Copper ore processing pdf

Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. Because these are disti nct and separate recovery met hods, they are discussed separately in this report. In contrast, economically relevant copper deposits contain only 0. Modern day heap leaching, which has a relatively low level of energy consumption, is for example. Concentration is accomplished at the mine sites by crushing, grinding, and flotation purification, resulting in ore with 15 to 35 percent copper. Cu production is recognized as a technological fractal consisting of subsystems for mineral exploration, ore extraction and processing, and metallurgical treatment. Overview of a typical beneficiation process at a concentrator sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting. This technolgy is very popular to use in the copper ore mining. Modern copper smelters use processed copper ore fed into a flash furnace, typically fired by oxygen which produces blister copper, being further processed in a converter furnace. Copper ore deposits are found on every continent, and it has been mined around the world for more than 10,000 years. Reaction of the ore over quite a long time and on a huge scale with a dilute acid such as dilute sulphuric acid to produce a very dilute copper ii sulphate solution. This process is usually able to recover 85 to 95 percent of the copper in the 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.

Innovations in copper mineral processing technology. Having a quick look now at how porphyry ores are treated and the metals. The united states is the second largest gold producing nation in the. This chapter shows how copper is mined and processed at a large mine site in chile. Copper processing, the extraction of copper from its ores and the preparation of copper metal or chemical compounds for use in various products. Owing to the complexity, a succinct definition that includes the essential attributes of this deposit class is elusive. The steps involved in opening a mine and processing copper ore into a. Each process consists of several steps in which unwanted materials are physically or chemically removed, and the concentration of copper. The pure metal has a facecentred cubic crystal structure, and.

Copper fact sheet oresome resources oresome resources. Sustainable copper production processes from mine to cathode copper. Economically relevant iron ore deposits contair 2065% iron, and bauxite deposits 2229% aluminum. General description of ore processing in a conventional copper flotation p lant figure 1 is a generalized diagram of a conventional copper flotation plant from the point where ore first enters the circuit to the production of concentrate and tailings. 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. At present, although considerable leaching and directsmelting ores are produced, the bulk of the copper ore mined is concentrated. In the case of copper, it is worth extracting when there is about 2 kg of copper per 1,000 kg of ore 0. The flowsheet route for copper is fairly well established while the processing options for cobalt vary considerably depending on the final product metal or salt the operator wishes to make. Copper is found in natural ore deposits around the world. Recovery of copper from oxide copper ore by flotation and leaching kiraz, emirhan m. Apr 23, 2011 both ore types can be economically mined, however, the most common source of copper ore is the sulfide ore mineral chalcopyrite, which accounts for about 50 percent of copper production. Very poor ores are treated by hydrometallurgical process. Reserves are sufficient for a life of mine in excess of 30 years.

Estimates of electricity requirements for the recovery of. Often before roasting, the ore has already been partially purified, e. The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due. A wet grinding process turns the crushed rock into a. It is a necessary component for many products in the modern world. 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. Copper containing rock, or copper ore, holds only a small percentage of copper. Copper smelting process furnaces used, byproducts, and. Copper is typically extracted from oxide and sulfide ores that contain between 0. Copper can be extracted from nonsulfide ores by a different process involving three separate stages. Explains concentration of the ore by froth flotation, as well smelting and refining of copper. They will also discuss the byproducts of ore processing.

Roasting is a process of heating of sulphide ore to a high temperature in presence of air. It was blown for several hours by foot or hand bellows. Copper smelting means that the concentrated ore is heated strongly with silicon dioxide silica, calcium carbonate caco 3 and air in a furnace. The most common source of copper ore is the mineral chalcopyrite cufes. This paper describes the testwork and engineering studies undertaken to examine the potential for treating kdmps copper sulphide concentrates by a process of. Copper can be recycled indefinitely without the base metal. An ore is a rock containing enough valuable mineral to make it worth extracting.

The processing of the test ore was problematic due to a mineral assemblage that caused prevalent slime generation. The torco process or treatment of refractory copper ores involved a reduction roast using salt and coal of the refractory copper silicate ore in a fluid bed roaster to reduced the copper to the. Pdf sustainable copper production processes from mine to. World copper production, reserves and reserve base, 1999. Here is the common way for processing the oxide copper ore as below. Abstract copper sulphides concentrates, from the flotation process of copper primary ore. Concentrate is then 4 sent to smelters for further processing. 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. In 1989, arizona produced 60 percent of the total u. Within an ore, copper concentration is commonly less than 1%. The flotation of a natural porphyry copper ore with bornite and malachite was investigated via fundamental work with pure minerals and a benchscale testing regime. The mining, concentration and smeltingrefining processes in use are. Effect of ammonia pretreatm ent 1 m nh 3 and the addition of ammonia 0.

