Copper Production
Copper Production
80% of the entire copper are produced using pyrometallurgical methods based on complete fusing of the whole mass. During this process copper is concentrated in sulfides (matte) and gang mineral goes to the slag, because of the coppers higher sulphur affinity. Matte, basically Cu2S, FeS, is separated from slag by setting.
Compressed air is blown through the layer of liquid copper matte placed into the converter. On the first step iron sulphide is oxidized. Quartz is added for binding the iron oxides and removing them in form of converter slag. After that copper sulphide is oxidized yielding metal copper on SO2. This crude copper is cast. The billets are then undergoes to fire refining based on oxophilicity of impurities stronger than the copper's; in this way Iron, Zinc, Cobalt and, partially, Nickel are removed with slag, and Sulphur - with gases such as SO2. The second major problem after getting slag out is to get rid of excess Cu2O. It is solved by deoxidizing copper to the correct percentage of Cu2O. This is done by the process called poling. After the copper was molten and its slag skimmed off, pieces of wood, usually birch or deal-board, thrust into the molten metal after which the metal is poured in flat casts. Then the stage of electrolytic refining begins during which copper anodes are cast using smeltered copper in the tank with solution of CuSO4 acidated by H2SO4.