In this I/GCSE Chemistry blog post, we will be focusing on the extraction of the metal, copper.
Copper can be extracted from copper-rich ores by heating the ores in a furnace (smelting).
- The copper can be purified by electrolysis.
- The supply of copper-rich ores is limited and is being depleted. Traditional mining and extraction have major environmental impacts.
Smelting processes
New ways of extracting copper from low-grade ores are being researched to limit the environmental impact of traditional mining. Copper can be extracted by phytomining, or by bioleaching.
Candidates should know and understand that:
- Phytomining
uses plants to absorb metal compounds and that the plants are burned to produce ash that contains the metal compounds
- Bioleaching
uses bacteria to produce leachate solutions that contain metal compounds.
Copper can be obtained from solutions of copper salts by electrolysis.
- Copper can be obtained from solutions of copper salts by displacement using scrap iron.
- We should recycle metals because extracting them uses limited resources, and is expensive in terms of energy and in terms of effects on the environment.
That is all for this post!
References:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl56LUrAxZH4&psig=AOvVaw301Fy5wlboS5eLM598_0ro&ust=1629132738298000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCMiE3cO-s_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metalcess.com%2Fmetal_extracting%2Fcopper%2FCopper_Blast_Furnace_Smelting_18_show.html&psig=AOvVaw310o5CaMgjI4VQhyiCOAQ6&ust=1629132785945000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCIjnidu-s_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbyjus.com%2Fjee%2Felectrolytic-refining%2F&psig=AOvVaw3ExkVvAEYL_o2yXOMPuqPn&ust=1629133489815000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCMDLlarBs_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD