Tellurium

Atomic number Density, Atomic weight Melting point Boiling point

GENERAL Tellurium is recovered commercially from the anode muds produced during the electrolytic refining of blister copper. It is quite scarce - concentration in the Earth's crust < 0.002 ppm, about 1/50 that of its sister element, selenium. Annual world production is less than 1/2 million kg (1.1 million lbs.), more than half of which is consumed in iron and steelmaking. AVAILABLE FORMS Metallic tellurium is sold as sticks, slabs, tablets and powder. Ferrotellurium, preferred for large-tonnage steelmaking, is sold in lump form: it nominally contains 45% Fe, 55% Te. Copper-tellurium is largely used in nonferrous alloys, but some iron foundry operators prefer it as well, claiming it gives better recoveries. Lump manganese telluride (70% Te, 25% Mn, 5% Fe) is also available, and may be a better addition agent when subsequent hot working problems are anticipated (see below). Tellurium will not recycle through electric furnace or oxygen steelmaking processes, but will be retained to a considerable extent in the induction remelting of tellurium cast iron scrap. ADDITION PRACTICE Stick tellurium is generally added to the pouring stream during ingot teeming, while ferrotellurium is used for ladle additions. The latter practice gives better

52 20 C (68 F) 6.24 g/cm3 127.60 450 C (840 F) 990 C (1815 F)

uniformity, but recovery is generally lower than with ingot mold inoculation. However, manganese tellurium will give high recoveries even as a ladle addition. Adding tellurium through a funnel in a covered continuous caster tundish is claimed to improve both distribution and recovery. All tellurium addition agents are reasonably dense but are subject to oxidation if trapped on the surface of the bath or slag. The boiling point of tellurium is considerably below steelmaking temperatures and careless addition can result in high fuming losses unless a high-melting alloy is used. Fumes from tellurium compounds can be noxious, and proper venting must be provided wherever additions are made. Atmospheric exposure to less than 0.01 mg/m^3 produces the characteristic "tellurium breath" with a strong garlic-like odor. OSHA regulations cite a time weighted average (TWA) concentration limit of 0.1 mg/m^3 in any 8-hour shift of a 40-hour workweek. ROLLING/FORGING Low manganese, low sulfur tellurium steels are notoriously difficult to hot work and will be subject to hot cracking at temperatures below 1150 C (2100F). The presence of nickel aggravates this embrittlement, and 18/8 stainless steels, for example, may never be tellurium treated. This adverse behavior has been traced to the intergranular formation of iron and nickel tellurides when Mn/Te or S/Te ratios are low. It is claimed that the use of manganese telluride addition agents mitigates the problem but in any event, the Mn/Te ratio of the steel should be well over 20. If hot workability is questionable the steel should be soaked at 1100 C (2010 F) for prolonged periods before forging or rolling. HEAT TREATMENT Tellurium has no effect on transformations in steels, nor does it adversely affect their hardenability or weldability. It has been reported that tellurium is a grain refiner in heat treated steels although there may a measurable degradation of notch impact properties. In cast irons, tellurium is an extremely potent carbide stabilizer, to the extent that graphitization during the annealing of malleable irons is excessively retarded. For this reason, these irons are frequently inoculated with a combination of bismuth and tellurium. The two elements act together to inhibit graphitization during solidification,

but the milder effectiveness of bismuth does not inhibit breakdown of carbide during heat treatment (see Bismuth). APPLICATIONS Tellurium is added to steel to improve machineability. It may be added alone or in combination with lead; in the latter case tellurium will be associated with the lead inclusions in the steel, enhancing their "internal lubricant" property. Tellurium has a very high surface activity, greater even than arsenic, bismuth or selenium. It is thought that this property reduces the surface energy of telluride-iron interfaces, lowering resistance to shear and promoting the generation of microcracks during cutting operations. Also, the elevated temperatures produced by high-speed machining soften the tellurides, allowing them to form a lubricating film as they smear out between tool and workpiece. Tellurium is an optional constituent in standard free-machining grades but is routinely added to a number of proprietary steels. Because tellurium addition commands a considerable cost premium, its use must be justified on the basis of over-all product economics.