Page 35 - Technology Compendium

CSIR-IMMT/EXM - 06

High pure tellurium powder from anode slimes

Advantages / Salient Technical Features detectors, optical modulators, gas sensors,
• Tellurium powder having purity levels of> 99% can thermoelectric cooler, as an alloying agent
be produced by the process. The process employs for improving machinability etc.
hydrometallurgical unit operations without any pyro
processing techniques. Scale of Development
• Bench scale studies to recover high pure Te
Problem being addressed powder from anode slime
• Extraction of metal values from waste • Prepared basic basic engineering process
• Treatment of anode slimes produced during the package for production of 60 tpa Te powder
electrolytic refining of blister copper. from anode slimes. (Current TRL Level : 06-07)

Environmental Considerations (if any) Commercialization Status
• Employs hydrometallurgical unit operations which are • Technology has been transferred for
environmentally benign processes. recovery of tellurium, lead and copper from
anode slimes to M/s Hindalco Ind. Ltd, Birla
Major Raw Materials to be Utilized Copper Unit, Dahej, India
• Anode slimes of copper refinery. Commercial grade
chemicals will be used in the process. Techno-economics
• Return on Investment 20-40%
IPR Status / Details (India/Abroad)
• A novel hydrometallurgical process for the production Technology Package
of tellurium from high lead bearing copper refinery • Process know-how and basic engineering
anode slime. (Paten File No: 2459DEL2013, package
US20150053572A1).

Application/Uses
• High pure tellurium powder used by the
manufacturing industry for making solar cells, infrared

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