| Determine if a suitable high temperature “pyro” process can be utilized to recycle metal oxides from used surge arrestors (varistors) in power lines and optimize process parameters for economical implementation into an industry acceptable process. The recycled, purified products from the varistor have the potential to be used as the raw starting materials for the production of new varistors. The varistor material contains high amounts of zinc, higher in concentration than typical mineral deposit. Antimony, bismuth, and to a lesser degree cobalt, chromium, manganese and nickel all of which are valuable as metals may also be in the varistor. Experiments can be broken down into three categories: characterization, carbothermal reduction and carbothermal chlorination. This work can also be extended to study electrolytic purification of metals such as zinc. |