Primary: ores

1.

Sulfide minerals - most commonly present in the earths crust

a. Copper-Iron Sulfide
chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (CusFeS4)

b. Copper Sulfide
chalcocite (Cu2S)
2. Oxidized minerals- present to a lesser extent
(Carbonates, oxides, hydroxy-silicates)

Secondary: scrap copper & copper alloys

Extraction of Copper:
Pyrometallurgical

Copper-Iron-Sulfides are not easily dissolved by

aqueous solutions.

**Cu/Cu-alloy scrap---recovered by simple melting of high-purity

scrap and smelting/refining of impure scrap**

Hydrometallurgical
Oxidized minerals, Copper Sulfide (Chalcocite)

Hydrometallurgical
Extraction of Copper
Leaching (heap), preceded by:
crushing, agglomeration & acid curing, heaping
Solvent extraction
Electrowinning

Ore Preparation:
Crushing, Agglomeration, Heaping
The crushed ore is agglomerated with sulfuric acid in revolving long
drums. This

agglomerates the fines created during crushing and

(ii) acid cures the ore. The agglomerated material is then placed on
the leach heaps.
(i)

1. Leaching

3. Electrowinning
2. Solvent
extraction

Electrolyte, 40 kg Cu/m3

Stripped cathod plates

1. Heap leaching
(length of leach cycle:
days-months)

almost

all of hydrometallurgically produced coppers are

produced by heap leaching
-sprinkling/trickling dilute H2S04-H20 solution through large
'heaps' of ore under normal atmospheric conditions

 Impermeable base

Leach heaps are always built on an impermeable base (clay

and/or synthetic material, see figure) . This permits complete
collection of the leached Cu++ and prevents solution penetration
into the underlying environment.
Ore placement
Leach heaps are laid on their impermeable base by (i) dumping ore
from trucks or by (ii) stacking the ore with a mobile conveyor.
Aeration
A leach heap is a pile of ore pieces with the pieces surrounded by
air. Lixiviant trickles through the heap down the ore surfaces and
through cracks in the ore pieces.
Oxidized minerals are rapidly dissolved by sulfuric acid by
reactions like:
CUO + H2S04 ---> Cu++ + SO4-- + H2O

Sulfide minerals, on the other hand, require oxidation,

schematically
Cu2S + (5/2)O2 + H2SO4 --> 2Cu++ + 2SO4-- + H2O
bacteria enzyme catalyst
in air
(Thiobacillus
ferrooxidans)

Pregnant solution collection

The solution then flows by pipeline from the collection trench to a

pond or tank and sent from there by gravity or pumping to
solvent extraction/ electrowinning for copper metal
production.
__________________
Other Leaching Processes
Minor Cu leaching processes are in situ , tailings and agitation
leaching of oxide concentrates and roaster calcines.

2. Solvent extraction
The pregnant leach solutions produced by most leaching

operations are:
(a) too dilute in Cu (1-6 kg Cu/m3)
(b) too impure (1 - 10 kg Fe/m3)
Solvent extraction provides the means for producing pure,
high Cu++ electrolytes from dilute, impure pregnant leach
solutions.
The process consists of:
(a) extracting Cu from aqueous pregnant leach solution into
an organic extractant (oximes-aldoximes and ketoximes)
(b) separating the aqueous and organic phases by gravity
(c) stripping Cu from the organic extractant into highH2S04 electrowinning electrolyte.
Extraction and stripping are carried out in large mixer-settlers.

3. Electrowinning
In this final step, the rich electrolyte is pumped
through a series of tanks or "cells" in the
Electrowinning tank house. Hanging in the
tanks are insoluble lead plates, alternating
with sheets of thin copper or stainless steel.
Each lead plate serves as the anode pole of an
electric circuit. The thin copper sheets, called
starter sheets, or the stainless steel sheets,
called blanks, serve as the cathode pole. A
direct current passes from the anode through
the electrolyte to the starter sheet or blank,
causing the copper ions in the electrolyte
solution to plate (attach) onto the starter
sheet or blank. After six to seven days in the
tank house, 100- to 300-pound copper
cathodes that are 99.999 percent pure and
ready for market are harvested. The
electrolyte that has passed through the tank
house, now depleted of its copper, is returned
as "lean electrolyte" to the stripping step of the
process to begin that cycle again.

 Davenport, W.G., King, M., Schlesinger, M., Biswas, A.K. (2002).

Extractive Metallurgy of Copper. Oxford, UK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Ltd

U.S. EPA. (1994). EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION OF ORES

AND MINERALS COPPER. Retrived on September 20, 2015 from

http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/industrial/special/mining/tech
docs/copper/copper1a.pdf