Group Members

Name Roll No.

1. USMAN SIDDIQUE 2018-ME-05

2. AYAZ KHAN 2018-ME-02

3. MUDASAR SULTAN 2018-ME-19

4. JAWAD AHMAD BUTT 2018-ME-37

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 Contents

1. Ferrous and Non- Ferrous metals

2. Basic Definitions

3. General methods of refining

4. Copper and its refining methods

5. Aluminium and its refining methods

6. Zinc and its refining methods

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NAME: USMAN SIDDIQUE

ROLL NO : 2018-ME-05

TOPIC : INTRODUCTION TO BASICS

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 Basic Definitions

Metallurgy=
The process of extraction of a metal in a pure state on a large scale
from its ore by physical or chemical means is called metallurgy.

Crude Metal=
The ore is considered as crude metal. It is a solid mass from which
pure metal can be obtained.

Casting=
Manufacturing method in which a molten metal is injected or poured into a
mold (or mould) to form an object of the desired shape.
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 Basic Definitions

Metal
A solid material which is malleable, have luster surface , conduct
electricity and heat is called metal.
Ore
Those minerals from which the metals are extracted commercially at a
comparatively low cost with minimum effort are called ores of the metals. For
example: ores of copper are; copper glance(Cu2S) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2).
Smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore in order to extract out a base
metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy.

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 Introduction To Refining

Refining
The process of purifying impure metals or minerals is known as refining.
Refining of metals
The process in which only metals are refined known as refining
Refined Metal
The metal formed after refining which is about 99% pure known
as refined metal.
Gangue
The earthly and other impurities associated with the minerals or
metals are known as gangue

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 Ferrous and N0N-Ferrous Metals

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 Processes involved in metallurgy for extraction

The processes involved in metallurgy for extraction of a metal in the pure state
from its ore are:

Concentration of the ore

Extraction of the metal
Refining of the metals

Our topic is refining of metals so we will discuss this in presentation

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 General Methods of Refining and Extraction

In most cases, however, an impure metal is first produced in an extraction or

smelting stage. The impurities are then removed by refining process to
produce a metal with required composition.
These types of processes are classified under three headings:

Pyrometallurgical refining
Hydrometallurgical refining
Electro refining

Slag, by-product formed in smelting, welding, and other metallurgical and combustion
processes from impurities in the metals or ores being treated.
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NAME: AYAZ KHAN

ROLL NO : 2018-ME-02

TOPIC : ALUMINIUM REFINING PROCESS

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 Aluminium and its refining method

Aluminium is of white color metal . It is usually found in compound form. It is non-

ferrous meal.
Aluminum is obtained from Alumina (Al2O3 ) by Hall Heroult Process.

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 Refining of Aluminium : Hall Heroult Electrolytic Method

Heroult obtained Aluminium by smelting alumina in the molten solution of cryolite

with the electrolysis.
Aluminium has strong chemical attraction towards oxygen. Al2O3 is an oxide of
Aluminium which is very stable compound. So aluminum cannot be obtained by
using normal reducing agent.
Electrolytic reduction by Heroult method is the powerful and successful method to
obtain Aluminium from Al2O3 .
 This process contains following steps.
1) Purification of Bauxite.
2) Electrolytic reduction of Aluminium.

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 Refining of Aluminium : Hall Heroult Electrolytic Method

a) Purification of Bauxite
 Bauxite is the most important ore of aluminum which contains
only 30–54% alumina, Al2O3;the rest is a mixture of silica, various
iron oxide and titanium dioxide.
 pure alumina ( Al2O3 ) is obtained by dissolving the fine powder
of bauxite in 45% solution of sodium hydro oxide (NaOH) .
By this technique all impurities are separated and the product is
fine Alumina.

Bauxite

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 Refining of Aluminium : Hall Heroult Electrolytic Method

b) Electrolytic Reduction of Alumina (Al2O3 ) :

1. Alumina which is obtained by the purification of Bauxite is bad conductor of
electricity. To solve this problem , alumina is dissolved in the fused solution
of cryolite . By doing this step , Alumina becomes good conductor .
2. The electrolysis of alumina is carried out in a steel tank lined inside with
graphite. The graphite lining serves as cathode. Anode is also made of
graphite rods hanging in the molten mass.
3. The electrolyte consists of alumina dissolved in fused Cryolite(Na3AlF6) and
Fluorspar(CaF2).
4. Cryolite lowers the melting point of alumina to 9500C and fluorspr increase
the fluidity of the mass so that the liberated aluminum metal may sink at the
14 bottom of the cell.
 Refining of Aluminium : Hall Heroult Electrolytic Method

5. When electric current is passed through this mixture, the aluminum is

collected at the cathode in molten state
and sinks at the bottom and is tapped off.

