Sulphide ores

The copper sulphides are divided into three types: a) pure sulphides (chalcocite and covellite). b)copper and iron sulphides (chalcopyrite and bornite). c) complex sulphide (enargite) The chalcopyrite copper ore is more widely distributed.

Mineral Processing
mineralized rock

release

Size separation

separation of valuable mineral

concentrate

tailings

 The first stage is called comminution and is divided into three stages: Crushing Classification Grinding

 Comminution is a term used to denote processes in size reduction. Objectives comminution processes: to release the material interest of the mineral. accelerate the reaction rate in concentration processes. produce mineral particles of defined size and shape.

Comminution process stages

comminution stages are the crushing and grinding. There is a size limit for which the crushers are efficient, after this, the mills are used, those conducting the reduction of material finer sizes.

Crushing
First stage of size reduction Is normally done by machines (crushers), they move slowly, apply big forces over mineral rocks. The crushers are big electrical equipment. In these devices, the elements that crush the rock by vibratory movements are constructed of a special alloy of high strength steel. The crushers are feed through the top and unload the crushed ore in its lower part an opening through graded according to the required diameter.

Crushing objetives
Reduce the size of rock from the mine. Producing particles with a convenient size and shape. To Increase the surface area of the particles. There may be three stages of crushing.

Crushers
There are various types of crushers, each of which has a specific job, either in the fragmentation of big boulders (gyratory and jaw crushers ), in the fragmentation of material of intermediate size (cone crushers and roller crusher) or fragmentation of small sizes (roller crushers, hammer crushers and vertical shaft impactors, VSI).

Screens
Screens classify particles according to their form and size. objectives are: Prevent material that has not been sufficiently crushed to pass another reduction step. Prepare materials with a narrow range of sizes for concentration processes.

Grinding
The milling process uses large cylindrical rotary equipment in two different ways: conventional grinding or milling SAG. At this stage, the mineralized material is added to water in sufficient quantities forming a fluid and reagents required to perform the following process.

Conventional milling
The conventional milling is performed in two stages, using mill bar and ball mill, although in modern plants only used the second. In both mills the mineral is mixed with water to achieve a homogeneous and efficient milling. the pulp obtained by the grinding is carried onto the next step is flotation.

Autogenous Grinding
The mineral is received directly from the primary crusher with a size close to? 8 inches (20 cm) and mixed with water and lime. This material is reduced by the action of the same material present in particulate mineralized of different size and by the action of numerous steel balls (diameter of 5 inches), which occupy 12% of their capacity.

Flotation
Flotation is a physicochemical process which allows separation of the copper sulphide minerals and other elements such as molybdenum, the rest of the minerals that make up most of the original rock. The pulp from the mill, is introduced into flotation cells. From the bottom of the cells, is bubbled air and the mixture is kept in constant agitation. Bubbles dragged to the surface the sulphide minerals.

 the concentrate obtained in the which the copper content was increased from values of the order of 1% (original rock) to value of up to 31% of total copper. The final concentrate is dried by filtration and lend to the smelting process.

Copper smelting
the objective is to obtain the state change from solid to liquid, so that the copper is separated from the other elements of the concentrate. fusion in the copper concentrate is subjected to high temperatures (1.200 C). When passing into the liquid state, the elements of the minerals present in the concentrate are separated according to their weight, the lighter being in the top, copper is concentrated at the bottom. This makes it possible to separate the two sides emptying by different routes.

Anode
the anodes are heavy copper plates product of the smelting stage, which is subjected to refining by electrolysis, in which all the copper dissolves and is deposited at the cathode of pure copper, which is a product of high purity, and impurities (gold, silver, etc.) is deposited at the bottom of the cell.

Electro refining
Electro refining has two objectives: a) Remove impurities that damage electrical and mechanical properties of copper. b) separating the valuable copper impurities. These can be recovered as byproducts after metal.

Cathodes
copper plates of high purity obtained of the electrorefining process. These high purity cathode have a concentration of 99.9% of copper.