From ore to cathodes
The process of turning copper ore into cathodes involves several key steps.
First, copper ore is mined, then crushed and ground into a fine powder. This powdered ore is mixed with water and chemicals, a process called flotation, which separates valuable copper minerals from waste materials.
The resulting concentrate, rich in copper, undergoes smelting, where it is heated to extract pure copper.
This pure copper is then converted into anodes and refined through electrorefining. In this step, anodes are placed in an electrolytic cell with a copper sulfate solution. Electricity is applied, causing copper ions to migrate from the anodes to the cathodes, where they plate onto pure copper cathodes.
↓ See timeline further down ↓
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Production Timeline
The first step in the process
Copper ore is first mined and then transported to a primary crusher for initial reduction in size. Crushing reduces the ore into smaller pieces, typically to a size of a few centimeters or less. This process increases the surface area of the ore, making it easier to extract the copper during subsequent steps.
Further reducing in size
After crushing, the ore is further reduced in size by milling. This involves grinding the ore into a fine powder. The ground ore is then mixed with water and chemicals to create a slurry, which is a thick, watery mixture.
Subjecting the slurry
The ore slurry is then subjected to a leaching process, usually using sulfuric acid. The acid reacts with the copper minerals in the ore, dissolving them into the solution and forming copper sulfate. Copper sulfate is soluble in water and can be easily separated from the solid impurities in the ore.
The pregnant leach solution (PLS)
After leaching, the resulting solution, known as a pregnant leach solution (PLS), contains dissolved copper along with other impurities. The PLS is sent to a thickener, where solid impurities are settled at the bottom, and a clear solution containing copper remains at the top. This clear solution is then extracted for further processing.
Separating from the PLS
Solvent extraction is used to separate copper from the PLS. A chemical solution, known as a solvent, is mixed with the PLS. The solvent binds with the copper ions in the solution. The solvent, now containing the copper, is separated from the rest of the solution. The copper-laden solvent is then sent to the electrowinning circuit for the final copper recovery.
The last step
In the electrowinning circuit, the copper-laden solvent is introduced into an electrolytic cell. The cell contains two electrodes: a cathode and an anode, both made of high-purity copper. An electric current is passed through the cell. Copper ions in the solvent migrate to the cathode, where they gain electrons and deposit as pure copper metal. The copper deposited on the cathode is periodically harvested as high-purity copper sheets or cathodes. This electrowinning process allows for the final extraction of copper in its pure form from the solvent.
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