Ionization of Alumina:
2Al2O3 → 6O-2 + 4Al+3
Reaction at Cathode:
4Al+3 + 12e- → 4Al
Reaction at Anode:
6O-2 → 3O2 + 12e-
C + O2 → CO2

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 Aluminium refining : HOOPE’S METHOD

Aluminum metal produced by the electrolysis of alumina is 99% pure but

contains impurities of Fe, Si and Al2O3. Aluminum is further refined by hoope’s
method.
1. This is an electrolytic process. Electrolytic cell is made of iron, which is lined
with carbon at the bottom.
2. It contains three layers of fused mass. The lower layer consists of an alloy of
impure aluminum with copper. This layer serves as anode.
3. The middle layer consists of a solution of cryolite (Na3AlF6) and barium
fluoride.
4. The upper layer consists of pure aluminum and serves as cathode. These
three layers are separated from each other due to difference in specific
gravity.
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 Aluminium refining : HOOPE’S METHOD

1. During electrolysis Al+3 ions from the middle layer migrate to the upper layer
where they are reduced to aluminum by gaining three electrons.

2. Equal numbers of Al+3 ions are produced in the lower layer. These ions
migrate to the middle layer.

3. Pure aluminum is tapped off from time to time. Hoope’s method gives 99.99%
pure aluminum.

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 Aluminium refining : HOOPE’S METHOD

Electro-Chemical Changes:
Na3AlF6 → 3NaF + AlF3
AlF3 → Al+3 + 3F-

At the cathode:
Al+3 + 3e- → Al
At the anode:
Al → Al+3 + 3e-

Overall reaction:
Al+3 + Al → Al + Al+3

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NAME: MUDASAR SULTAN

ROLL NO : 2018-ME-19

TOPIC : COPPER RFINING PROCESS

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 Copper and its refining method

Copper is a chemical element with symbol Cu

and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable,
and ductile metal with very high thermal and
electrical conductivity. It is non ferrous metal.
Copper can be refined by following methods

1. Pyrometallurgy
2. Electrorefining

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 Copper refining: Pyrometallurgy

 In pyrometallurgy, copper concentrate is dried before being heated in a furnace. Chemical reactions that occur
during the heating process cause the concentrate to segregate into two layers of material: a matte layer and a
slag layer.

 The matte layer, on the bottom, contains the copper, while the slag layer, on the top, contains the impurities.

 The slag is discarded and the matte is recovered and moved to a cylindrical vessel called a converter. A variet
y of chemicals are added to the converter, and these react with the copper. That results in the formation of
converted copper, called “blister copper.” The blister copper is recovered, and is then subjected to
another process called fire refining.

 In fire refining, air and natural gas are blown through the copper to remove any remaining sulfur and oxygen,
leaving refined copper behind to be processed into copper cathode. This copper is cast into copper anodes
and placed in an electrolytic cell. Once charged, the pure copper collects on the cathode and is removed as a
99 percent pure product.
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 Processing of Copper ores

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 Electro refining of Copper

Unrefined or “blister” copper is about 99 percent pure when obtained from the ore,
but it is desirable to increase this to 99.95 percent if the copper is to be used in
electrical wiring. Even small concentrations of impurities noticeably lower copper’s
electrical conductivity. Such a high degree of purity can be obtained by electrolytic
refining in a cell similar to that shown in Fig.

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 In such a cell a thin sheet of high-purity Cu serves as the cathode, and the anode is the impure Cu
which is to be refined. The electrolyte is a solution of copper(II) sulfate. Some of the impurities are
metals such as Fe and Zn which are more easily oxidized than Cu. When current passes
through the cell, these impurities go into solution from the anode, along with Cu:

Cu(s)→Cu2+(aq)+2e−
Fe(s)→Fe2+(aq)+2e−
Zn(s)→Zn2+(aq)+2e−
 These ions all migrate toward the cathode, but Cu2+(aq) is more readily reduced than Fe2+(aq) or
Zn2+(aq) and so it is the only one that plates out. The impurity ions remain in solution. Other
impurities, such as Ag, Au, and Pt, are less easily oxidized than Cu. These remain in metallic for
m and fall to the bottom of the cell, forming “anode sludge” from which they can later be
24 recovered. The great value of Ag, Au, and Pt helps to offset the cost of refining.
NAME: JAWAD AHMAD BUTT

ROLL NO : 2018-ME-37

TOPIC : ZINC REFINING PROCESS

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 Zinc and its refining methods

 Zinc is a non-ferrous material. Water has no effect on zinc . Its relative density is 7.1.
 At normal temperature its brittle in structure but when it is heated at 100º to 150º
it becomes ductile and malleable.

