Copper Production:
1. All copper is found in ores which are in the lithosphere.
First step is Mining and crushing
-When mining you have to mine sulfide and oxide ores though with either digger of blasting and then crushing it to walnut-sized pieces.
2. Second is Grinding
Then the crushed ore is rod-milled in large, rotating, cylindrical machines until it becomes a powder, and that power usually contains less than 1% copper. The Sulfide ores are taken to a concentrating stage, while the oxide ores are routine to leaching tanks.
3. Third Concentration
When minerals are concentrated they are concentrated into a slurry that is about 15% copper. Then the waste is removed, and the water is recoiled. The left over tailings containing copper oxide are taken to leaching tanks or are returned to the surrounding terrain. Once copper has been concentrated it can be turned into pure copper cathode in two different ways: One way is Leaching and electrowinning or smelting and electrolytic refining
4a. Leaching
Oxide ore and tailing are leached by a weak acid solution, production a weak copper sulfate solution.
4b. Smelting
Several stages of meting and purifying the copper content result, successively in matte, blister and finally, 99% pure copper. Recycled copper begins its journey to finding another use by being resulted.
5a. Electrowinning (SX/EW)
The copper-laded solution is treated and taken to an electrolytic process tank. When electrically charge, pure copper ions migrate directly from the solution to starter cathodes made from pure copper foil. Precious metals can be extracted form the solution
5b. Anodes cast from the nearly pure copper and immersed in an acid bath. Pure copper ions migrate electrolytically format he anodes to "starter sheets" made from silver and platinum may be recovered from the used bath.
6. Pure Copper Cathodes
Cathodes of 99.9% purity may be shipped as melting stoke as mills of foundries. Cathodes may also be cast into wire rod, billets, cake or ingots, generally as pure copper or alloyed with other metals
7. Cathode is converted into:
Wire Rod
Billet
Ingot
Cake
http://www.copper.org/education/production.html
Consumption Of Copper:
Electrical and electronic products- 22.7% (1,662 million pounds)
Transportation equipment - 10.2% (774 million pounds)
Consumer and general products - 10.9% (798 million pounds)
Industrial machinery and equipment - 9.9% (725 million pounds)
Copper Uses:
Pennies
Microchips,
Jewelry
Computers
Pipes
Vacuum tubes
Statue of liberty
History Of Copper:
Copper is an element found in its natural state. Unlike other elements copper isn't very reactive which means copper could be found in its original state in nature. Copper's atomic number is 29 and its atomic weight is 63.546. Coppers most common use is in pennies. Copper has been used in pennies for many years. The first copper penny appeared in 1792. From 1792 till 1982 all pennies were completely made out of copper, but in 1982 copper was in high demand, and became a little more expensive, so they sort of replaced a lot of the copper in pennies. Copper in pennies were not completely replaced; instead of having the whole penny made out of copper, the copper on the inside of the penny was made with zinc, but coated with copper, so there was still an abundant supply of copper left and all the copper wasn't used up on the coins.
Copper:
How many protons?
29
How many neutrons?
35
How many electrons?
29
What is its atomic mass?
63.54
What is it useful for?
It is useful to make copper wires, in coins, and in pipes
What does it combine with?
Copper combines with sulfur to form sulfide.
Is it found in nature as an ore or in a pure state?
Copper is mostly found in ores.
How reactive is your metal?
Copper isn’t very reactive; it is one of the least reactive metals
Is it heavy or light?
No it is very light Is it combustible?
Yes
Is it expensive?
No
Where is it chiefly mined?
Copper is mostly mined in Japan, 1499 tons
What part the earth’s crust is it found in?
The lithosphere
Physical Properties of Copper:
-Atomic number: 29.
-Number of protons: 29 Number of electrons: 29 Number of neutrons:35.
-Copper is a lot like the two other elements, gold and silver. Like gold and silver copper is not very reactive, it could be found in its natural state.
-Copper is very malleable, which means it can be bent and shaped without cracking, or breaking, when it is either hot of cold.
-On the hardness scale, 1 being the softest and10 being the hardest, copper around 2.5-3. Making copper very soft.
-When copper combines with other elements, it has a charge of either +1 which is called "cuprous" or +2 which is called "cupric"
- Copper is a very good electric conductor.
-The melting point of copper is 1083.4 degrees Centigrade.
-Liquid copper boils at 2567 degrees Centigrade
No comments:
Post a Comment