WOLKITE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

COLLAGE OF NATURAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE

8. Metallurgical Process
Course (Code): Industrial Chemistry I (3111)
By: Yordanos Seife (MSc.)

1
 Objective of the topic
• Describe the various stage mineral ores go through in a typical mineral ore dressing

process.

• Explain how industrial material can be separated on the basis of their magnetic,

electrostatic, hydrophobic and volatility difference respectively.

• Write the chemical equation to described calcination and roasting.

• Explain what happen during smelting.

• Describe the extractive metallurgy of iron and copper.

Content:

• Introduction to metallurgical process

• Occurrence of Metals

• General Principles of Extraction of Metals

 Introduction to Metallurgical process
• Metals and their alloys are extensively used in our day-to-day life.

• They are used for making machines, railways, motor vehicles, bridges, buildings,

agricultural tools, aircrafts, ships etc.

• Only a few metals such as gold, silver, mercury etc. occurs free state in nature.

• Most of the metals occur in the earth's crust in combined form. i.e., as compounds

with different anions such as oxides, sulphides, halides etc.

 Cont.…..
• The processes of extraction of metals from their ores, called metallurgical

processes.

• Metals extracted from their ores there may be emission of toxic gases like oxides

of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon.

• Environmental chemists advices plant with no or minimum emission of toxic

chemicals.

• Metals can be refined by mechanically, electrically and chemically

 Occurrence of Metals

Metals occur in nature in free as well as combined form.

 Noble metals may remain in elemental or native (free) state in nature.

They are having low reactivity show little affinity for

Air and Moisture,
Carbon dioxide,
Other non-metals present in nature.

For example gold, silver, mercury and platinum occur in free state.
 Cont….

Most of the metals are active and combine with air, moisture, carbon dioxide and

non-metals like oxygen, sulphur, halogens, etc.

To form their compounds, like oxides, sulphides, carbonates, halides and silicates.

A naturally occurring material in which a metal or its compound occurs is called a

mineral.

A mineral from which a metal can be extracted economically is called an ore.

 Cont.….
The main active substances present in nature, especially in the atmosphere are

oxygen and carbon dioxide.

In the earth's crust, sulphur and silicon are found in large quantities.

Sea-water contains large quantities of chloride ions (obtained from dissolved

sodium chloride).

Most active metals are highly electropositive and therefore exist as ions.
 Cont.….

• The important ores of forms metals occur as oxides, sulphides, carbonates,

halides, silicates.

• Some sulphide ores undergo oxidation by air to form sulphates.

• Ores are invariably found in nature in contact with rocky materials.

• These rocky or earthy impurities accompanying the ores are termed as gangue or

matrix.
Some important ores and the metals present in these ores
Types of ore Metal ores (common ores)

Narrative Metals Gold (Au), Silver (Ag)

Oxide of Ore Iron (Haemitate,); Aluminum (Bauxite, )

Sulfide Ores Zinc (Zinc blende, ZnS); Lead (Galena, PbS)

Carbonate Ores Iron (siferite ); Zinc(Calamine )

Sulfate Ores Lead (Anglisite )

Halide Ores Aluminum (cryolite ); Sodium (rock salt NaCl)

Silicate Ores Zinc (Hemimorphite )

 General Principles of Extraction of Metals

• The metal content in the ore can vary depending upon the impurities present and

chemical composition of the ore.

• Common steps involved in the extraction of metals from their ores are Crushing

and pulverization; Concentration or dressing of the ore; Calcinations or roasting of

the ore; Reduction of metal oxides to free metal; Purification and refining of

metal.
 Crushing and Pulverization

• The ore is generally obtained as big rock

pieces.

• These big lumps of the ore are crushed to

smaller pieces by using jaw crushers and

grinders.

• One of the plates of the crusher is stationary while the other moves to and from

and the crushed pieces are collected.

 Cont.….

• The crushed pieces of the ore are then

pulverized (powdered) in a stamp mill.

• The crushed ore is taken in a steel cylinder

containing iron balls.

• The cylinder is set into revolving motion. The striking balls pulverize the

crushed ore into fine powder.

 Concentration or Dressing of the Ore
• The process of removing impurities from ore is known as a concentration of

minerals or ore dressing.

• The choice of method depends on the nature of the ore.

• In metallurgy, several methods are occurs for concentrating the ores.

• Some important methods are Gravity separation (Hydraulic washing) method;

Magnetic separation method; Froth floatation method; Chemical method.

Gravity separation (Hydraulic washing) method

•Pour the ore over a sloping, vibrating corrugated

table with grooves.

•A jet of water is allowed to flow over the surface.

•The denser ore particles settle in the grooves, and

the impurities are washed away by water.

•Haematite (Fe2O3), tinstone (SnO2) and gold (Au).

 Magnetic separation method
• In this method the ores can be concentrated

either contain impurities are magnetic or

themselves are magnetic in nature.

