Ore Concentration
Metallurgy
The process of extraction of
metals from their ores is called
metallurgy.
Production of metals
Mining of ores.
Crushing and Grinding of ores.
Pulverisation of ores.
Concentration and Beneficiation of ore.
Extration of metal from concentrated ore.
Refining of metal.
Type of Ore
Ore concentration
Also called ore dressing, the aim is to increase
the amount of metal in each tonne of ore. The
ore is crushed then ground and concentrated,
the following methods may be used:
Gravity concentration
Flotation
Magnetic separation
Amalgamation
Gravity concentration
Some ores are heavier than the waste. The
ore is shaken by a jolting box, or similar,
while wet.
Particles will separate into layers depending
on weight, the metal may be removed as a
layer.
Gravity Concentration
Flotation
The fine particles of ore are swirled around
in large tanks with air blown in and flotation
agents added. The particles attach to the
bubbles and float to the surface where the
froth is skimmed off.
Magnetic seperation
In the seperation of ores that
have magnetic properties, the
ore is ground and passed
over a rotating drum.
The drum has a magnet
inside it which holds the
magnetic ore particles as the
waste falls outside the screen.
The ore held on the drum can
be released or scraped off.
Magnetic seperation
[Link]
Metal extraction
The process of extracting metals from
concentrates:
Pyrometallurgy – furnace heat is used with a
reducing agent (iron uses coke) and a flux to
produce metal and slag waste.
Hydrometallurgy – leaching dissolves ore in a
solvent and then electrolysis is used to
separate the metal.
Thermo-electrometallurgy. Aluminium can be
extracted from salt or mineral mixtures by
electrolysis. It uses a lot of electricity making
it an expensive process. Blister copper is
refined by electrolysis.
Extration Of Iron
The extraction of Iron is a reductive process whereby oxygen is
removed from the iron oxide by carbon monoxide. The process
occurs within a Steel blast furnace lined with refractive(fire) bricks
at temperatures from 800C upto 1900C. The Chamber is kept hot
by jets of hot air at over 800C, giving it the name “Blast” furnace.
Starting Materials
2. Lime(CaCO3)
1. Haematite ore
3. Coke
Extraction of Iron: Step1 Burning of Lime
Iron ore, limestone(CaCO3) and
coke are delivered to the top of
the blast furnace, where the
temperature is around 800C.
The lime stone burns at 800C
yielding calcium oxide(CaO) and
Carbon Dioxide(CO2).
CaCO3 CaO + CO2
The Calcium oxide causes
impurities which are present with
the ore to fall as a precipitate
near to the bottom producing a
layer of “slag”.
Extraction of Iron:
Step 2 Production of Carbon Monoxide
The carbon Dioxide yielded
from the Burning of Lime
passes over the coke. Coke
is a coal like substance
produced from the heating
of Tar and Petrochemicals
without heat and contains a
high percentage of carbon.
The Carbon atoms of coke
remove a single oxygen
from each molecule of CO2
producing carbon
monoxide.
CO2 + C 2 CO
Extraction of Iron: Step 3 Reduction of Iron
The Carbon monoxide yielded from the
reaction of Carbon dioxide and lime
removes the oxygen from Iron oxide.
Each Carbon monoxide molecule is
capable of binding a single oxygen so 3
are used to completely remove all
oxygen from the iron oxide.
Fe2O3 + 3 CO -> 2Fe(s) + 3 CO2
The molten iron sinks to the bottom
lowest level of the furnace, where it can
be tapped off.
The iron produced by this process is
called pig iron and is 95% pure.
Extraction of Iron: overview
Production of iron from it’s ore
uses Carbon monoxide to reduce
Iron oxide to iron atoms.
Removes
impurities : slag
production
[Link] burns
CaCO3 -> CaO + CO2
2. CO2 reduced by coke to CO
CO2 + C -> 2 CO
3. Iron oxide reduced by CO.
Fe2O3 + 3CO -> 2Fe + 3CO2
Extraction of Aluminium
Aluminium is extracted using electrolysis
because it is too reactive to be extracted
using carbon.
Raw materials
Bauxite :- ore containing hydrated
aluminium oxide ,i.e Al2O3.2H2O.
The ore is dissolved in cryolite ,i,e molten
sodium aluminium fluoride (Na3AlF6) to
lower the melting point approximately up to
900 degree celsius.
Carbon electrodes.
The electrolysis cell
Carbon anode
Molten
aluminium oxide
Oxygen bubbles
cathode
Molten aluminium
Steel case
Temperature 900 C
Reactions in the cell
At the cathode
Al3+ + 3e- Al
At the anode
2O2- O2 + 4e-
The oxygen formed reacts with the carbon
anodes to form carbon dioxide.
Carbon anodes have to be replaced
periodically because they get dissolved during
the cell reaction.
OCCURRENCE OF COPPER
Copper pyrite or chalcopyrite i.e CuFeS2
Chalocite (Cu S) or copper glance.
2
Malachite green [[Link](OH )2
Azurite blue [[Link](OH)2].
Bornite (3Cu2S.Fe2S3) or peacock ore.
Melaconite (CuO) etc.
STEPS INVOLVED IN EXTRACTION
CONCENTRATION
ROASTING
SMELTING
BESSEMERIZATION
REFINING
CONCENTRATION OF ORE
FROTH FLOATATION PROCESS
ROASTING
The following reaction takes place.
2CuFeS + O Cu S + 2FeS + SO
2 2 2 2
S + O2 SO2
4As + 3O2 2As2O3
4Sb + 3O2 2Sb2O3
Cuprous sulphide and ferrous sulphide
are further oxidized into their oxides.
2Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2
2FeS + 3O2 2FeO + 2SO2
SMELTING
The roasted ore is mixed with coke
and silica (sand) SiO2 and is introduced
in to a blast furnace. The hot air is
blasted and FeO is converted in to
ferrous silicate (FeSiO3).
FeO+ SiO2 FeSiO3
Cu2O + FeS Cu2S + FeO
FeSiO (slag) floats over the molten matte
3
of copper
BESSEMERIZATION
Copper metal is extracted from
molten matte through
bessemerization. The matte is
introduced in to Bessemer converter
which uphold by tuyers. The air is
blown through the molten matte.
Blast of air converts Cu2S partly into
Cu2O which reacts with remaining
Cu2S to give molten copper.
BESSEMERIZATION
2Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2
2Cu2O + Cu2S 6Cu + SO2
REFINING OF COPPER
Cu Cu+2 + 2e-
(at the anode)
Cu+2 +2e- Cu (at
the cathode)
This
electrically
refined copper
is 100% pure
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