APPLICATIONS OF MICROWAVE-ENERGY IN EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY - A REVIEW

in the last few decades, microwave energy has been widely employed in food processing, rubber and plastics curing, and in ceramic sintering. Recently, the application of microwaves as an energy source in extrac tive metallurgy has received considerable attention from a number of r esearchers. During the period from the mid-1960s to about 1988, the ma jority of the research was focussed on the behaviour of materials in m icrowave radiation. These research activities will continue To be impo rtant, since fundamental data on the interaction of microwaves with ma terials are vital for the successful application of the technology. Si nce 1990, a number of potential applications of microwave processing h ave been investigated. These include: pretreatment of ores and concent rates, leaching reduction preheating of refractories, healing of slags and waste treatment, in this paper, the interaction of microwaves wit h materials of interest in extractive metallurgy are reviewed and pote ntial applications are discussed.