What is a copper concentrate?
What is a copper concentrate?
Used as raw materials in copper smelting, copper concentrates have a copper content of about 30% by weight. The remainder consists mostly of sulfur and iron. Copper concentrates are made mostly from sulfide ores. Ores extracted from overseas mines have a typical grade of about 1%.
What is the percentage of copper concentrate?
Typically, copper concentrates contain 20–30% Cu and up to 5% Zn. Copper flotation tailings are activated with copper sulfate and zinc minerals floated as described above for Pb–Zn ores.
Is copper concentrate hazardous?
Fire and Explosion Hazards: Copper concentrate is not considered a fire or explosion hazard. However, it may burn if heated strongly enough and for sufficient time in a fire situation. When burning, it releases toxic and highly irritating sulphur dioxide gas (SO2).
What are metal concentrates?
Ore concentrate, dressed ore or simply concentrate is the product generally produced by metal ore mines. The raw ore is usually ground finely in various comminution operations and gangue (waste) is removed, thus concentrating the metal component.
How is copper concentrate shipped?
The copper concentrate is loaded and sealed into special ISO twenty foot containers at the mine; it is then transported to the port’s yard, stored like any other container and then loaded right into the vessel’s hatch with existing terminal equipment.
How do copper smelters make money?
Custom smelters buy copper concentrate from mining companies and process them. In turn, they earn fees which represent their main source of profits and not the market price of copper. In addition, by-products such as sulphuric acid too earn them revenue.
What are the 3 ores of copper?
List of copper ores
| Name | Formula | % Copper when pure |
|---|---|---|
| Malachite | CuCO3•Cu(OH)2 | 57.7 |
| Azurite | 2CuCO3·Cu(OH)2 | 55.1 |
| Cuprite | Cu2O | 88.8 |
| Chrysocolla | (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·n(H2O) | 37.9 |
Is copper poisonous when heated?
Due to its high melting point, molten copper metal is unlikely to occur in most fire situations. This metal is relatively non-toxic and poses little immediate hazard to personnel or the environment in an emergency situation.
What is difference between ore and concentrate?
Processed ore becomes concentrates A large part of the ore mined is complex ore comprising several different metals. The ore is crushed to form several mineral concentrates which can then be processed into pure metals in our smelters.
What is a concentrate of a mineral?
Mineral concentrates are refined ores from which the bulk of waste materials have been removed and may be powdery or lumpy in character. They are of higher value than unrefined ores. They may liquefy if shipped with a moisture content in excess of their transportable moisture limit (TML).
What is copper concentrate made of?
One prevalent form of copper concentrate contains gold and silver, like the one produced by Bougainville Copper Limited from the Panguna mine from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. The typical contract for a miner is denominated against the London Metal Exchange price, minus the TC-RCs and any applicable penalties or credits.
What are the advantages of modern copper concentrators?
Modern concentrators are automatically controlled to give maximum Cu recovery, maximum % Cut in the concentrate, and maximum ore throughput rate at minimum cost. Expert control systems help to optimize the performance of flotation plants. Copper concentrate is also used for producing blister copper.
What is the value of the global copper concentrate market?
The global copper concentrate market was valued at US$81 Billion in 2019 and is projected to reach US$93 Billion by 2027 expanding at a CAGR of 2.5%. The TCs are charged in US$ per tonne of concentrate treated and RCs are charged in cents per pound treated, denominated in US dollars, with benchmark prices set annually by major Japanese smelters.
What percentage of uranium is in copper concentrate?
However, after the secondary recovery by acid leaching, some uranium remains in the copper concentrate as it proceeds to be smelted. Typically it would have 45% Cu and up to 0.15% uranium, and the uranium is recovered in the further copper processing.
