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Chemistry Project Part 2

The document summarizes copper extraction techniques. Copper ores on average contain only 0.6% copper and are concentrated to 10-15% copper using froth flotation or bioleaching. In flash smelting, iron sulfides are converted to oxides that form a slag while copper matte remains. The matte is roasted to convert sulfides to oxides, and then heated to produce blister copper. Electrorefining further purifies the copper into anodes for transportation to electrolytic tank houses to produce pure copper.

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Nigus Solomon
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91 views3 pages

Chemistry Project Part 2

The document summarizes copper extraction techniques. Copper ores on average contain only 0.6% copper and are concentrated to 10-15% copper using froth flotation or bioleaching. In flash smelting, iron sulfides are converted to oxides that form a slag while copper matte remains. The matte is roasted to convert sulfides to oxides, and then heated to produce blister copper. Electrorefining further purifies the copper into anodes for transportation to electrolytic tank houses to produce pure copper.

Uploaded by

Nigus Solomon
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Methods

Main article: Copper extraction techniques

Scheme of flash smelting process

The concentration of copper in ores averages only 0.6%, and most commercial ores are sulfides,
especially chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and to a lesser extent chalcocite (Cu2S).[30] These minerals are
concentrated from crushed ores to the level of 10–15% copper by froth flotation or bioleaching.
[31]
 Heating this material with silica in flash smelting removes much of the iron as slag. The process
exploits the greater ease of converting iron sulfides into oxides, which in turn react with the silica to
form the silicate slag that floats on top of the heated mass. The resulting copper matte, consisting of
Cu2S, is roasted to convert all sulfides into oxides:[30]
2 Cu2S + 3 O2 → 2 Cu2O + 2 SO2
The cuprous oxide is converted to blister copper upon heating:
2 Cu2O → 4 Cu + O2
The Sudbury matte process converted only half the sulfide to oxide and then used this oxide
to remove the rest of the sulfur as oxide. It was then electrolytically refined and the anode
mud exploited for the platinum and gold it contained. This step exploits the relatively easy
reduction of copper oxides to copper metal. Natural gas is blown across the blister to
remove most of the remaining oxygen and electrorefining is performed on the resulting
material to produce pure copper:[32]
Cu2+ + 2 e− → Cu
Flowchart of copper refining (Anode casting plant of Uralelektromed)

1. Blister copper
2. Smelting
3. Reverberatory furnace
4. Slag  removal
5. Copper casting of anodes
6. Casting wheel
7. Anodes removal machine
8. Anodes take-off
9. Rail cars
10. Transportation to the tank house

Atomic properties

Oxidation states −2, +1, +2, +3, +4 (a


mildly basic oxide)

Electronegativity Pauling scale: 1.90

Ionization energies 1st: 745.5 kJ/mol


2nd: 1957.9 kJ/mol
3rd: 3555 kJ/mol
(more)

Atomic radius empirical: 128 pm

Covalent radius 132±4 pm


Van der Waals radius 140 pm

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