Retorts And The Production Of Metals. A Historical Review

Abstract:

Retorts have been first introduced in metallurgy in the thirteenth century for the production of zinc and were used because the metal has to be distilled off during reaction. The technology was applied later in the sixteenth century for the production of mercury, and in the twentieth century for magnesium. The retorts are heated in a furnace and the combustion gases do not come in contact with the metal to be distilled, i.e., heating is indirect and therefore not efficient. The retorts may be operated at atmospheric pressure or under high vacuum. Operation is conducted batch-wise: the retort is filled with the reaction mixture, heated externally, and the metallic vapors collected in a suitable condenser. When reaction is complete, the retorts are removed from the furnace, cooled, emptied, and recharged by another batch. Retorts made of clay were extensively used but now obsolete. Continuous distillation has also been introduced. A historical review will be given and recent developments will be discussed.

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