What is metallurgy?

is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical

and chemical behaviour of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds,
and their mixtures, which are called alloys.

What is the purpose of metallurgy?

To examine the microscopic mechanisms that affect the behaviour of metals,

their composites and alloys

To process and extract the metal from an ore

To produce metals and alloys

Division of metallurgy
Extractive Metallurgy- is the practice of removing valuable metals
from an ore and refining the extracted raw metals into a purer form.

Mineral Processing
Begins with beneficiation, consisting of initially breaking down the ore
to required sizes depending on the concentration process to be followed, by
crushing, grinding, sieving etc. Thereafter, the ore is physically separated
from any unwanted impurity, depending on the form of occurrence and/or
further process involved. Separation processes take advantage of physical
properties of the materials.
Comminution
Is particle size reduction of materials.
Crushing and grinding are the two primary comminution processes.
Crushing is normally carried out on "run-of-mine" ore, while grinding
(normally carried out after crushing) may be conducted on dry or
slurried material. In comminution, the size reduction of particles is
done by three types of forces: compression, impact and attrition.
Sizing

Sizing is the general term for separation of particles according to their

size.

The simplest sizing process is screening, or passing the particles to be

sized through a screen or number of screens. Screening equipment can
include grizzlies, bar screens, wedge wire screens, radial sieves, banana
screens, multi-deck screens, vibratory screen, fine screens, flip flop
screens and wire mesh screens.

Concentration

There are a number of ways to increase the concentration of the wanted

minerals: in any particular case the method chosen will depend on the
relative physical and surface chemical properties of the mineral and
the gangue.

Gravity Separation, Froth Flotation,Panning and Magnetic Separation are

ways to increase concentration.

Dewatering

The purpose of dewatering is to remove water absorbed by the particles

which increases the pulp density. This is done for a number of reasons,
specifically, to enable ore handling and concentrates to be transported
easily, allow further processing to occur and to dispose of the gangue.

Hydrometallurgy
Hydrometallurgy is a metal processing technology that uses a chemical
process combining water, oxygen or other substances in a pressurized or other
vessel to dissolve a metal from its ore, concentrate or an intermediate product .
Further processing is required to produce high purity metal.

Leaching

is the loss or extraction of certain materials from a carrier into a liquid

(usually, but not always a solvent).

There are 5 basic leaching reactor configuration : In-Situ, Heap, Vat, Tank and
Autoclave.

In-situ leaching - is also called "solution mining." The process initially involves
drilling of holes into the ore deposit. Explosives or hydraulic fracturing are
used to create open pathways within the deposit for solution to penetrate
into. Leaching solution is pumped into the deposit where it makes contact
with the ore. The solution is then collected and processed. The Beverley
uranium deposit is an example of In-situ leaching.

heap leaching processes, crushed (and sometimes agglomerated) ore is piled

in a heap which is lined with an impervious layer. Leach solution is sprayed
over the top of the heap, and allowed to percolate downward through the
heap. The heap design usually incorporates collection sumps, which allow the
"pregnant" leach solution (i.e. solution with dissolved valuable metals) to be
pumped for further processing. An example is gold cyanidation, where
pulverized ores are extracted with a solution of sodium cyanide, which, in the
presence of air, dissolves the gold, leaving behind the nonprecious residue.

Vat leaching, also called agitation leaching, involves contacting material,

which has usually undergone size reduction and classification, with leach
solution in large vats.

Stirred tank, also called agitation leaching, involves contacting material,

which has usually undergone size reduction and classification, with leach
solution in agitated tanks. The agitation can enhance reaction kinetics by
enhancing mass transfer. Tanks are often configured as reactors in series.

Autoclave reactors are used for reactions at higher temperatures, which can
enhance the rate of the reaction. Similarly, autoclaved enable the use
gaseous reagents in the system.

Solution purification and concentration

This step usually involves chemical separations. Its purpose is

removing undesirable impurities to increase the metal concentration.

the solution purification can be stated to be achieved by using any one

or a combination of the following processes: ion exchange carbon
adsorption solvent extraction

Metal recovery

At this point, the metal needs to be recovered from solution in the solid
form. This is either achieved chemically, or electrochemically.

Pyrometallurgy
Pyrometallurgy or the use of heat for the treatment, includes smelting and
roasting. It involves heating in a blast furnace at temperatures above 1500C to
convert waste to a form that can be refined.

Calcination

Calcination is thermal decomposition of a material. Examples include

decomposition of hydrates such as ferric hydroxide to ferric oxide and
water vapor. The decomposition of calcium carbonate to calcium oxide
and carbon dioxide as well as iron carbonate to iron oxide.

