Copper smelting

Copper smelting extracts metallic copper from copper-bearing ore through high-temperature chemical reactions, usually involving reduction and separation of molten products.

Chalcopyrite: A copper iron sulfide mineral and the most important source of copper ore. Its sulfides are converted through roasting and smelting into copper-rich matte.
Chalcolithic: The prehistoric period marked by the use of copper alongside stone tools. Early smelting helped distinguish this transitional era from purely stone-tool cultures.
Copper ore: Rock containing copper minerals in concentrations suitable for extraction. Smelting begins with ore or a concentrate made by enriching it.
Flash smelting: A process that smelts sulfide concentrates using the heat released by oxidation reactions. It produces copper matte efficiently while recovering heat and sulfur dioxide.
Sulfur dioxide: A colorless, pungent gas produced by burning sulfur-containing materials. Oxidizing sulfide ore releases sulfur dioxide, a major smelter emission.
Roasting: Heating an ore in air to drive off volatile substances and oxidize components. Roasting removes sulfur from sulfide ores before or during smelting.
Belovode: An archaeological site in Serbia with evidence of early copper smelting dating to the fifth millennium BCE. Its furnace remains and slag provide evidence for some of the earliest known smelting.
Sulfide mineral: A mineral composed of one or more metals or metalloids chemically bonded to sulfur. Most copper smelting treats sulfide minerals whose sulfur must be removed.
Outokumpu flash smelting: A flash-smelting process developed in Finland for treating copper and other sulfide concentrates. This widely adopted design illustrates modern continuous copper smelting.
Acid rain: Precipitation made unusually acidic by atmospheric pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Uncaptured sulfur dioxide from smelters can form acids in the atmosphere.

Linked from 8 pages