Copper ore processing pdf

Abstract copper sulphides concentrates, from the flotation process of copper primary ore. Upgrading ore to reduce haulage, reduce processing costs a nd improve the overall capital cost position along with. Copper containing rock, or copper ore, holds only a small percentage of copper. The steps involved in opening a mine and processing copper ore into a. Nickel processing, preparation of the metal for use in various products. 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.

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. 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. An ore is a rock containing enough valuable mineral to make it worth extracting. Overview of a typical beneficiation process at a concentrator sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting.

Extraction of copper from sulphide ore large amount of copper are obtained from copper pyrite cufes2 by smelting. This process is usually able to recover 85 to 95 percent of the copper in the ore. In the case of copper, it is worth extracting when there is about 2 kg of copper per 1,000 kg of ore 0. Elemental analysers have the disadvantage that they do not distinguish between the total copper tcu and ascu. Having a quick look now at how porphyry ores are treated and the metals extracted. Mixed copper ores are treated through different processes depending on the degree of oxidation as well as the consumption of acid. Porphyry copper deposits result from the complex interactions and feedbacks of many processes.

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. 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. Extraction of copper mining, concentration, smelting. Copper intended for electrical uses, however, is produced by electrorefining or sometimes electrowinning techniques. Overview of copper production benefication process figure 2.

The pure metal has a facecentred cubic crystal structure, and. Very poor ores are treated by hydrometallurgical process. Similar to the sulphide ore refining process, an electrical charge is applied to the liquid, causing the copper to attach to the sheets. How copper is made material, used, processing, steps. It describes the properties and uses of copper, formation of copper ore bodies, mining and processing, and the management of associated environmental impacts. This activity creates a unique set of environmental impacts, such as emissions of. Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing. 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. Concentrate is then 4 sent to smelters for further processing. Copper is found in natural ore deposits around the world. Within an ore, copper concentration is commonly less than 1%. Sustainable copper production processes from mine to cathode copper.

Copper can be recycled indefinitely without the base metal. 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. The ore is fed to a crusher where it is broken down to a specified maximum size and passed through to a conveyor. Copper molybdenum ore the figure above is a simplified flow sheet showing the basic steps involved in a copper mill producing the byproduct molybdenum. A variety of processes were in operation during the 20th century to process cobalt arsenide ores concentrates refer to a paper by ferron1. Smelting these materials would require too much energy and very large furnace capacities. 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. The process of liberation of copper ores depends upon whether they are oxide or sulfide ores.

The mineralogy of ores in the area is typically associated with high gangue acid consumption during the leaching process. By the end of the smelt the copper had separated from the slag, which was tapped off. After the ore is crushed, its roasted, which helps to convert sulfides to oxides. Electrorefining process virtually all copper produced from ore receives an electrolytic treatment at some stage. The milling of copper ores as practiced in the larger. Purchase gold ore processing, volume 15 2nd edition.

Beneficiation by froth flotation of ore to give copper concentrate. They will also discuss the byproducts of ore processing. Firerefined copper is adequate for noncritical applications such as water tubing, bar stock, or ingots for alloying. In a few instances, however, leaching takes the place of concentrating, smelting, and refining. A continuous process called floatation, which uses water, various flotation chemicals, and compressed air, separates. A highgrade nickel concentrate is produced from these ores by the following minerals processing techniques. Generally, copper extraction follows the sequence see figure below. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other factors. Salt lake city, ut copper ore continental, montana resources silver bow,mt gold ore zortmanlandusky, pegasus gold, inc. Precious metals may be recovered from the ore or from refining processes of base metals such as copper and lead. Estimated water requirements for the conventional flotation.

Copper is typically extracted from oxide and sulfide ores that contain between 0. Explains concentration of the ore by froth flotation, as well smelting and refining of copper. Processing of konkola copper concen trates and chingola. Often before roasting, the ore has already been partially purified, e. Pdf treatment of a copperrich gold ore by ammonia assisted. What all this means is that the copper in a co,per deposit must be between a hundred and a thousand times. Mixed with water, chemicals and air, the copper minerals attach to bubblesthat. Molten copper is poured from here into rectangular moulds, the resulting ingots subjected to electrolysis producing a metal of 99. Copper production about 80 % of primary copper production comes from lowgrade or poor sulfide ores. Includes descriptions of both underground and opencut mining. Report of mineral industry processing wastes, office of solid waste, 1988, pp.

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. 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. Coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and sart technology. Having a quick look now at how porphyry ores are treated and the metals. The process of extracting copper from copper ore varies according to the type of ore and the desired purity of the final product. For 10 days, an electric current is sent between the anode and the cathode, causing the copper ions to. Consequently, this descriptive model uses a working definition of a porphyry copper deposit. Faqs with regards to operating a cu er tankhouse above 400 am2 pdf. Because these are disti nct and separate recovery met hods, they are discussed separately in this report. There are many steps in taking copper ore from the ground to the market. At present, although considerable leaching and directsmelting ores are produced, the bulk of the copper ore mined is concentrated. Extractive metallurgy of nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals, 2011. The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due.

Most of the rock is unwanted material, typically referred to as gangue. The details of all publications are in the researchgate in full text pdf forms. Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. It was blown for several hours by foot or hand bellows. 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. Sulfidic copper ores are too dilute for direct smelting. The four major steps in the production of marketable copper are mining, concentrating, smelting, and refining. For oxide ores, a hydrometallurgical liberation process is normally undertaken, which uses the soluble nature of the ore minerals to the advantage of the. 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 bubbles float to the surface and overflow or are skimmed off, filtered, and then dried to form a powder copper concentrate. Copper can be extracted from nonsulfide ores by a different process involving three separate stages. Processing of konkola copper concentrates and chingola refractory ore year.

In 1989, arizona produced 60 percent of the total u. The mining, concentration and smeltingrefining processes in use are. Mineral processing grinding and concentration together consume about 45 percent of the energy used in the production of cathode copper. 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. Reserves are sufficient for a life of mine in excess of 30 years. Starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. During the smelting process of those concentrate all gold and silver are practically in the blister copper, which is cast into anodes. 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. In its pure form or as an alloy, copper cu is one of the most important metals in society. Section 1 describes precious metal recovery from the ore while section 2 describes precious metal recovery from refinery slimes.

Using todays compact mining equipment, copper ore is extracted from the mine. Smelting is a metallurgy technique to extract base metals from their ores with the help of heat and a chemical reducing agent. The processing of the test ore was problematic due to a mineral assemblage that caused prevalent slime generation. Ores containing 4% or more copper are treated by smelting process. Mined sulfide ores contain pentlandite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and gangue rock. 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. This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process. After enrichment steps, the copper concentrates are usually treated by pyrometallurgical methods. At the refinery, anodes are lowered into electrolytic cells containing a stainless steel blank and acidic solution. Mined from open pits, copper ore must be crushed as part of the process that occurs between extraction and production.

Each of the different natural forms of copper requires distinct mining and processing steps that eventually lead to 9. Cobalt processing developments k g fisher bateman engineering projects. 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. More specifically, roasting is a metallurgical process involving gassolid reactions at elevated temperatures with the goal of purifying the metal components. Fourteen domestic mines accounted for more than 95 percent of the 1. This paper describes the testwork and engineering studies undertaken to examine the potential for treating kdmps copper sulphide concentrates by a process of. Copper ore deposits are found on every continent, and it has been mined around the world for more than 10,000 years. Pdf coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and.

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. Thirdly, the correct components must be analysed to enable relevant process changes. 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. Growing role of solvent extraction in copper ores processing article pdf available in fizykochemiczne problemy mineralurgii 4242. Crashing and grinding the ore is crushed then ground into powder. Copper processing, the extraction of copper from its ores and the preparation of copper metal or chemical compounds for use in various products. The most common source of copper ore is the mineral chalcopyrite cufes. Ii2 copper mine, smelter and refinery production in developing countries in 1965, and 199. 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. 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. Modern day heap leaching, which has a relatively low level of energy consumption, is for example.

Copper ore deposits are found on every continent, and it has been mined around the. The steps involved in opening a mine and processing copper ore into a final product are very complex. Copper smelting means that the concentrated ore is heated strongly with silicon dioxide silica, calcium carbonate caco 3 and air in a furnace. Flowsheet considerations for copper cobalt projects.

The most common types of ore, copper oxide and copper sulfide, undergo two different processes, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, respectively, due to the different. Effect of ammonia pretreatm ent 1 m nh 3 and the addition of ammonia 0. The united states is the second largest gold producing nation in the. 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. Copper can be extracted from nonsulphide ores by a different process involving three separate stages. It is a necessary component for many products in the modern world. The mining, concentration and smeltingrefining processes in use are quite diverse, partly due to.

Owing to the complexity, a succinct definition that includes the essential attributes of this deposit class is elusive. Recovery of copper from oxide copper ore by flotation and leaching kiraz, emirhan m. Each process consists of several steps in which unwanted materials are physically or chemically removed, and the concentration of copper. Copper ore processing technology for small scale youtube. Subsequent steps depend on the nature of the ore containing the copper and what will be extracted. With the exception of leachingsolvent extrac tionelectrowinning, the basic methods of cop per production have. In contrast, economically relevant copper deposits contain only 0. A wet grinding process turns the crushed rock into a. Historical and modern copper use the development of copper has a rich history. Copper gold ore processing with ion exchange and sart technology. Economically relevant iron ore deposits contair 2065% iron, and bauxite deposits 2229% aluminum. Pdf coppergold ore processing with ion exchange and sart.

Copper minerals are found in over one hundred varieties, although only a few have been worked for copper on a large scale. Cu production is recognized as a technological fractal consisting of subsystems for mineral exploration, ore extraction and processing, and metallurgical treatment. 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. World copper production, reserves and reserve base, 1999. Roasting is a process of heating of sulphide ore to a high temperature in presence of air. Concentration is accomplished at the mine sites by crushing, grinding, and flotation purification, resulting in ore with 15 to 35 percent copper. 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. What comes out in the end is the copper we use on a daily basis.

This chapter shows how copper is mined and processed at a large mine site in chile. Heavy medium separation can be used on some copper ores to improve project economics. February 1981 conversion factors product cu content copper ores 0. Pdf sustainable copper production processes from mine to. Mineral processing, art of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate the valuable minerals from the waste rock, or gangue. Estimates of electricity requirements for the recovery of. Over approximately 10 days, the starter sheets fatten to a width of 2. Copper smelting process furnaces used, byproducts, and. Innovations in copper mineral processing technology. Bingham canyon kennecott copper mine mining geology.