In its pure form or as an alloy, copper cu is one of the most important metals in society. At the refinery, anodes are lowered into electrolytic cells containing a stainless steel blank and acidic solution. This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process. Copper minerals are found in over one hundred varieties, although only a few have been worked for copper on a large scale. With the exception of leaching solvent extrac tionelectrowinning, the basic methods of cop per production have. The mineralogy of ores in the area is typically associated with high gangue acid consumption during the leaching process. Extraction of copper mining, concentration, smelting. Extraction of copper by smelting process following steps are involved in the extraction of copper. The bubbles float to the surface and overflow or are skimmed off, filtered, and then dried to form a powder copper concentrate. Although it is best known for its use in coinage, nickel ni has become much more important for its many industrial applications, which owe their importance to a unique combination of properties. By the end of the smelt the copper had separated from the slag, which was tapped off. The process of liberation of copper ores depends upon whether they are oxide or sulfide ores. Flowsheet considerations for copper cobalt projects. Beneficiation by froth flotation of ore to give copper concentrate.

Crashing and grinding the ore is crushed then ground into powder. In a few instances, however, leaching takes the place of concentrating, smelting, and refining. Over approximately 10 days, the starter sheets fatten to a width of 2. Heap leaching is a tried and tested mining technique enabling the processing of different kinds of ores which could not otherwise be exploited under viable economic conditions. With the exception of leachingsolvent extrac tionelectrowinning, the basic methods of cop per production have. Includes descriptions of both underground and opencut mining. Similar to the sulphide ore refining process, an electrical charge is applied to the liquid, causing the copper to attach to the sheets. The four major steps in the production of marketable copper are mining, concentrating, smelting, and refining.

Mineral processing grinding and concentration together consume about 45 percent of the energy used in the production of cathode copper. Ores containing 4% or more copper are treated by smelting process. During the smelting process of those concentrate all gold and silver are practically in the blister copper, which is cast into anodes. Estimated water requirements for the conventional flotation. Upgrading ore to reduce haulage, reduce processing costs a nd improve the overall capital cost position along with.

Fourteen domestic mines accounted for more than 95 percent of the 1. Extractive metallurgy of nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals, 2011. The mining, concentration and smeltingrefining processes in use are quite diverse, partly due to. Extraction of copper from sulphide ore large amount of copper are obtained from copper pyrite cufes2 by smelting.

Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. Copper gold ore processing with ion exchange and sart technology. What comes out in the end is the copper we use on a daily basis. Most of the rock is unwanted material, typically referred to as gangue. 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. Overview of copper production benefication process figure 2. Copper intended for electrical uses, however, is produced by electrorefining or sometimes electrowinning techniques. Consequently, this descriptive model uses a working definition of a porphyry copper deposit. The milling of copper ores as practiced in the larger.

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. Bingham canyon kennecott copper mine mining geology. Mustafa umit atalay december 2014, 65 pages the aim of this study was the recovery of copper from the oxide copper ore by froth flotation and agitating sulphuric acid h 2 so 4 leaching. There are many steps in taking copper ore from the ground to the market. In the case of a mixed copper ore the main factor affecting the performance is the proportion of acid soluble copper ascu in the feed. Using todays compact mining equipment, copper ore is extracted from the mine. Elemental analysers have the disadvantage that they do not distinguish between the total copper tcu and ascu. February 1981 conversion factors product cu content copper ores 0. Mined from open pits, copper ore must be crushed as part of the process that occurs between extraction and production. Having a quick look now at how porphyry ores are treated and the metals extracted. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes.

Copper can be extracted from nonsulphide ores by a different process involving three separate stages. Processing of konkola copper concentrates and chingola refractory ore year. Mixed with water, chemicals and air, the copper minerals attach to bubblesthat. Nickel processing, preparation of the metal for use in various products.