• For example, the tin ore, tin stone (SnO2)

itself is non-magnetic but contains magnetic

impurities such as Iron tungstate (FeWO4)

Manganese tungstate (MnWO4)

 Froth floatation method
• In this process, take the crushed ore in a large tank which

contains oil and water. A current of compressed air is passed

through it.

• The ore gets wet by oil and is separated from the impurities

in the form of froth.

• Ore is lighter, and so it comes on the surface and impurities

are left behind. This method is especially applied to sulphide

ores, such as galena (PbS), zinc blende (ZnS) copper pyrites

(CuFeS2).
 Chemical methods
• In this method the ore is treated with a suitable chemical reagent which dissolves the ore

leaving behind insoluble impurities.

• Iron (III) oxide, silica and titanium (IV) oxide remain insoluble and are removed by filtration.

• Sodium aluminates is dilute with water to obtain precipitate aluminum hydroxide. It is filtered

and ignited to obtain pure oxide of aluminum.

 Calcinations and Roasting of the Ore
• Calcinations involve heating of the concentrated ore in a limited supply of air so

that it loses moisture; water of hydration; gaseous volatile substances.

• The ore is heated to a temperature so that it does not melt. Removal of water of

hydration:

• Expulsion of from carbonate:

Roasting
• Roasting is a process in which the concentrated ore is heated in a free supply of air

at a temperature insufficient to melt it.

• Calcinations and roasting are generally carried out in a reverberatory furnace or in a

multiple hearth furnace.

 Reduction of the Metal Oxides to Free Metal

• The oxide ores are converted into the metallic state by reduction.

• Smelting is a process in which the oxide ore in molten state is reduced by carbon

or other reducing agents to free metal.

• Carbon as a reducing agent; Self-reduction; Reduction by precipitation;

Electrolytic Reduction.
Carbon as a reducing agent
• This method is used for the isolation of iron, tin and zinc metals from their

respective oxides.

• The oxide ores are strongly heated with charcoal or coke.

• Reduction occurs by the action of carbon and/or carbon monoxide.

• C and CO which is produced by the partial combustion of coke or charcoal.

Other Reducing Agents
• Metal carbide are reduced by other reducing agents like Aluminum, Sodium,

Magnesium, and Hydrogen.

Self-reduction
• This is applied to the sulphide ores of copper, mercury and lead.

• The ores are heated in air, a part of these sulphide ores is changed into the oxide or

sulphates.

• Then reacts with the remaining part of the sulphide ore to give the metal and

sulphur dioxide.
Reduction of concentrated ores by other methods
• Reduction by precipitation: Noble metals like silver and gold are extracted from their

concentrated ores by dissolving metal ions in the form of their soluble complexes.

• The metal ions are then regenerated by adding a suitable reagent.

• For example, concentrated argentite ore Ag2S is treated with a dilute solution of sodium

cyanide (NaCN) to form a soluble complex :

• This solution is decanted off and treated with zinc to precipitate silver.
Electrolytic Reduction:
• Active metals like sodium, potassium and aluminum etc., are extracted by the

electrolysis of their fused (molten) salts.

• The reactions taking place in the electrolytic cell are :

• ions move toward cathode and ions move toward anode. Following reaction takes

place at the electrode.

• At the cathode (negative electrode):

• At the anode (positive electrode):

 Refining of Metals
• Except in the electrolytic reduction method, metals produced by any other method

are generally impure.

• The impurities may be in the form of other metals; unreduced oxide of the metal;

non-metals like carbon, silicon, phosphorus, sulphur etc. and flux or slag.

• Crude metal may be refined by using one or more of the following methods like

liquation, poling, distillation and electrolytic refining.

Liquation
Liquation: Easily fusible metals like tin, lead
etc. are refined by this process.

• The impure metal is poured on the sloping

hearth of a reverberatory furnace and
heated slowly to a temperature little above
the melting point of the metal.

• The pure metal drains out leaving behind

infusible impurities.
Poling:

• Involves stirring the impure molten metal

with green logs or bamboo.

• The hydrocarbons contained in the pole

reduce any metal oxide present as impurity.

Copper and tin are refined by this method.

• Distillation: Volatile metals like zinc and mercury are purified by distillation.

• The pure metal distils over, leaving behind non-volatile impurities.

• Electrolytic Refining: A large number of metals like copper, silver, zinc, tin etc.

are refined by electrolysis.

• A block of impure metal is made the anode of the electrolytic cell.

• A thin sheet of pure metal forms the cathode of the electrolytic cell.
• Electrolytic cell containing suitable metal

salt solution which acts as an electrolyte.

• On passing current, pure metal deposits at

the cathode sheet while more electropositive

impurities are left in solution.

• Less electropositive metals do not dissolve

and fall away from the anode to settle below

it as anode mud.