Chalcopyrite also known as copper pyrites and similar sulfide ores are the commonest ores of copper. A new application for flotation of oxidized copper ore. Overview of copper production benefication process figure 2. Underground sinking a vertical shaft into the earth to reach the copper ore and driving horizontal tunnels into the ore. Historical and modern copper use the development of copper has a rich history. The original impetus for solution methods for copper extraction before the development of froth flotation technology was the existence of large ore bodies of low copper content which were. Open access the leaching of dolomiticcopper ore using. There are two ways of smelting copper, one is pyrometallurgy, the other hydrometallurgical.
From the xray diffraction analysis, the main phases present in the ore were pentlandite 49. The leaching of dolomitic copper ore the open mineral processing journal, 2010, volume 3 61 sessing the profitability of the process. Mined from open pits, copper ore must be crushed as part of the process that occurs between extraction and production. The invention belongs to the field of mineral processing, relates to a beneficiation method, and particularly relates to a method of sorting copper sulfide ore flotation tailings. Kansanshi copper mines, first quantum minerals, zambia \ blue cube systems pty ltd. Fourteen domestic mines accounted for more than 95 percent of the 1. Sulphide ores were mostly created by i the intrusion of molten magma from the mantle into the crust of the earth and ii the formation of localized metalrich sulphide ore bodies by sequential solidification andor hydrothermal leaching and precipitation. Among galena, copper pyrites, cinnabar and argentine, argentite being silver ore is concentrated by chemical leaching method. Using todays compact mining equipment, copper ore is extracted from the mine. Mining of copper ores is carried out using one of two methods. Miscellaneous use included such things as company housing and water for local irri gation. The method matches optical data to analytical results and can successfully analyse total copper tcu, acid soluble copper ascu, sulfur and iron. The process used to treat sulfide copper ores begins at the mine site, where the copperbearing minerals are physically separated from the rest of the rock. The flow diagram below shows how the percentage of copper increases as the ore is refined, first physically by froth flotation, then chemically by smelting and finally electrolytic refining.
The nickel copper sulphide ore used in this study was supplied by trojan nickel mine located in bindura, zimbabwe. Cn103157558a beneficiation method of recovering sulfur. Sep 26, 2019 copper processing is a complex process that involves many steps as the manufacturer processes the ore from its raw, mined state into a purified form for use in many industries. Wo2009077940a1 a method of grinding a mineralcontaining.
Copper is found in natural ore deposits around the world. Having a quick look now at how porphyry ores are treated and the metals extracted. Within an ore, copper concentration is commonly less than 1%. In its pure form or as an alloy, copper cu is one of the most important metals in society. Pyrometallurgical techniques use heat to separate copper from copper sulfide ore concentrates. In 1989, arizona produced 60 percent of the total u. Pdf copper extraction by wet chemical method researchgate. Process steps include mining, concentration, roasting, smelting, converting, and finally fire and electrolytic refining. Processing gold ores using heap leachcarbon adsorption.
Copper molybdenum ore the figure above is a simplified flow sheet showing the basic steps involved in a copper mill producing the byproduct molybdenum. Blasting and grinding equipment are used to accomplish this task. For improving the recovery rate and making it is much easier to do the flotation processing, it is better to sulphur the oxide copper ore and make it into sulphide copper ore. Processing of copper ores copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. Copper processing, the extraction of copper from its ores and the preparation of copper metal or chemical compounds for use in various products. With the exception of leaching solvent extrac tionelectrowinning, the basic methods of cop per production have.
This method of slag disposal was used at only a few smelters. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Copper processing is a complex process that involves many steps as the manufacturer processes the ore from its raw, mined state into a purified form for use in many industries. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the leaching of low and high dolomitic copper ore using h 2so 4 as the leaching reagent.
Overview of a typical beneficiation process at a concentrator sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the leaching of low and high dolomiticcopper ore using h 2so 4 as the leaching reagent. Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The abovementioned methods also used in the preferential flotation and the oxide copper ore after sulfuration. The copper ore usually contains a large amount of dirt, clay, and a variety of noncopper bearing minerals. The leaching of dolomiticcopper ore the open mineral processing journal, 2010, volume 3 61 sessing the profitability of the process. Mining companies have to consider many factors including. In areas where there are high concentrations of radionuclides in the rock, overburden may have some enhanced radioactivity, but not enough to mine and process. Precious metals may be recovered from the ore or from refining processes of base metals such as copper and lead. Because these are disti nct and separate recovery met hods, they are discussed separately in this report.
The miller process uses gaseous chlorine to extract impurities when gold is at melting point. Sulphide ores such as chalcopyrite are converted to copper by a different method from silicate, carbonate or sulphate ores. The four major steps in the production of marketable copper are mining, concentrating, smelting, and refining. Beneficiation by froth flotation of ore to give copper concentrate. Copper that is mined from copper ore, after beneficiation, becomes high quality copper concentrate. In the field of extractive metallurgy, mineral processing, also known as ore dressing, is the process of separating commercially valuable minerals from their ores. Generally, copper extraction follows the sequence see figure below. Since then, this process has been used extensively throughout the.
A method of grinding a mineralcontaining ore, which includes grinding the mineralcontaining ore in a primary milling process and thereafter fine grinding the mineralcontaining ore in a secondary ballmill. Dec 08, 2014 for the love of physics walter lewin may 16, 2011 duration. How copper is made material, used, processing, steps. Chalcopyrite also known as copper pyrites and similar sulphide ores are the commonest ores of. Lead and zinc are widely used in the electrical industry, mechanical industry, military industry, metallurgical industry, chemical industry, light industry and. In this study, the flotation of oxidized copper ore obtained from ergani copper mining company in turkey was performed. Copper minerals and ores are found in both igneous and sedimentary rocks. Very poor ores are treated by hydrometallurgical process. Heap leaching is carried out in the extraction of copper, nickel, uranium and precious. Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99.
