Extracting copper from copperironsulfide ores melting and casting cathode copper recycle of copper and copperalloy scrap suggested reading references 2 production and use 2. Pdf copper matte converting is the key step to ensure high primary copper recovery. This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment. The first record of a reverberatory furnace is made by jars, who states that coppersmelting was effected in reverberatory furnaces at middletontyas, in yorkshire, england. Flash smelting is the most common process but electric smelting is used for more complex raw materials when increased flexibility is needed. Commercial engineering and construction took place in 2001 and successful commissioning in 2002. A typical pyrometallurgical copper smelting process, as illustrated in figure 12. Sulfur dioxide so 2, and the sulfates and sulfuric acid aerosols it forms. Copperspecific flow diagram of the smelting process. It was blown for several hours by foot or hand bellows.
Chile maintains around 9 percent of global smelting production. Magnetic concentration plant mortimer union chromite recovery plant pgm concentrated residues tailings purchased concentrate concentrate furnace matte smelting ore anglo converting process at rustenburg. Electric smelting requires a roasting step ahead of the smelter to reduce sulfur content and volatiles. Bulyanhulu gold mine, buzwagi gold mine and north mara gold mine. Air quality pollutants of concern and their regulation uncontrolled copper smelting processes emit large quantities of particulate matter, trace elements, and sulfur oxides, which can have adverse effects on human health.
Investment costs for copper smelter projects have risen substantially in recent years, and there are a number of factors which must be taken into account when considering a new smelting facility or modernizing an existing operation. Casting of alloyed or refined copper products is the final step used by the secondary copper industry in the recovery of copper from scrap material. Arsenic content rangesfrom 10% to 15% in white ash, other including lead, copper and zinc. This study reports three series of copperslag distribution experiments for ga, ge and in in simulated secondary copper smelting and refining process conditions t 0 c, po2 10. Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore in order to extract a base metal. Aug 27, 2018 copper matte converting is the key step to ensure high primary copper recovery in the smelting chain. Adding silica also reduces the melting point or, more properly, the liquidus temperature of the slag, meaning that the smelting process can be operated at a lower temperature. The early development of the reverberatory furnace for smelting copper ores was the work of the welsh smelters, particularly those of swansea. Chapter 8 environmental aspects of copper production. Extraction of copper from sulphide ore large amount of copper are obtained from copper pyrite cufes2 by smelting. The smelting of copper the first written account of the processes of smelting and refining of copper is to be found in the 12th century.
Copper smelting plants separate elemental copper from copper concentrates through multiple sulphide oxidizing stages. An introduction to outotec flash smelting with flexibility, low energy consumption, high sulfur capture, and excellent economy of scale, outotec flash smelting technology is the worlds leading method for copper and nickel smelting. Melting and refining technology for copper produced from scrap charge our copper refining technology allows the use of higherimpurity charge materials, and still produce premium quality refined copper. Process gas streams containing sulfur dioxide are processed to produce sulfuric acid, liquid sulfur dioxide, or sulfur. Criteria for process selection, the impact of oxygen. The reverberatory furnace dominated copper matte smelting for much of the 1900s, because it was an excellent process for smelting fine concentrate from flotation. Maerz is a specialist for industrial furnace plants and one of the leading suppliers of engineering, knowhow, and process technology to the steel and copper industry. A step ahead of the rest copper has been recognized as a valuable resource since ancient times. This is another article in my series on the smelting of metals, this one focusing on the smelting of copper. This company actually sells its concentrate from the sulphide ore to different copper smelting companies around the world. Mim soon found it to be a suitable smelting technology for copper smelting 1,2 as well. Pollution prevention and control process gas streams containing so2 are processed to produce sulfuric acid, liquid sulfur dioxide, or sulfur. Smelting smelting is a process of melting and separation of the charge into two or more immiscible liquid layers,which may be slag, matte, speiss or metal. We shall begin by looking at the mining and processing of the copper bearing ore, followed by an examination of an established and a modern copper smelting process.
The traditional process is based on roasting, smelting in reverbatory fur naces or electric furnaces. Copper smelting process furnaces used, byproducts, and process used to smelt copper. Smelting facilities are external to cerro bonito operations. Pdf recycling of tellurium via copper smelting processes. White ash is one of the major byproduct during copper smelting. The smelting furnace will generate process gas streams with so2 concentrations ranging 0. This page explains the production route taken from extraction of orecontaining rock to a final product that is the highestpurity commercial metal in existence and used in a wide variety of. When a vein of which is found, it is acquired with the greatest labour by digging and breaking. Smelting ore anglo converting process at rustenburg our configuration differs from our competitors we have a broad footprint across all 3. The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due. It is a fossil fuel fired hearth furnace for smelting concentrate and producing copper matte.
The smelting furnaces continually produces molten matte 50 75% cu. Mined from open pits, copper ore must be crushed as part of the process that occurs between extraction and production. Overview of pgm processing anglo american platinum. Very poor ores are treated by hydrometallurgical process. In a small outback smelter, that was usually the end of the. The final product from the converter aisle is a matte. The smelting process typically produces less than 3 tons of solid waste per ton of copper produced. Smelting arise as a strategic process for copper producer countries.
More than half of the worlds primary copper and nickel is produced using outotecs proprietary process. The term copper smelting may refer to this melting step in particular or it may refer somewhat less formally to the entire process overall. Melting and refining technology for copper produced from. Primary copper smelter and refinery as a recycling plant. Feed preparation and smelting in tsl furnace slagmatte treatment in the rectangular electric furnace copper matte converting in the psconverters blister copper fire refining in the anode furnaces anodes casting on the wheel machine. Dec 20, 20 investment costs for copper smelter projects have risen substantially in recent years, and there are a number of factors which must be taken into account when considering a new smelting facility or modernizing an existing operation. The reduction smelting process involves the reduction of oxidic sources of metals with carbon in the presence of a.
