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Copper Extraction Metallurgy refers to the methods used to obtain copper. The increased use of copper in the industry can be observed due to its low price, high resistance, good ductility, and ease of work. An ore that is the most common when it comes to the extraction of copper is Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). But the amount of copper which is present in this ore is very low so we cannot directly extract it from the ore. To overcome this problem, the concentration of ore is needed which is done by the Froth Flotation Method. The step-by-step process for the copper extraction metallurgy is discussed below.
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Key Terms: Copper Extraction Metallurgy, Copper Mining, Chalcopyrites, Froth Flotation, Copper Smelting, Collector, Froth Stabilizers, Ores
What Is Copper Mining?
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Chalcopyrite which is also called Copper Pyrites and other such sulfides. Copper mining is the extraction of copper even if they are present in low amounts. First, we need to do the concentration of ore using the Froth Flotation Method.
Copper Ore
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| Thermal Conductivity of Copper | Copper II Carbonate Formula | Metals and Non-Metals Formula and Equations |
Concentration of Ore
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In the Froth Flotation method, the ore is first crushed into a fine powder, and the suspension is produced in water. Froth stabilizers and collectors are added to this suspension. Pine oil and fatty acids are used as collectors which enhances the non-wettability of the mineral particles. For froth stabilizers, cresols and aniline is used which stabilize the froth. The two components that are the metal and gangue are wetted by oil and water respectively. The froth is created by paddling and constantly stirring the air. Then the frothy metal has to be skimmed off the top and then dried to recover the metal.
Copper Smelting
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The process of extracting the base metals from their respective ores is called smelting. During this process heat and chemical reducing agents are used. If we talk specifically about the copper smelting in this the concentrated ore is heated strongly with silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, and air in the furnace. The steps mentioned below are to be followed for the extraction of copper.
- The copper present in the ore is reduced to copper sulfide.
- Calcium carbonate is added as a flux (as in the blast furnace), this helps in the creation of the slag.
- The iron is removed from the ore as an iron silicate slag.
- The sulfur present in the ore gets converted into Sulfur dioxide.
The reaction can be written as follows:
2CuFeS2 + 2SiO2 + 4O2 → Cu2S + 2FeSiO3 + 3SO2
After the extraction of copper, it is converted into Matte Copper after mixing it with the slag. The name is such due to its appearance and texture. The main component of the matte is Cu2S which is reduced to pure metal with the help of blasting the Matte Copper with air. The reaction can be written as follows:
Cu2S + O2 → 2Cu + SO2
The sulfur dioxide produced in the process will escape the copper which causes bubbles to appear. The final product is called Blister Copper (blistery in appearance) which is 98 - 99.5% pure.
Copper Smelting
Things to Remember
- The commonest ore for Copper extraction is Chalcopyrite.
- The proportion of copper is very low so it needs to be concentrated by the process of froth flotation.
- In copper smelting, the concentrated ore is heated strongly with silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, and air in the furnace.
- Collectors and froth stabilizers are used during the concentration of the ore.
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Sample Questions
Ques. Which is the common ore for the extraction of copper? (1 Mark)
Ans. The commonest ore for Copper extraction is Chalcopyrite.
Ques. What is smelting? Explain copper smelting. (3 Marks)
Ans. Smelting can be denied as the process of extracting the base metals from their respective ores. Heat and chemical reducing agents are used during this process. For copper smelting, first, the concentrated ore is heated with silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, and air in the furnace. The reaction is as follows:
2CuFeS2 + 2SiO2 + 4O2 → Cu2S + 2FeSiO3 + 3SO2
Ques. What is the need for concentrating the ore during the extraction of copper from its ore? (3 Marks)
Ans. The amount of copper which is present in this ore is very low so we cannot directly extract it from the ore. To overcome this problem concentration of ore is needed which is done by the Froth Flotation Method
Ques. What is the use of collectors and froth stabilizers? (3 Marks)
Ans. As the concentration of copper is low it needs to be concentrated before extraction. The Froth flotation method is used. the collectors which are pine oil or fatty acids, enhance the non-wettability of the mineral particles. Froth stabilizers, cresols, and aniline are used which stabilize the froth.
Ques. What are depressants in metallurgy? (3 Marks)
Ans. Depressants can be used to separate two sulfide ores. For eg: if the ore has ZnS and PbS, NaCN can be used as a depressant. It will prevent ZnS from coming to the froth but allow PbS to come to the froth.
Ques. What is the common ore for the extraction of Aluminum? (3 Marks)
Ans. Bauxite which contains SiO2, iron oxides and titanium oxides as impurities are one of the commonest ores for extortion of Al. Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a high level of Aluminium. It is reddish-brown in colour or it can also be white. The most abundant metal in the earth's crust is about 8%.
Ques. What is the reaction to the leaching of alumina from Bauxite? (3 Marks)
Ans. The reaction to the leaching of alumina from bauxite is as follows:
- Al2O3(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H2O(l) → 2Na[Al(OH) 4](aq)
- 2Na[Al(OH)4](aq) + CO2(g) → Al2O3.xH2O(s) + 2NaHCO3 (aq)
- Al2O3.xH2O(s) 1470 K Al2O3(s) + xH2O(g)
Ques. What is magnetic separation? (3 Marks)
Ans. This process is based on the magnetic properties of the ore components. In this, either the ore or the gauge can attract to the magnet, and then their separation can be done using this method. Then, the ground ore is carried on a conveyor belt which is passed over a magnetic roller. Examples of ores that can be used in magnetic separation are
- Chromite (FeO.Cr2O3): An ore of chromium
- Magnetite (Fe3O4): An ore of iron
Ques. What is the froth flotation method? (4 Marks)
Ans. This process is used for the concentration of the ore (Cu). In the Froth Flotation method, the ore is first crushed into a fine powder, the suspension is produced in water. Froth stabilizers and collectors are added to this suspension. Pine oil and fatty acids are used as collectors which enhances the non-wettability of the mineral particles.
For froth stabilizers, cresols and aniline is used which stabilize the froth. The two components that are the metal and gangue are wetted by oil and water respectively. The froth is created by paddling and constantly stirring the air. Then the frothy metal has to be skimmed off the top and then dried to recover the metal.
Ques. What are the common ores for Zinc, Copper, Aluminium, and Iron? (3 Marks)
Ans. The common ores for Zinc, Copper, Aluminium, and Iron are:
| Metal | Ores |
|---|---|
| Zinc | Zinc blende, Calamine, Zincite |
| Iron | Haematite, Magnetite, siderite and iron pyrites |
| Copper | Copper pyrites, Malachite, Cuprite, Copper glance |
| Aluminium | Bauxite |
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