A variety of processes were in operation during the 20th century to process cobalt arsenide ores concentrates refer to a paper by ferron1. What all this means is that the copper in a co,per deposit must be between a hundred and a thousand times. For oxide ores, a hydrometallurgical liberation process is normally undertaken, which uses the soluble nature of the ore minerals to the advantage of the. For the few unit processes, where specific data for the cerro bonito facilities has not been available, the relevant information was estimated from other non. Copper production about 80 % of primary copper production comes from lowgrade or poor sulfide ores. Pdf treatment of a copperrich gold ore by ammonia assisted. Heavy medium separation can be used on some copper ores to improve project economics. After enrichment steps, the copper concentrates are usually treated by pyrometallurgical methods. Detailed production data for the year 2010 has been used to populate the inventory model for the copper ore extraction, and both the copper oxide and sulphides ore processing. The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due to the different.

Precious metals may be recovered from the ore or from refining processes of base metals such as copper and lead. Reaction of the ore over quite a long time and on a huge scale with a dilute acid such as dilute sulphuric acid to produce a very dilute copper. Smelting these materials would require too much energy and very large furnace capacities. Historical and modern copper use the development of copper has a rich history. Coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and sart technology. A continuous process called floatation, which uses water, various flotation chemicals, and compressed air, separates. Copper ore processing technology for small scale youtube.

It describes the properties and uses of copper, formation of copper ore bodies, mining and processing, and the management of associated environmental impacts. Porphyry copper deposits result from the complex interactions and feedbacks of many processes. Faqs with regards to operating a cu er tankhouse above 400 am2 pdf. Electrorefining process virtually all copper produced from ore receives an electrolytic treatment at some stage. Processing of konkola copper concen trates and chingola. Ii2 copper mine, smelter and refinery production in developing countries in 1965, and 199. The steps involved in opening a mine and processing copper ore into a final product are very complex. Pdf coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and sart. Pdf coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and.

Starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. A highgrade nickel concentrate is produced from these ores by the following minerals processing techniques. This activity creates a unique set of environmental impacts, such as emissions of. Copper molybdenum ore the figure above is a simplified flow sheet showing the basic steps involved in a copper mill producing the byproduct molybdenum. Subsequent steps depend on the nature of the ore containing the copper and what will be extracted. The process of extracting copper from copper ore varies according to the type of ore and the desired purity of the final product. Cobalt processing developments k g fisher bateman engineering projects. With the availability of realtime technology that can reliably measure differences between oxide and sulphide minerals, it is now possible to control a mixed copper ore process. Mined sulfide ores contain pentlandite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and gangue rock. Copper ore deposits are found on every continent, and it has been mined around the.

Generally, copper extraction follows the sequence see figure below. Molten copper is poured from here into rectangular moulds, the resulting ingots subjected to electrolysis producing a metal of 99. Reaction of the ore over quite a long time and on a huge scale with a dilute acid such as dilute sulfuric acid to produce a very dilute copper ii sulfate solution. How copper is made material, used, processing, steps. Firerefined copper is adequate for noncritical applications such as water tubing, bar stock, or ingots for alloying. Section 1 describes precious metal recovery from the ore while section 2 describes precious metal recovery from refinery slimes.

Report of mineral industry processing wastes, office of solid waste, 1988, pp. Purchase gold ore processing, volume 15 2nd edition. Mixed copper ores are treated through different processes depending on the degree of oxidation as well as the consumption of acid. Salt lake city, ut copper ore continental, montana resources silver bow,mt gold ore zortmanlandusky, pegasus gold, inc. Mineral processing, art of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate the valuable minerals from the waste rock, or gangue. Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing article pdf available in fizykochemiczne problemy mineralurgii 4242. More specifically, roasting is a metallurgical process involving gassolid reactions at elevated temperatures with the goal of purifying the metal components. For 10 days, an electric current is sent between the anode and the cathode, causing the copper ions to. 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. Sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting. The details of all publications are in the researchgate in full text pdf forms.

Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing. Different methods are used to process copper sulfide ores depending on the concentration of copper within the ore higherconcentrated ores can be separated via smelting, while lower. Smelting is a metallurgy technique to extract base metals from their ores with the help of heat and a chemical reducing agent. The ore is fed to a crusher where it is broken down to a specified maximum size and passed through to a conveyor. After the ore is crushed, its roasted, which helps to convert sulfides to oxides. Each of the different natural forms of copper requires distinct mining and processing steps that eventually lead to 9. Thirdly, the correct components must be analysed to enable relevant process changes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other factors.