The article presents the results of sulfide ore beneficiation of the «Olympiad» deposit according two flow sheets – the existing plant and the new one according to which the concentrate is produced in two stages: roughing I stream flow concentrate is extracted from 1/2 of raw materials and mixed with another 1/2 part of the raw materials and finished roughing II streamflow concentrate is produced. Mixture of the air (t = 15÷20 °С) with water vapor (t = 104 °С, р = 0,12 MPa) is used in II streamflow as gas phase during flotation. A device for measurement of steam bubble size has been developed. Bubble size is shown to be reduced 2,0–2,5 times under the conditions simulating the air-vapor flotation process. In using streamflow air-vapor flotation flow sheet, the concentrate yield decreases from 4,01 to 2,98 % while maintaining the reached level of gold recovery thus reducing the burden and cost for the subsequent operations of bio-oxidation and cyanidation of the concentrate.

Caused by roasting temperature decrease down to 450 °С and formation of water-soluble molybdenum compounds during roasting, the perspectiveness of application of oxidation-chloridizing roasting with alkali metal chlorides for molybdenite concentrate processing is shown. It is established that ~60÷75 % molybdenum remains in the roasted product and another amount is chlorinated and sublimated as a part of chlorides and oxychlorides and entrapped practically in full in the settling chamber and absorbers. The chemistry of the processes proceeding during oxidation-chloridizing roasting is described; it allows us to explain the molybdenite oxidation temperature decrease from 550-600 °С to 450 °С. Optimum process conditions of roasted products by water and alkali solutions have been determined, on the basis of what a basic process flow diagram including oxidation-chloridizing roasting with sodium chloride, two-stage (water and alkaline) leaching as well as dissolution of condensed molybdenum oxides and oxychlorides concentrates is proposed for molybdenite concentrate processing. The given flow sheet allows processing conditioned molybdenite concentrates with molybdenum recovery into solutions no less than 98 %.

Analysis of properties and quality of the anode mass produced at «RUSAL Krasnoyarsk» enterprise for a long time span has been carried out in changing over the Soderberg anode process from «fat» and «dry» anode mass to pilot production of «colloid» mass with reduced contents of carbon loam.

The results of experimental and theoretical researches of nanostructural filamentary lead sponge formation from chloride solutions are presented. It is established that such sponge with filament width of approximately 100 nm represents the hydrogen stabilized structure consisting of lead conglomerates (2-5 nm in size). The lead filamentary structure fragments are shown to remain unchanged in solid state for enough long time.

The corresponding rare earth metal (REM) ion concentration dependence of the reaction capacity (R) of molten lithium–potassium chloride eutectic mixture held in contact with neodymium and dysprosium has been investigated at 773, 873, and 973 K. The obtained data of R values permitted to determine the charge of Nd and Dy ions that go into the melt in the process of corrosion of REM studied and define concretely the mechanism of current-free transfer of REM onto more electropositive metals (for example, nickel).

Niobium and tantalum are rare refractory metals having significant industrial importance. Their reserves are attributed to «critical» raw material, thus leading to the necessity of estimating the risks connected with primary and technogenic raw sources of niobium and tantalum and the effect of these factors on the proposals and demands for these metals and their compounds taking into account the traditional and new areas of application. The analysis of world’s reserves of niobium and tantalum has been made. The dynamics of changing the raw material base structure and the technological solutions realized and proposed for their processing is considered. The modern market of materials on the basis of niobium and tantalum is described; the basic players in this market are specified; the trends in fluctuation of functional material consumption structure on the basis of these metals are considered.

A brief review of A.V. Yelutin’s and his coworkers’ works in the field of rare metals is given. Zirconium, hafnium, tungsten, tantalum and niobium extraction processes from various types of recycled materials: scrap metal, scrap refractory materials, waste and scrap of hard metal, dormant scrap of capacitors are considered. The opportunities of improving the purity of these metals by electrolytic refining and electron-beam melting are shown.

The mechanism of plastic deformation of axisymmetric composite articles with heterogeneous components in the course of drawing is more difficult than in case of monometal processing. Because of the specificity of stress and strain state, the axisymmetric drawing is characterized by permanent inhomogeneity of strain, which depends on the reduction value in pass, reducing die cone angle, relative length of drawing cylinder of the reducing die, coefficient of friction between wire and reducing die in the deformation zone, core/cover separation surface joint strength factor, relative size of the core, and ratio of flow stress of the cover and core. By means of experimental studies the features of composite article drawing process with mono- and multi-fiber core and the conditions of implementation of homogeneous proportional flow of both components without tearing the core continuity, surface tears of the cover and break of the article itself have been found.

A procedure of determining the optimum angles of process tools for trimetal work-piece pressing is proposed. The pressing stress providing the minimum power consumption is taken as the basis of optimization.

Using X-ray phase analysis, X-ray spectral analysis and microscopy, phase composition, micro- and crystalline structure of AMT alloy (TU-48-4-366), which is applied as alloying material in melting of titanium alloys, have been investigated. The lattice parameters of ε, p, δ-phases are calculated and their element compositions are determined. The formation of Mo3Al refractory phase (tm = 2150 °C) is not observed during primary crystallization in non-equilibrium conditions of Al-Mo-Ti alloy. Its presence in the foundry alloy is caused by the secondary recrystallization processes in the course of which ultrafine mixture of Mo3Al + Mo3Al8 + TiMoAl6 phases is formed at temperatures of 1311 °C and 1314 °C. Ultrafine silicon-containing σ-phase of average Mo2,4Ti2,1Si0,8Al4,7 composition produced in the non-equilibrium conditions of crystallization is found. The parameters and interplanar spacing of its lattice are defined. It is found that the greatest inhomogeneity in molybdenum in the peritectic of primary crystals occurs at high speed of crystallization, i.e. in the lower part of Al-Mo-Ti ingot.

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Lebedev`s 75-th birthday.