From sulphide ore large amount of copper are obtained from copper pyrite cufes2 by smelting. Copper production about 80 % of primary copper production comes from lowgrade or poor sulfide ores. The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due to the different. Separation of special copper ores such as those containing molybdenite or with high zinc or lead content canada is also possible by flotation methods. When processing copper through heap leaching, vast quantities of ore and overburden overburdensoil and rocks that have been moved out of the way to get to ore are called overburden. Processing gold ores using heap leachcarbon adsorption methods by h. After enrichment steps, the copper concentrates are usually treated by pyrometallurgical methods. The first step is to remove some of this waste material. In both mining techniques, the mined ore must be removed from the mine and transported to a plant for processing and refining. The nickelcopper sulphide ore used in this study was supplied by trojan nickel mine located in bindura, zimbabwe. It is the first process that most ores undergo after mining in order to provide a more concentrated material for the procedures of extractive metallurgy. The pre processing of ore before leaching involves the grinding and roasting of the ore.
Underground mining is, however, relatively expensive and is. The results of the survey present a picture of the current water requirements of the copper industry. The first process that most of the ores or minerals undergo after they leave any mine, is mineral processing or mineral ore dressing. Each of the different natural forms of copper requires distinct mining and processing steps that eventually lead to 9. Underground mining is achieved by sinking shafts to the appropriate levels and then driving horizontal tunnels, called adits, to reach the ore. This smelting technology is gradually advancing, and is predicted to reach 20% of total output at the end of this century. This process is called concentrating and is usually done by the flotation method. Processing, smelting and refining gold world gold council. In ore beneficiation, flotation is a process in which valuable minerals are separated from worthless material or other valuable minerals by inducing them to gather in and on the surface of a froth layer. The ore is removed from the ground in either open pit or underground mines. Section 1 describes precious metal recovery from the ore while section 2 describes precious metal recovery from refinery slimes. At present, although considerable leaching and directsmelting ores are produced, the bulk of the copper ore mined is concentrated.
Starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. The pure metal has a facecentred cubic crystal structure, and. The milling of copper ores as practiced in the larger. Miners dig a shaft into the ore deposit vertically or a horizontal tunnel or adit in order to do this. An effective processing method has not been found to recover copper and cobalt from this ore, which has been stockpiled for 4045 years in the idled plant. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other factors. Hydrometallurgy refers to the application of aqueous solutions for metal recovery from ores, and has been practiced for copper recovery for many years. Copper is typically extracted from oxide and sulfide ores that contain between 0. The two major processes employed in the united states to recover copper from ores are classified as either 1 pyrometallurgical methods copper processing. In this method, we treat the ore with a suitable reagent in which ore is soluble but impurities do not. Pdf in many countries, there occur large deposits of copper with no locally. Lead and zinc are widely used in the electrical industry, mechanical industry, military industry, metallurgical industry, chemical industry, light industry and pharmaceutical industry and other fields. Ores near the surface can be quarried after removal of the surface layers. Froth flotation froth flotation is considered to be the most widely used method for ore beneficiation.
Mining then follows the vein of ore and the underground mine develops. Ii2 copper mine, smelter and refinery production in developing. The primary operations are comminution and concentration, but there are other important operations. Hydrometallurgical methods are used in countries having readily available deposits with low copper content with sulphur of oxidized form at the same time usa, chile, australia and peru majima et al. Openpit 90% of ore is mined using the open pit method. Smelting these materials would require too much energy and very large furnace capacities. Process optimisation of mixed copper ores through realtime mineralogical analyses paquot, f. Ores containing 4% or more copper are treated by smelting process. A composite grinding medium comprising a mixture of steel balls and pebbles is used in the secondary ballmill. These methods are suitable for leaching of low grade complex ore, copper oxide ore, dump leaching contained waste copper ore, selection of tank leaching or in situ leaching. Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing. Processes extraction, mining, smelting, refining, leaching.
Lead and zinc is human activity from leadzinc deposit produced earlier one of the metal. It is a process of ore preparation, milling, and ore dressing. Analysers were installed on the feed, concentrate and tails lines and provide data at 15 second intervals. Then, after being smelted, refined copper and copper products are yielded. For the love of physics walter lewin may 16, 2011 duration. Application of spc for proper processing of the foresudetic monocline copper ore 251 a significant effect of autocorrelation on the spc charts was considered in mineral and mining applications by a limited number of studies samanta and bhattacherjee. Extraction of copper by smelting process following steps are involved in the extraction of copper. The method used to extract copper from its ores depends on the nature of the ore. Mineral processing, art of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate the valuable minerals from the waste rock, or gangue. Roasting is done to remove the carbonaceous elements trapped inside the ore.
Open pit mining is a technique used to extract copper ore near the earths surface. A, the tailings with copper and sulfur separated are dewatered through a thickener, wherein the content of the sulfur in the tailings is more than 20%, and the concentration. After pre processing, the ore is leached with acid of alkali solutions to extract the metal. Emissions and wastes from four german copper mines in. The preprocessing of ore before leaching involves the grinding and roasting of the ore. After the ore is crushed, its roasted, which helps to convert sulfides to oxides. Chapter 6 copper production technology the last boomin technological innovation for the copper industry occurred in the first two decades of this century, whenopen pit mining, flo tation concentration,and the reverberatory smelter were adapted to porphyry copper ores. After preprocessing, the ore is leached with acid of alkali solutions to extract the metal. In a few instances, however, leaching takes the place of concentrating, smelting, and refining. The ore which was supplied in lumpy form was subjected to crushing and grinding. Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing article pdf available in fizykochemiczne problemy mineralurgii 4242.
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