Copper mineral deposits are found only in special geological condiliorns and hence their geographical distribution tends to be concentrated. For copper oxide ore, electrowinning is the final stage in the process of hydrometallurgy, in which concentrated copper solution from the heap leaching and solvent extraction processes is used as an electrolyte. Leaching also takes place in nature where the rocks are dissolved by water. Nov 03, 2012 it also shows the reduction process showing copper being reduced out of solution using electricity. During and after mining, the land undergoes various stages of rehabilitation. The four principal stages of copper production are. The commonest ore used in the extraction of copper is chalcopyrite cufes 2 also known as copper pyrites and other such sulfides. Processes extraction, mining, smelting, refining, leaching. Copper mining process information new mexico basics. Waste rock dumps can be covered with topsoil and revegetated while after mining the pit or void can be filled in, using waste rock or it can. Ayres et al the life cycle of copper, its coproducts and byproducts vi table 5. Leaching is a chemical process in mining for extracting valuable minerals from the ore. Some microbes can oxidize those metals, allowing them to dissolve in.
Water requirements of the copper industry by obvillb d. It also shows the reduction process showing copper being reduced out of solution using electricity. The most viable way to recover this ore body is by going underground, using a process called block caving. For example, the ro mans found nearly 100 lensshaped ore bodies in the rio tinto copper district.
Namibias mining sector is dominated by the production of uranium, gold, diamonds and lead. Energy consumption, emissions, wastes and byproducts from the production of 1 tonne of copper from secondary materialsa, germany 1992. Large drilling rigs bore a carefully designed pattern of holes approximately 12 inches in diameter and 60 feet deep into the rock. The process of mining copper begins with drilling and blasting. Underground mining is, however, relatively expensive and is. Underground mining is achieved by sinking shafts to the appropriate levels and then driving horizontal tunnels, called adits, to reach the ore. These methods are supplemented by aerial or satellite photography, and combined. Depending on the mining sequence, the mining rate may differ from the processing rate due to stockpile build or withdrawal.
The two industries ranked together as the primary or basic industries of early civilization. Copper is used to control fungi and marine borers, arsenic to control insects and some copperresistant fungi, and chromium to fix the copper and arsenic in the wood. Pdf data mining is a powerful tool for companies to extract the most important information from their data warehouse. Major minerals are copper and cobalt copper production stands at 465,000 mt, and is expected to reach about 700,000 mt by 2010.
The majority of proposed mining projects involve the extraction of ore deposits such as copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and platinum. Beneficiation by froth flotation of ore to give copper concentrate. Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. Copper mining there are a number of steps to get nearly pure copper from copper ore. Pdf sustainable copper production processes from mine to. Biomining is the process of using microorganisms microbes to extract metals of economic interest from rock ores or mine waste. A look at the underground mining process the resolution copper deposit lies more than a mile beneath the surface. Processing of copper ores copper processing is a complicated process that begins with mining of the ore less than 1% copper and ends with sheets of 99. Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. Zambias major economic activity is mining, and as at 2005, mining contributed about 65% of export earnings. In 2000, the principal mining states, in descending order, arizona, utah, new mexico, and montana, accounted for 99 percent of domestic. The mining, concentration and smeltingrefining processes in use are. Seawater consumption in copper mining, 20182029, by type of process 19 figure 11.
Dilute acidic solutions are introduced to the copperbearing ores, causing dissolution of soluble copper minerals table 1 remaining in the leached cap and underlying enrichment blanket. Additionally, todays mining equipment makes it possible to reduce waste and decrease chemical exposure during all phases of the copper mining process. Overview of mining and its impacts1 proposed mining projects vary according to the type of metals or materials to be extracted from the earth. The largest copper mine in the united states is located in bingham canyon, utah. The pure metal has a facecentred cubic crystal structure, and. Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals. Generally, copper extraction follows the sequence see figure. The holes are filled with an explosive compound of fuel oil and ammonium nitrate which blasts thousands of tons of ore in a single detonation. Post leaching, the rocks areleft with smaller proportion of minerals that they originally contained.
Bulyanhulu gold mine, buzwagi gold mine and north mara gold mine. The elizabeth mine superfund site the site is an abandoned copper mine melting, this ice layer may have created a preferential pathway for water to. For example, the ro mans found nearly 100 lens shaped ore bodies in the rio tinto copper district. Pyrometallurgical techniques use heat to separate copper from copper sulfide ore concentrates.
Copper recovery using leachsolvent extractionelectrowinning. Chapter 6 copper production technology the last boomin technological innovation for the copper industry occurred in the first two decades of this century, whenopen pit mining, flo tation concentration,and the reverberatory smelter were adapted to porphyry copper ores. Faqs with regards to operating a cu er tankhouse above 400 am2 pdf. Copper smelting process furnaces used, byproducts, and. Mining is the process of mining stuff out of the ground. Water consumption in copper mining, 20182029, by stage of advance 22. Download as a pdf citeseer tailings, waste rock, and process residues, all of which discharge mining reclamation, richmond, va, new opportunities to apply our science june 1419, 2008.
