Copper extraction and smelting from chalcocite
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There is a batch of chalcocite containing 60–65% Cu and about 20% S; it is free of Fe, with the remaining impurities being SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, etc. Pyrometallurgical processing techniques are used, and it is required that such processes be mature, practical, have short workflows, low costs, and be environmentally friendly. I would appreciate it if experts could offer some guidance or participate in the discussion, so that we can together develop a reasonable solution. Thank you all.
Flash blowing – such a high grade. If you don’t want to invest too much, converter smelting, Osmund process smelting, bottom-blown furnace smelting, and Noranda process smelting are all options. A closed blast furnace is definitely not suitable; copper of this grade should be used to produce crude copper.
The investment in such advanced technology must be extremely high.
If slag formation is not carried out and sulfur removal is achieved only through blowing, what about the other impurities such as SiO2, CaO, and Al2O3? It is unrealistic to remove large amounts of oxide impurities solely through anode furnace refining, as this process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. We can set aside the specific types of furnaces for now and discuss first how to choose the process flow.
At first, I thought the same way – converting it through a converter would suffice – but upon closer consideration, there are indeed problems.
The process flow is definitely: smelting, refining, and electrolysis!
The key is how much of this thing there is! If the quantity is small, it’s better to sell it! :)
Traditionally, slag formation was carried out to remove iron from the concentrate; nowadays, chalcopyrite contains no iron. If calcium silicate slag is to be formed, phase diagrams show that its lowest melting point is 1544 degrees, a value that cannot be achieved with typical smelting temperatures.
The quantity is acceptable; it is planned to purchase some brass ore or iron ore and mix them together for smelting