Copper production
Ore
The production of 80% of copper is from sulfide and oxide ores. Since they contain a large amount of waste rock, the ores are enriched before smelting. Direct copper production consists of several operations: smelting, roasting, converting, electrolytic refining and fire refining.
Annealing
Further production of copper involves roasting. The roasting converts most of the impurity sulfides into oxides. For example, the main impurity of many FeS 2 copper ores, pyrite, is converted to Fe2 O3. The gases, which are formed during roasting, contain SO2, are used to produce sulfuric acid. Oxides of zinc, iron and other impurities, which are produced during roasting, are separated as slag during smelting. Copper liquid matte (Cu2 S and an admixture of FeS) is loaded into a converter, through which air is blown. After conversion, crude or blister copper is produced with sulphur dioxide emission.
Fire refining
To extract trace elements (Ag, Au, Te, etc .) and to remove different impurities, rough metal is first subjected to a fire and then to electrolytic refining. Liquid copper is oxygenated during the fire refining process. The impurities of zinc, cobalt and iron are oxidized, then transferred to slag and then removed; the metal is poured into molds. These castings serve as anodes for the electrolytic refining process.
Electrolytic refining
The main component of the electrolytic solution is CuS sulphate, as it is the most common and cheapest copper salt. Sulfuric acid is added to the electrolyte to increase the electrical conductivity of CuSO4. Small amounts of additives are also added to the solution to produce a compact copper precipitate. The metal impurities that are contained in «rough» (crude) copper are divided into two groups.
The anode sludge.
Au, Ag, Pb, Sn. Noble metals (Ag, Au) do not undergo anodic dissolution, form together with other impurities anodic sludge extracted periodically. Lead and tin dissolve with copper, but slightly soluble compounds are formed in the electrolyte, which precipitate and are removed.
Sulfates
2. Zn, Fe, Co, Ni. These metals have a much more negative electrode potential than copper, due to which they are dissolved together with copper from the anode, but do not precipitate at the cathode, but accumulate in the electrolyte as sulphates. Therefore, the electrolyte must be periodically replaced.
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