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Sicilian Method
The Sicilian method was one of the first ways to extract sulfur from underground deposits. In its most basic form the ores were piled in a mound and ignited. The semi-pure sulfur flowed down and the solidified mass was collected at a lower level. It was the only industrial method of recovering sulfur from elemental deposits until replaced by the Frasch process. Most of the world's sulfur was obtained this way until the late 19th century. History Sulfur, also known as brimstone (the stone that burns), has a variety of purposes such as bleaching agent, incense for religious rites, insecticides, and glue. The Romans used it to make fireworks and weapons. Sicilian industrial sulfur comes from the sedimentary Miocene rocks found about 200 meters underground. By the middle of the 19th century, Sicily produced 3/4 of the world's production. The excavation in Sicily was very easy and close to the surface. Local wages were low and underpaid children (carusu - 'mine boys') were used. Sic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulfur
Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with the chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow, crystalline solid at room temperature. Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element by mass in the universe and the fifth most common on Earth. Though sometimes found in pure, native form, sulfur on Earth usually occurs as sulfide and sulfate minerals. Being abundant in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times, being mentioned for its uses in ancient India, ancient Greece, China, and ancient Egypt. Historically and in literature sulfur is also called brimstone, which means "burning stone". Almost all elemental sulfur is produced as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from natural gas and petroleum.. Downloahere Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frasch Process
The Frasch process is a method to extract sulfur from underground deposits by taking advantage of the low melting point of sulfur. It is the only industrial method of recovering sulfur from elemental deposits. Most of the world's sulfur was obtained this way until the late 20th century, when sulfur recovered from petroleum and gas sources became more commonplace (see Claus process). In the Frasch process, superheated water is pumped into the sulfur deposit; the sulfur melts and is extracted. The Frasch process is able to produce high-purity sulfur of about 99.5%. History In 1867, miners discovered sulfur in the caprock of a salt dome in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, but it was beneath quicksand, which prevented mining. In 1894 the German-born American chemist, Herman Frasch (1852–1914), devised his Frasch method of sulfur removal using pipes to bypass the quicksand. This replaced the inefficient and polluting Sicilian method. The process proved successful, on December 24 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carusu
Carusu (plural ''carusi'') is the Sicilian language, Sicilian word for "boy" and is derived from the Latin ''carus'' which means "dear". and the use of children is said to have ended by the 1920s or 1930s, but teenagers were still employed to carry ore to the surface until the 1950s. Working conditions These ''carusi'' generally worked in near-slavery, often given up by foundling homes or even by their own families for a ''succursu di murti'' (death benefit), which effectively made them the property of either the ''picuneri'' or of the owners of the mines. In 1911 it was reported that the law was not rigidly enforced, however. Istituto Ricerche Studi Arte Popolare Agrigentum (IRSAP) (Access date: September 1, 2013) [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romagna
Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally was the generic name for "land inhabited by Romans", and first appeared on Latin documents in the 5th century AD. It later took on the more specific meaning of "territory subjected to Eastern Roman rule", whose citizens called themselves Romans (''Romani'' in Latin; , '' Rhomaîoi'' in Greek). Thus the term ''Romania'' came to be used to refer to the territory administered by the Exarchate of Ravenna in contrast to other parts of northern Italy under Lombard rule, named ''Langobardia'' or ''Lombardy''. Location and boundaries Romagna is traditionally limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west. To the southeast, the valley formed by the River Conca has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulfur Mining In Sicily
Sulfur was one of Sicily's most important mineral resources, which is no longer exploited. The area covered by the large deposits is the central area of the island and lies between the provinces of Caltanissetta, Enna and Agrigento: The area is also known to geologists as the chalky-sulfur plateau. But the area of mining exploitation also extended as far as the Province of Palermo with the Lercara Friddi basin and the Province of Catania, of which a part of the Province of Enna was part until 1928; it is the one in which sulfur mining, processing and transport took place in the last quarter of the millennium. For a time it also represented the maximum production area worldwide. History The harvesting of outcrop sulfur took place even in very ancient times. In fact, mining vestiges have been found dating back to 200 B.C.E.; it was used in medicine from time immemorial but the Ancient Rome, Romans also used it for war purposes by mixing it with other fuels. What set in motion the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mineral Processing
Mineral processing is the process of separating commercially valuable minerals from their ores in the field of extractive metallurgy. Depending on the processes used in each instance, it is often referred to as ore dressing or ore milling. Beneficiation is any process that improves (benefits) the economic value of the ore by removing the gangue minerals, which results in a higher grade product (ore concentrate) and a waste stream (tailings). There are many different types of beneficiation, with each step furthering the concentration of the original ore. Key is the concept of recovery (mineral processing), recovery, the mass (or equivalently molar) fraction of the valuable mineral (or metal) extracted from the ore and carried across to the concentrate. History Before the advent of heavy machinery, raw ore was broken up using hammers wielded by hand, a process called "''spalling''". Eventually, mechanical means were found to achieve this. For instance, stamp mills were being ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
