Smelting, copper

Smelting. The term copper smelting designates the operations of melting the concentrate and extracting the copper by heat, flux, and the addition of oxygen. Copper concentrate is a mixture of the sulfides of copper, copper—iron, and iron with smaller amounts of gangue minerals. It normally contains 25—35% copper. 

The thermodynamics of copper smelting are discussed ia References 17 and 18. Silver and gold are quantitatively recovered with the copper throughout the smelting operations rather than being lost with the slag. 

M.I. Process for Continuous Copper Smelting and Converting, Mitsubishi Metal Corp., Tokyo, Japan, 1989. 

In according to proposed procedure the drinking water samples with spiked copper (II) standai d solution and the copper-smelting plant wastewater samples have been analyzed. The found results were verified by atomic absoi ption spectrometry. The developed method (standard addition version) was found suitable for determination of Cu (II) in drinking water and industrial wastewater. 

Copper pollution in Palestine due to copper smelting thousands of years before. 

Later developments which have had more impact on copper smelting relate to an approach which combines roasting, smelting and converting steps in one reactor, thereby making the copper production process continuous. The three unique continuous processes tried in operation are (i) the Worcra process, (ii) the Noranda process and (iii) the Mitsubishi process. The principles of the processes are respectively shown in Figures 4.5 to 4.7. 

Table 4.1 Comparison between Inco and Outokumpu processes for copper smelting.

The environmental problem of sulfur dioxide emission, as has been pointed out, is very much associated with sulfidic sources of metals, among which a peer example is copper production. In this context, it would be beneficial to describe the past and present approaches to copper smelting. In the past, copper metallurgy was dominated by reverberatory furnaces for smelting sulfidic copper concentrate to matte, followed by the use of Pierce-Smith converters to convert the matte into blister copper. The sulfur dioxide stream from the reverberatory furnaces is continuous but not rich in sulfur dioxide (about 1%) because it contains carbon dioxide and water vapor (products of fuel combustion), nitrogen from the air (used in the combustion of that fuel), and excess air. The gas is quite dilute and unworthy of economical conversion of its sulfur content into sulfuric acid. In the past, the course chosen was to construct stacks to disperse the gas into the atmosphere in order to minimize its adverse effects on the immediate surroundings. However, this is not an en-... 

Of recycled, or secondary copper, 56% is derived from new scrap, while 44% comes from old scrap. Domestically, the secondary copper smelting industry is led by four producers. Like the secondary aluminum industry, these producers buy the scrap they recycle on the open market, in addition to using scrap generated in their own downstream productions. The secondary copper industry is concentrated in Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, and Missouri. 

After pretreatment, the scrap is ready for smelting. Although the type and quality of the feed material determines the processes the smelter will use, the general fire-refining process is essentially the same as for the primary copper smelting industry. 

Copper smelting Copper concentrate, siliceous flux Sulfur dioxide, particulate matter containing arsenic, antimony, cadmium, lead, mercury, and zinc Acid plant blowdown slurry/sludge, slag containing iron sulfides, silica... 

The S02 from the Wellman-Lord process or any other concentrated S02 stream (e.g. gases from copper smelting) can be oxidized to S03 to produce sulfuric acid as discussed in Chapter 6. 

Merkel, J. F. (1990), Experimental reconstruction of Bronze Age copper smelting based on archaeological evidence from Timna, in Rothenberg, B. (ed.), The Ancient Metallurgy of Copper, International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, London, pp. 78-122. 

Mixtures of the nitrate with powdered aluminium or its oxide (the latter seems unlikely) were reported to be explosive [1], and the performance characteristics of flares containing compressed mixtures of the metal and nitrate have been evaluated [2]. A violent explosion in a copper smelting works was caused mainly by reaction of aluminium with sodium nitrate [3],... 

For example, consider copper. Native copper could be worked into various shapes, but was too soft for making tools and swords. Copper smelted from... 

Noranda A continuous copper smelting process, developed in Canada by Noranda Mines, from 1964. 

Sirosmelt [CSIRO smelting] A copper smelting process developed by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia. Used in Miami, AZ. See Isasmelt. 

WORCRA [Womer Conzinc Rio-Tinto of Australia] A family of continuous smelting and refining processes developed by Conzinc Riotinto of Australia in the 1960s. Invented by H. K. Womer. The copper smelting process was piloted in Port Kembla, New South Wales, in 1968, but later abandoned. 

Silver items, however, are also relatively rare in the archaeological record. The most common metal found is either copper, usually alloyed with either tin (bronze) or, in the later periods, zinc (brass), or iron. The latter contains very little lead and, because of severe corrosion problems, its survival rate is often low (but see Degryse et al., 2007). Fortunately, copper can also be characterized from its lead isotope signature, since the primary ore of copper is chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), which often co-occurs with galena (PbS) and sphalerite (ZnS). Even if the ore used is a secondary mineral formed by the oxidation of the primary deposit, the copper smelted from such a deposit would normally be expected to... 

COMPARATIVE MULTI-ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF MINERAL AND ECOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM "KARABASHTOWN" CO-EXISTING WITH A COPPER-SMELTING PLANT. PHYSICOCHEMICAL POINT OF VIEW 137 N.M. BARYSHEVA, N.V. GARMASHEVA, E. V. POLYAKOV, V.T. SURIKOV,V.N. UDACHIN... 

COMPARATIVE MULTI-ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF MINERAL AND ECOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM "KARABASHTOWN" CO-EXISTING WITH A COPPER-SMELTING PLANT. PHYSICOCHEMICAL POINT OF VIEW... 

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