Abstract
Deoxidation behavior of molten copper was examined using carbonaceous deoxidizer (charcoal) sprinkled on the surface of molten copper containing high level oxygen. As a result, this process proved to be very unsatisfactory for practical use in terms of both the molten copper deoxidation yield and the deoxidation rate. It was found that the reason for this is that the Boudouard reaction CO2+C → 2CO is slow and thus exhibits a rate-determining step. To solve this problem, Ar gas bubbling technique was employed to promote the Boudouard reaction, CO2+C → 2CO, in the charcoal layer on the molten copper. This technique remarkably improved both the molten copper deoxidation yield and the deoxidation rate.
