Flue dust waste coming from a copper (Cu) smelting company has been valorized using a newly developed metallurgical process with the aim of recovering a dust concentrated in valuable metals, such as lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), and studying the feasibility of replacing anthracite with biochar as reducing agent. Metallurgical trials using different mixtures of reducing agents have been performed in a furnace at 1400 °C. This furnace employs a high-power thermal plasma (HPTP) system as energy source. Using copper as the base metal, pellets containing a mixture of the waste, different reducing agents, and binder were introduced into the furnace for their dissolution. Recovery yields in the range of 45–85 wt.% for Pb and Zn were obtained in the flue dusts. All the trials proved the effectiveness of the developed process to enrich the flue dusts in valuable metals, including those only using biochar as reducing agent. Further trials will be carried out in order to better control the parameters involved in the metallurgical process developed and improve its efficiency.

The increasing adoption of High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) technology in the production of automotive body structure components is driven by its potential for efficiency and performance. This technology, however, involves complex physical phenomena with numerous parameters that significantly influence casting quality. In this study, three key die casting parameters—plunger or shot speed, vacuum application, and intensification pressure (IP)—have been evaluated following a Design of Experiment (DoE) approach. The results demonstrate that IP application is instrumental in reducing porosity within the cast specimens, thereby enhancing their mechanical strength and elongation. Furthermore, the combined application of vacuum and IP yields further improvements in elongation by minimizing porosity. These findings are particularly relevant for silicon-free alloys, which eliminate the need for post-casting heat treatments to achieve the required mechanical properties. By optimizing HPDC processes, manufacturers can reduce rejection rates, lower production costs, and improve the overall efficiency of their operations, contributing to the production of high-quality and cost-effective components for the automotive industry.

Lost cores used to manufacture complex aluminium components through high-pressure die casting (HPDC) processes need to withstand very high injection velocities and pressures. The conventional sand cores used in other casting processes, such as sand casting or low-pressure die casting, do not support the aggressive process parameters of the HPDC, so advanced ceramic cores must be used. These cores must be strong enough not to get broken during the casting process, but, at the same time, they must have a minimum porosity to be easily removed from the casting to obtain the finished part. Due to this porosity, the aluminium penetrates the core surface during the casting process. So, the criterion here is to find the necessary compromise between strength and porosity and to protect the core surface from the aluminium penetration. In this work, two research lines have been followed to address these challenges. On the one hand, different refractory coatings have been applied to the ceramic core surface with the aim of sealing it. Amongst the coatings analysed, boron nitride-based one has been found to be the most suitable and cost-effective solution to avoid aluminium penetration. On the other hand, silica has been proved to be a suitable infiltration agent to increase the strength of the core.