

Thermodynamic affinity in constrained free-energy systems

Affinity is the generic measure of the deviation of a state from stable equilibrium. Affinity, as introduced by de Donder, is a thermodynamic state property defined in terms of p, T, and system composition during the course of a chemical change. When incorporating reaction kinetic constraints to minimization of Gibbs energy of a multiphase system, affinity can be followed in terms of the extents of the constrained reactions. This property then becomes calculated in terms of the constraint potentials received as additional Lagrange multipliers in the minimization routine. Thus, received affinities are consistent with the respective values calculated from the chemical potentials of the reactants and products of the constrained reactions and their limiting behaviour corresponds to that defined for both stationary and stable equilibrium states. The intermediate affinities can be used in the respective reaction rate calculations, or as input parameters, to define the local chemical equilibrium set by known reaction kinetic constraints. Thus, they become a useful concept in modelling reactive processes.Graphical abstract

Jarogain Process—A Hydrometallurgical Option to Recover Metal Values from RLE Zinc Residue and Steel Dust

The novel Jarogain process combines treatment of the jarosite residue of zinc manufacturing and processing of arc furnace dust from steelmaking to a holistic recovery technology. The new hydrometallurgical approach is targeted to recover the major constituents (Fe, Zn, Pb) as well as valuable components such as Ag, Au, In and Ga from the jarosite-dust mixture as reusable concentrates. The fractionation process proposed by VTT and Aalto University takes advantage of jarosite being readily fine powder and directly available for wet chemical processing. Jarogain process provides an energy efficient opportunity for jarosite utilization as value added products. The experimental proof-of-concept of key stages of the process will be outlined with a comparison of available pyrometallurgical treatments of jarosite waste. The techno-economical assessment is based on estimated investment and variable production cost using the discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis.