Concentrate (Cu, Fe, S…) [Cu 30%]

ii) Basic process of copper smelting

Exploration → Mining → Mineral dressing → Smelting → Products

Ore(Cu, Fe, S, SiO

₂

…) [Cu 1%]

Concentrate (Cu, Fe, S…) [Cu 30%]

Smelter (eliminate Fe, S, SiO

₂

…) [Cu 60%]

Convertor (eliminate Fe, S) [Cu 99%]

Refining furnace (eliminate O and S in melting copper) [Cu 99.5%]

Electro-refining [>99.99%]

Exploration

Remote sensing

(spectroreflectometry)

Mining (Ex. ESCONDIDA)

Grinding

Backscattered Electron Image

White: Heavy elements Black: Light elements

SEM observations of crushed ore

Cu S

Mineral dressing : Flotation

Extractive metallurgy of copper (4^th), Davenport et. al., Pergamon

Hydrophilic property

Hydrophobic

property

Concentrates

Cu Product

Smelting

Converting

Refining

Anode Casting

Electrorefining

Smelting (Matte Smelting)

Raw materials：

Cu Concentrates (CuFeS ₂ ) Low grade scrap

Reactions:

CuFeS ₂ + O ₂ + SiO ₂

→ Cu ₂ S-FeS（matte, Cu 60%）

+ FeO-SiO ₂ （slag, 2FeO･SiO ₂ Fayalite） + SO ₂

+ heat(exothermic reaction)

9

Metal Oxide (mol%)

Liquidus curve of the MO-SiO₂ binary system Melt

KINZOKUSEIRENKOUGAKU(4^th), The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, MARUZEN

Smelting furnace (Outokumpu)

Extractive metallurgy of copper (4^th), Davenport et. al., Pergamon

Concentrate burner

Extractive metallurgy of copper (4^th), Davenport et. al., Pergamon

Extractive metallurgy of copper (4^th), Davenport et. al., Pergamon

AUSMELT

AUSMELT brochure

AUSMELT

Numerical modelling of free surface flows in metallurgical vessels, P. LLIOVIC, Second international conference of CFD in the minerals and process industries CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia, 6-8 December 1999

AUSMELT brochure

Potential Diagram

KINZOKUSEIRENKOUGAKU(4^th), The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, MARUZEN

Converting

Slag-forming stage

Cu ₂ S-FeS + O ₂ + SiO ₂

→ Cu ₂ S + FeO-SiO ₂ + SO ₂ + heat Copper making stage

（Coolant : High grade scrap, Anode scrap）

Cu ₂ S + O ₂ → Cu + SO ₂ + heat

Anode refining

Oxidation : S in Cu + O ₂ → SO ₂

Reduction : O in Cu + gas（C _x H _y ） + O ₂

→ CO ₂ , H ₂ O

Slag

Smelter

Fig. Contents of each element in several log p^O2

KINZOKUSEIRENKOUGAKU(4^th), The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, MARUZEN

Converting furnace

Extractive metallurgy of copper (4^th), Davenport et. al., Pergamon

Refining furnace

HITETSUKINZOKUSEIREN(5^th), The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials, MARUZEN

Electrorefining

Anode Cu(99.5%) = Cu

²⁺

+ 2e

^-

Cathode Cu

²⁺

+ 2e

^-

= Cu(99.99%)

DC

＋

－

Cu

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

Cu²⁺

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

ｅ

^-

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu

Crude Copper (anode) Cu Cathode

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu²⁺

Cu Cu