One of the first metals to which people learned to work, was the copper, or in Latin Cuprum (Cu).Her role in the development of human civilization is simply impossible to exaggerate: the whole epoch in the history called "Bronze Age" (Bronze - an alloy of tin and copper).Get this beautiful and malleable metal (copper color - a golden-pink) learned to BC.The words "bornite", "chalcopyrite", "chalcocite", "covelline", "enargite" "cuprite" sound like the name of something unusual, in fact some of the so-called copper-bearing ores.The source of this metal was copper ore.
Cuprum in nature may be in the form of nuggets and the form of compounds.There are several different types of copper ores, which composition can be divided into sulfide, oxidized and mixed.Typically copper ore is complex, it contains many other elements and compounds - sulfides of lead, zinc, nickel and other elements.Furthermore, in its composition there are trace elements - selenium, tellurium, cadmium, indium, and the like.As the cost of these metals is at least 50% of Cuprum, extracted from the rock.
most commonly used sulfide ores comprising compounds of Cu with sulfur.Needless copper production consists of several distinct stages.The main method of its production is a pyrometallurgical.
copper ore usually contains a small amount of Cuprum, so the rock is subjected to a pre-enrichment.For this purpose it is pulverized, mixed with water and some special substance, and then placed in a flotation machine.There, the whole is stirred, sulphide particles rise to the surface as a foam and carried away, and the waste is deposited on the bottom.
next stage of processing, which takes copper ore, called "smelting matte."To the concentrate was added a mixture of sand and heated to the melting point of the metal.With such exposure sulfur is oxidized to sulfur oxides, and the molten metal is collected at the bottom of the furnace.This melt is poured into a converter and blown with air.As a result, the oxidation of sulfur obtained metallic copper, which is poured into molds.Upon cooling these ingots (in which the Cu content of 98%) sulfur dioxide is released.His capture and then used as a raw material for the production of sulfuric acid.
to obtain the required purity of the metal must be subjected to blister copper refining.It is of two types - burn or electrolytic.Refining can also receive the noble metals contained in the resulting blister copper.
Fire refining is carried out in special furnaces, electrolysis is carried out in baths, lined vinyl plastic or lead.
for fire refining the resulting preform into the furnace and melted.Then start blowing air through molten metal.Oxidation of the impurities passes into the slag, and the other sublimes and is removed from the furnace gases.Oxidized also Cuprum.All noble metals remain in the melt.Reduction of oxidized copper occurs in the interaction with the carbon source which protrude gas mixture and paromazutnaya t. D. This operation is called irritation copper.Thus Cu recovering carbon timber.Then the ingot casting or special anode plate for electrolytic refining.
By electrolysis refining recourse in the case where copper is intended for use in the electrical industry, or when it contains a large amount of precious metals (silver, gold, platinum).
the electrolysis bath filled with electrolyte, it is placed in a refined copper as the anode and cathode as pure Cu, and a current is passed through the bath.As a result, the cathode is deposited pure metal (purity - up to 99.95%).