Monitoring of the blasted block size distribution bbsd is an important part of the mining process. Mussey abstract the copper industry in 1955 used about 330 million gallons of water per day in the mining and manufacturing of primary copper. Copper minerals and ores are found in both igneous and sedimentary rocks. The percentage of copper in the actual ore is too low for direct extraction of copper to be viable. Process mining, data, science in action, second edition, springerverlag. Copper is found in natural ore deposits around the world. Water consumption in copper mining, 20182029, by condition of projects 20 figure 12. In its pure form or as an alloy, copper cu is one of the most important metals in society. After enrichment steps, the copper concentrates are usually treated by pyrometallurgical methods. From primitive, cumbersome mining methods to compact, efficient modernday equipment, copper mining has become a costeffective, efficient process. Starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. About 80 % of primary copper production comes from lowgrade or poor sulfide ores.
Extraction of copper mining, concentration, smelting. The majority of proposed mining projects involve the extraction of ore deposits such as copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver. Roll your cursor over the steps in the diagram to see a summary of each one. Mining of copper ores is carried out using one of two methods. Energy use in the copper industry all aspects of copper production require energy, whether i n the form of electricity, explosives, or hydrocarbon fuels diesel, gasoline, natural gas, fuel oil, coal, coke, or as the energy equivalent of materials consumed e. Valuable metals are commonly bound up in solid minerals. Tracking the trends 2018 the top 10 issues shaping mining. The process of electrolysis for copper was first developed in the late 19th century and despite numerous advancements in. Copper mining in the united states has been a major industry since the rise of the northern michigan copper district in the 1840s. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. This accepted fact very much relates to the mining and metallurgical industry. Mining can include extraction of metals and minerals, like coal, diamond, gold, silver, platinum, copper, tin and iron.
Once its located within the earth, copper ore goes through eight stages before the consumer sees it in various products that affect every day life in the home and business. Emissions and wastes from four german copper mines in. All of the materials used in heap leaching process and industry specifications of materials are. We are a largescale manufacturer specializing in producing various mining machines including different types of sand and gravel equipment, milling equipment, mineral processing equipment and building materials equipment. The the two ore types can be smelted together to produce matte and a slag with low copper content. Heap leaching is bat for suitable ores because it allows the economical processing of ore that would otherwise be uneconomic under con ditions that can technically achieve regulatory acceptable levels of environmental risk mitigation. Copper processing, the extraction of copper from its ores and the preparation of copper metal or chemical compounds for use in various products. Mining things from the ground is called extraction. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other factors. Follow the process each step of the way from drilling to electrowinning to market. Generally, copper extraction follows the sequence see figure below. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. The copper mark company reserves all rights to recognize all or parts of any other standard system as equivalent to the copper mark criteria. Jxsc mining equipment assisted copper extraction process among mining industry, copper mining process with advanced crusher, concentrator, screen equipment.
This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process. Mining and extraction of copper by surface or underground methods can concentrate and expose radionuclides in the waste rock and tailings tailingsthe remaining portion of a metalbearing ore after some or all of a metal, such as uranium, has been extracted leaching and. The concentration of ore is required and it is done by the froth flotation method. Process steps include mining, concentration, roasting, smelting, converting, and finally fire and electrolytic refining. Mining to smelting goldcopper concentrates in detail introduction rocks are mined and then trucked to the process plant acacia operates three gold mines in tanzania. This is another article in my series on the smelting of metals, this one focusing on the smelting of copper. Report on copper, chromium and arsenic cca treated timber by deborah read, 2003 6 copper mining, production wastes and the environment. The leaching process used by the copper mining industry is known as solution.
The life cycle of copper, its coproducts and byproducts. Fact sheets phelps dodge morenci has converted all copper production to mineforleach how hydrometallurgy and the sxew process made copper the green metal. Copper recovery using leachsolvent extractionelectrowinning technology 65 figure 2 and a catalytic amount of lix 63, was introduced in 19657 and in march 1968 the first commercial copper lsxew operation, the bluebird plan of ranchers exploration and development corporation, came on line1. The adoption of new technologies initiated this shift, as miners recognized the power of digital solutions to remove waste in the areas of execution, process, structure, and design. Block caving is a proven mining method using advanced technologies. The actual cost of copper produced by leaching methods is, however, not of so much importance as the fact that ore may be handled in this manner which is not amenable to reduction by any other process. There is a broad range of tenorm concentrations in copper mining wastes. This flowchart made of machinery icons explains or expresses in simple but clear terms the step of the copper mining and copper extraction process starting from either openpit or underground mining and using a different relevant treatment method for oxide or sulphide copper mineral ore. Existing image processing methods for measuring the. We shall begin by looking at the mining and processing of the copper bearing ore, followed by an examination of an established and a modern copper smelting process. Forecast for water consumption in the copper mining industry. Water consumption in copper mining, 20182029, by type of process 18 figure 10. Theoretical and practical design 2 introduction the electrowinning of copper ions derived from leaching, or solvent extraction is a significant contributor to the global copper commodity supply.