Dr. Shin Ya Kitamura

Dr. Shin Ya Kitamura is an eminent professor at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials at Tohoku University and he heads the research in Base Minerals Processing. Dr. Kitamura’s areas of research includes: Separation and recovery of valuable metals from steelmaking slag by the recovery of manganese using sulfidation and the separation of phosphorus using leaching, Design of highly efficient steel refining process through the study on the formation of metal emulsion by rising bubble and the dissolution rate of solid oxide into molten slag.

Topic: Extraction and Recovery of Valuable Elements from Steelmaking Slag

Abstract: Steelmaking slag is recognized as a domestic source of phosphorus and manganese. To recover phosphorus and manganese selectively from steelmaking slag, three technologies were developed. In the leaching process, the difference of solubility in aqueous solution between the solid solution of high P2O5 content and other phases is used. By controlling the pH, selective dissolution and precipitation of phosphate is achievable. In the selective oxidation process, the difference in activity between P2O5 and MnO in acid slag is used. The selective reduction of phosphorus could be performed. In the sulfurization process, manganese in slag is selectively sulfurized as the phosphorus sulfide is unstable at high temperatures.