1.Ore Pretreatment

◦ Crushing and Ore Dressing: The raw ore is crushed and ground, and then the copper concentrate (with a copper content of 15%-30%) is screened out by the flotation method.

2 .Smelting

◦ Smelting Furnace: The copper concentrate is mixed with a flux (quartzite) and smelted at a high temperature (1200-1300°C). An oxidation reaction occurs to produce matte (a mixture of Cu₂S-FeS, with a copper content of 40%-70%) and slag (mainly FeSiO₃).

◦ Key Reaction: 2CuFeS₂ + 3O₂ → Cu₂S + 2FeO + 2SO₂↑

3.Refining

◦ Pyrometallurgical Refining: The blister copper is oxidized in an anode furnace to remove impurities (such as As and Sb). A reducing agent is added to deoxidize it, and then it is cast into anode copper plates (with a copper content of 99.2%-99.7%).

Electrolytic Refining: The anode copper is electrolyzed in a copper sulfate electrolyte solution. Pure copper (with a purity of over 99.99%) is deposited on the cathode, and precious metals (such as Au and Ag) are enriched in the anode slime for recovery