The PP 2315 EnAM addresses the slag phase of metallurgical recycling processes as an important source for critical technology elements. The latter have been transferred to the slag during smelting due to their low concentration and therefore low economic importance. When the slag solidifies it either can form a homogeneous amorphous structure or it can generate crystals. These crystals can be seen as artificial minerals, ores respectively. The crystallization is potentially able to concentrate diluted elements by orders of magnitude and therefore to make them economically relevant again. To generate these crystals, it can be required to add further species, for that defined minerals formation. The formation itself depends on the thermodynamics of the complex multi-component slag system. Thermodynamic modeling is able to predict potential crystal species, when sufficient fundamental data of the system is available. The PP 2315 further investigates engineering aspects of the crystallization and further mechanical down-stream processing, i.e. comminution and separation.
