RECOVERY OF COPPER FROM MATTE BY ELECTROLYSIS AND RECOVERY OF COPPER FROM SLAG

Abstract

Copper has been. used in the industries of the world for so long that inevitably it is regarded as a traditional- material. In the conventional pyrometallurgical extra. otion, concentrate is roasted and then. smelted to obtain matte which is blown to blister copper. In all these steps SO2 i s evolved.. So the main problem in the conventional process is the recovery of SO2. The gas may be either converted to liquid 802 or processed to H2S0, Although these two forms of sulphur are the usual forms that are consumed by the chemical and metallurgical industries, their storage and transpor tation raises economic problems and in fact it may be uneconomical unless the products are used in the smelter, or a market exists in the vicinity of smelter. In the converting step, a large amount of 802 is released to. the atmosphere which gives rise to pollution problem, which has become a great health hazard in industrially advanced countries. This has necessitated the development of processes which can