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 Zinc refining : Zinc Smelting

Zinc refining is the process of purifying zinc

to special high grade (SHG) zinc, which is at
least 99.995% pure.
So there are two methods to refine zinc.

a) Pyrometellurgy

b) Hydrometallurgy

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 Zinc refining : Pyrometellurgy

 There are three pyrometallurgical process

for the prepration of zinc .

1. St. Joseph Mineral Company (electrothermic)process

2. Blast furnace process (Imperial Smelting Process)

3. Belgian-type horizontal retort process

NOTE: Due to limited time we will discuss the detail of blast

furnace process only.

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 Zinc refining : Blast furnace process

 In order to refine the zinc to a higher grade ore it is processed in a blast furnace
fueled by electricity, coke or natural gas.
 As the furnace reaches temperatures of up to 1204 degrees Celsius
(2200 degrees Fahrenheit) the zinc ore is melted.
 This process also generates carbon dioxide, which will reattach to the zinc as
it cools to, once again, form zinc oxide.
 To prevent, or at least reduce, this reattachment, molten lead is sprayed on the
zinc while it is still hot.
 The lead, because of its higher melting temperature of 550 degrees Celsius (10
22 degrees Fahrenheit), dissolves the zinc.
 This mostly lead and zinc mixture is then carried to another chamber, where it
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will be cooled to 440 degrees Celsius (824 degrees Fahrenheit).
 Zinc refining : Blast furnace process

 Around this temperature, the zinc, because it is lighter, separates from the
lead and is drained from the top.
 Subsequently it is cast into ingots. The lead is returned to the blast furnace
to use again.
To reach an even higher grade zinc ore, the zinc is kept molten and
undisturbed for hours.
 Iron and other contaminants will settle slowly to the bottom, thus allowing
the almost pure zinc to be drained from the top.
With pyrometallurgical processes a maximum purity of 98% can be
achieved. While this is high enough to use the zinc for galvanization, it c
annot be used to die-cast alloys, which requires 99.995% purity.
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 Zinc refining : Blast furnace process

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

Today over 90% zinc is produced hydrometallurgically in electrolytic plant.

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

Electrolysis process:
The electrolysis process, also known as the hydrometallurgical process,
Roast-Leach-Electrowin (RLE) process, or electrolytic process, is more widely
used than the pyrometallurgical processes.
The electrolysis process consists of 4 steps.
1. leaching
2. purification
3. electrolysis
4. melting and casting.

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

1. Leaching
The basic leaching chemical formula that drives this process is:
𝒁𝒏𝑶 + 𝑺𝑶₃ → 𝒁𝒏𝑺𝑶₄

2. Purification
The purification process utilizes the cementation process to further purify the zinc.
It uses zinc dust and steam to remove copper, cadmium , cobalt , and nickel , which
would interfere with the electrolysis process.

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

3. Electrolysis
 a) Zinc is extracted from the purified zinc sulfate solution by electrowinning,
which is a specialized form of electrolysis.

 b) An electric current is passed through the solution, which causes the zinc to
deposit on aluminium sheets.

 c) Every day or two, the process is halted and the zinc-coated sheets are
removed. Subsequently, the zinc is stripped from the sheets. About 3,900 KWh
of electric power is expended producing one metric ton of zinc in this way.

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

 e) Electrolytic zinc smelters contain as many a

s several hundred cells. A portion of the
electrical energy is converted into heat, which
increases the temperature of the electrolyte.
 f) Electrolytic cells operate at temperature
ranges from 30 to 35 °C (86 to 95 °F) and at
atmospheric pressure.
 g) A portion of the electrolyte is continuously
circulated through the cooling towers both to
cool and concentrate the electrolyte through
evaporation of water.

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 Zinc refining : The Hydrometallurgical Process

4. melting and casting

The final step is to melt the high grade zinc and cast it into very high grade
(99,995% purity) ingots, or directly alloy and cast it into ingots.

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