How is copper recovered?
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How is copper recovered?
The ore is removed from the ground in either open pit or underground mines. Underground – sinking a vertical shaft into the earth to reach the copper ore and driving horizontal tunnels into the ore. Open-pit – 90\% of ore is mined using the open pit method.
What is the traditional method to extract copper?
Copper can be extracted from its ore by: Underground: sinking a vertical shaft into the Earth to an appropriate depth and driving horizontal tunnels into the ore. Open pit: 90\% of ore is mined by this method. Ores near the surface can be quarried after removal of the surface layers.
How is copper smelted from its ore?
Copper mining is usually performed using open-pit mining, in which a series of stepped benches are dug deeper and deeper into the earth over time. To remove the ore, boring machinery is used to drill holes into the hard rock, and explosives are inserted into the drill holes to blast and break the rock.
How do you get copper ore?
Copper minerals and ores are found in both igneous and sedimentary rocks. Mining of copper ores is carried out using one of two methods. Underground mining is achieved by sinking shafts to the appropriate levels and then driving horizontal tunnels, called adits, to reach the ore.
How do we extract metals from their ores?
There are 3 main methods of extracting metals from their ore. They are reduction of the ore with carbon, reduction of the molten ore by electrolysis, and reduction of the ore with a more reactive metal.
How does the method used for extracting a metal from its ore?
Examples of ores include: The method used to extract a metal from its ore depends upon the stability of its compound in the ore, which in turn depends upon the reactivity of the metal….Reactivity and extraction method.
| Metal | Method |
|---|---|
| Sodium | Electrolysis |
| Calcium | Electrolysis |
| Magnesium | Electrolysis |
| Aluminium | Electrolysis |
Why do we extract metals from ores?
The metal ore, a mineral or mixture of minerals from which economically viable amounts of metal can be extracted, i.e. its got to have enough of the metal, or one of its compounds, in it to be worth digging out! Ores are often oxides, carbonates or sulphides because these non-metals readily combine with many metals.