Calcination processes are carried out in a variety of furnaces,

including shaft furnaces, rotary kilns, and fluidized bed reactors.

Roasting

Heating in air without fusion, transforms sulfide ores into oxides, the
sulfur escaping as sulfur dioxide, a gas.

The most common example of roasting is the oxidation of metal sulfide

ores.

Smelting

Smelting makes use of heat and a chemical reducing agent to

decompose the ore, driving off other elements as gases or slag and

leaving just the metal base behind. The reducing agent is commonly a
source of carbon such ascoke, or in earlier times charcoal. The carbon
(or carbon monoxide derived from it) removes oxygen from the ore,
leaving behind the elemental metal. The carbon is thus oxidized in two
stages, producing first carbon monoxide and then carbon dioxide. As
most ores are impure, it is often necessary to use flux, such
as limestone, to remove the accompanying rock gangue as slag.

Refining

consists of purifying an impure material, in this case a metal. It is to be

distinguished from other processes such as smelting and calciningin
that those two involve a chemical change to the raw material, whereas
in refining, the final material is usually identical chemically to the
original one, only it is purer. The processes used are of many types,
including pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical techniques.

Electrometallurgy
Involves metallurgical processes that take place in some form of electrolytic cell.
The most common types of electrometallurgical processes
are electrowinning and electro-refining. Electrowinning is an electrolysis process
used to recover metals in aqueous solution, usually as the result of an ore having
undergone one or more hydrometallurgical processes. The metal of interest is
plated onto the cathode, while the anode is an inert electrical conductor.

Electro winning

ElectroRefining

is the electrodeposition of metals from their ores that have been put in
solution via a process commonly referred to as leaching.

Electro-refining is used to dissolve an impure metallic anode (typically

from a smelting process) and produce a high purity cathode

ElectroPlating

is a process that uses electric current to reduce dissolved

metal cations so that they form a coherent metal coating on
anelectrode. The term is also used for
electrical oxidation of anions onto a solid substrate, as in the formation
silver chloride on silver wire to make silver/silver-chloride electrodes.

The most common form of electroplating is used for creating coins

such as pennies, which are small zinc plates covered in a layer
of copper.

ElectroForming

is a metal forming process that forms metals

through electrodeposition or electroplating on a model, known in the
industry as a mandrel.

Adaptive Metallurgy -is the practice of removing valuable metals from

an ore and refining the extracted raw metals into a purer form.

Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually

poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and
then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is
ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process. Casting materials
are usually metals or various cold setting materials that cure after mixing two
or more components together; examples
are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is most often used for making
complex shapes that would be oTherwise difficult or uneconomical to make
by other methods.

Forming, or metal forming, is the metalworking process of fashioning

metal parts and objects through mechanical deformation; the workpiece is
reshaped without adding or removing material, and its mass remains
unchanged.[1] Forming operates on the materials science principle of plastic
deformation, where the physical shape of a material is permanently
deformed.

Powder metallurgy (PM) is a term covering a wide range of ways in which

materials or components are made from metal powders. PM processes can
avoid, or greatly reduce, the need to use metal removal processes, thereby
drastically reducing yield losses in manufacture and often resulting in lower
costs.
Powders of the elements titanium, vanadium, thorium, niobium, tantalum,
calcium, and uranium have been produced by high-temperature reduction of
the corresponding nitridesand carbides. Iron, nickel, uranium, and beryllium
submicrometre powders are obtained by reducing
metallic oxalates and formates. Exceedingly fine particles also have been
prepared by directing a stream of molten metal through a hightemperature plasma jet or flame, atomizing the material. Various chemical
and flame associated powdering processes are adopted in part to prevent
serious degradation of particle surfaces by atmospheric oxygen.

RUN OF MINE ORE

Classification Is a method of separating a mixture of minerals into two or

more products on the basis at which the individual particles will settle down
through a fluid medium.
Concentration Is the actual separation of the ore mineral form their
associated gangue minerals in order to produce and enriched portion known
as concentrate and a discarded portion known as the tails.

Flotation

Magnetic separation

Gravity concentration

Hand picking

Cyanidation

Chlorination

Amalgamation

Production

After metals are extracted, they are now utilized for creating engineering
materials and components for consumers. Most products are alloys in order
to reduce the overall cost of the material while preserving important
properties.

Properties of metals

Hardness

Strength

Malleability

Ductility

Electrical Conductivity

Luster

Tough

High Density