The smelting furnace will generate process gas streams with so. In its pure form or as an alloy, copper cu is one of the most important metals in society. The first record of a reverberatory furnace is made by jars, who states that copper smelting was effected in reverberatory furnaces at middletontyas, in yorkshire, england. Mining to smelting goldcopper concentrates in detail introduction rocks are mined and then trucked to the process plant acacia operates three gold mines in tanzania. Sulphide copper accounts for almost 80 percent of world mine production and more than 23 of chilean production and its expected to grow its share over the time.
Copper smelting process furnaces used, byproducts, and. Reverberatory furnace, in copper, tin, and nickel production, a furnace used for smelting or refining in which the fuel is not in direct contact with the ore but heats it by a flame blown over it from another chamber. Ores containing 4% or more copper are treated by smelting process. Mitsubishi materials has sought to optimize the smelting of this valuable resource for many years. Figure 1, most of which follows the process of figure 2. Copper that is mined from copper ore, after beneficiation, becomes high quality copper concentrate. Several different processes can be used for copper production. The evolution of early copper smelting technology in australia. The evolution of early copper smelting technology in australia 3 after the smelting process proper, the copper did not emerge as metal, but as a hard black mixture of copper, copper sulphide and ferrous silicate, containing about 40 to 60 per cent metal and known as matte. Ore concentration is roasted to reduce impurities, including sulfur, antimony, arsenic, and lead. This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. The considered smelting process includes a continuously functioning flash smelting furnace fsf and several piercesmith converters operated in batches. Copper sulfide and iron oxide can mix, but when sufficient silica is added, a separate slag layer is formed. The pure metal has a facecentred cubic crystal structure, and.
Automating scheduling provides advisory information to operators. Smelting is a metallurgy technique to extract base metals from their ores with the help of heat and a chemical reducing agent. In some applications, copper produced by this method may compete with copper that underwent electrolytic refining. Additionally, todays mining equipment makes it possible to reduce waste and decrease chemical exposure during all phases of the copper mining process. The process is based on our flash smelting principle, which utilizes the internal energy of the feed material for smelting, minimizing the need for external fuel and making the process very energy efficient. Extraction of copper by smelting process following steps are involved in the extraction of copper. Flows of selected materials associated with world copper smelting. The roasted product, calcine, serves as a dried and heated charge for the smelting furnace. There are two ways of smelting copper, one is pyrometallurgy, the other hydrometallurgical.
Pyrometallurgical operations that are common to conventional and unconvensional copper smelters. In steelmaking, this process, now largely obsolete, is called the openhearth. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. In the smelting process, either hot calcine from the roaster or raw unroasted concentrate is melted with siliceous flux in a smelting furnace to produce copper matte. Melting and refining technology for copper produced from scrap charge air products and chemicals, inc. Copper processing, the extraction of copper from its ores and the preparation of copper metal or chemical compounds for use in various products.
Sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting. Environmental guidelines for nickel smelting and refining. Introduction sulphide copper accounts for almost 80 percent of world mine production and more than 23 of chilean production and its expected to grow its share over the time. A copper smelting process is disclosed in which copper concentrate is smelted in a furnace to produce purified copper. Copper matte converting is the key step to ensure high primary copper recovery in the smelting chain. Flue gas discharged from the furnace is treated to produce sulfuric acid. Andritz maerz offers converter, melting and refining furnaces for primary and secondary copper production, as well as for the processing copper industry. Smelting uses heat and a chemical reducing agent to decompose the ore, driving off other elements as gases or slag and leaving the metal base behind. Apr 02, 2020 copper smelting is the process of separating copper metal from the rock in which it is naturally embedded by melting it. The smelting process typically produces less than three tons of solid waste per ton of copper produced.
Extraction of copper mining, concentration, smelting. This is accomplished through a series of several processing steps. Early smelting technology charcoal ore flux \ m the egyptian copper smelting furnace was filled with a mixture of copper ore, charcoal and iron ore to act as a flux. Pdf matte converting in copper smelting researchgate. Copper smelting is the process of separating copper metal from the rock in which it is naturally embedded by melting it. Of an ideal smelter aerial view of naoshima smelter and refinery the mitsubishi process. Hughes outotec abstract the platinum group metals pgms, i. Manufacturing technology by willie scott mechanical engineering. Converting is often a major bottleneck in conventional copper smelters. Furthermore, waste liquid discharged during the production of sulfuric acid is treated to produce gypsum, and the gypsum thus produced is recycled to the furnace as a flux. By the end of the smelt the copper had separated from the slag, which was tapped off. As was the case for mim, other copper smelters seeking process. Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. Copper is found in natural ore deposits around the world.
Copper smelting means that the concentrated ore is heated strongly with silicon dioxide silica, calcium carbonate caco 3 and air in a furnace. The furnace matte is then transferred to the converter aisle to further reduce the iron content and concentrate the pay metal content. George summary investment costs for copper smelter projects have tlsen substantially in recent years, and there are a number of factors which must be taken into account when considering a new smelting facility or modernizing an existing operation. Debottlenecking of conventional copper smelters ieom society. Then, after being smelted, refined copper and copper products are yielded. The outotec flash smelting process is one of the worlds most commonly used processes for the production of primary copper and nickel. Typical element content from a chinese copper smelter. Copper mineral deposits are found only in special geological condiliorns and hence their geographical distribution tends to be concentrated. Nickel and copper are the most prevalent base metals chromite used to derive chrome is another significant byproduct.