Metallurgy: Modern Extraction of Copper

Although on planet Arda we would have to use the old techniques of brick ovens and clay molds to extract copper, it is useful to understand the modern methods for extracting copper to see how the science has evolved, which will help understand how it works. Modern extraction of copper is more complex because of the widening uses of copper in areas such as building wire, plumbing, heating, cars, electric utilities, telecommunications and air conditioning (see chart uses of copper), which require purer forms of copper than ancient societies and our colony on Arda needed. To get the copper from the rock in which it is found (see fig. 3 right) to the products we need in our society, it must first be refined through a process called pyrometallurgical. The ore is crushed into a powder and then passes through water to remove earthy material with little metal attached to it. Then the remaining particles rich in copper are further crushed and go through another floatation process to help reduce the ore to the copper. This powder is now mixed with oil, which clings to the copper. The oil is then put in water where it floats and can be collected. Nonmetallic particles sink and the copper is further removed from the ore. What is remaining of the ore is now ready to be smelted, or undergo a leaching process, depending on what type of ore you are refining.

Figure 2: Azurite (left), Malachite (right)

Uses of Copper

Uses	Percent of Total
Building Wire	16%
Plumbing & Heating	14%
Automotive	11%
Air Conditioning & Commercial Refrigeration	8%
Telecommunications	7%
Electronics	6%
Appliances & Extension Cords	3%
Electric Utilities	9%
Factory Equipment	6%
Other	20%
Total	100%

Figure 3: Smelting Copper (left), Copper Mine (right)

Figure 4: Native Copper (left), Cuprite (right)

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