Copper ores are typically found deep within the Earth’s crust and must be brought to the surface

for
processing.

Mining

Mining is the initial step in the extraction of copper from its natural ore deposits.

There are two common methods: Open-Pit Mining and Underground Mining.

Open-Pit Mining: This method is used when shallow copper ore deposits near the Earth’s surface. It
involves the excavation of a large, open pit to reach the ore, overburden(soil, rock, and other materials),
drilling, blasting, and transporting the fragmented ore.

Underground Mining: It is is a method used to extract copper from ore deposits located deep beneath
the Earth’s surface. Tunnels and shafts are constructed to access the ore safely. It also includes drilling,
blasting, and hauling ore to the surface through vertical shafts.

Copper ores can contain various copper minerals, such as chalcopyrite. Once the ore is reached, it
undergoes extraction processes like crushing, grinding, and separating the valuable copper minerals
from waste material.

Milling (Concentration)

Milling, also known as concentration, is a critical step to increase the concentration of copper in the
extracted ore. A high-grade copper concentrate that can be further processed is obtained during this
process.

Process:

Crushing and grinding: The ore is initially crushed into smaller pieces to increase the surface area for
further processing. Grinding mills are used to further reduce the ore into a fine powder. This process
facilitates the separation of valuable copper minerals from waste rock.

Separation: The powdered ore is mixed with water and chemicals to create a slurry. Froth flotation is
commonly used, where chemical reagents cause the copper minerals to attach to bubbles in the slurry.
These bubbles float to the surface, where the valuable copper minerals can be separated from the waste
material.

Froth Flotation: In this process, chemical reagents are added to the slurry to create a froth that
selectively attaches to the copper minerals. The froth is skimmed off, leaving behind the concentrated
copper minerals.

Smelting (Metal Extraction)

Smelting is the next stage in the process. It is the process where the concentrated copper ore is
transformed into a more usable form. This usually results in the production of copper matte, which
contains copper, iron, and sulfur.

Smelting requires high temperatures in specialized furnaces called smelters. These furnaces can reach
extremely high temperatures, 1000°C (1832°F). Copper concentrate, along with other materials such as
fluxes and reducing agents, is charged into the smelting furnace. The fluxes help remove impurities, and
the reducing agents assist in reducing copper minerals. The concentrated ore is heated to the point
where chemical reactions occur. The copper minerals in the concentrate are reduced, meaning they lose
oxygen atoms and become metallic copper. Impurities, such as sulfur and iron, are removed as slag,
which floats on top of the molten copper. During smelting, impurities, such as sulfur and iron, are
removed, leaving behind copper matte as the primary product. In smelting, chemical reactions occur
that remove impurities and transform the ore into a more suitable form for further refining.

Refining

Refining is the final step in the process to produce high-purity copper for various applications. It further
purifies the copper matte obtained from smelting. The refining process removes any remaining
impurities.

Fire Refining: The copper matte, obtained from smelting, contains impurities like sulfur and iron. The
matte is heated in a furnace to high temperatures. This process oxidizes and removes sulfur, converting it
into sulfur dioxide gas to be released. Iron, which forms a slag, is also removed during this process. The
slag is skimmed off the surface and discarded. After fire refining, the remaining copper is in the form of
blister copper, which contains a small amount of impurities. The blister copper is heated in another
furnace and further purified. This process involves blowing air or oxygen through the molten copper to
oxidize and remove any remaining impurities.

Electrorefining: To achieve even higher purity, electrorefining is used. The electrolyte contains copper
ions, and a copper cathode is immersed in the solution. An electric current is passed through the system.
Copper ions migrate from the solution and are deposited onto the cathode. This electrodeposition
process results in the formation of pure copper metal on the cathode. The pure copper cathodes are
periodically removed from the electrorefining tank and finally, we get the pure raw copper.