Metals, Metallurgy, and Metallurgical Engineering

Metals

can be an element or an alloy

Metals

good conductors of heat and electricity

Metals

malleable and ductile

Stone Age (7000 BC)

• wood and stone

• tools are made of Gold (Au), Silver (Ag), and Copper (Cu) for hunting, plowing, farming and decorative artifacts

Bronze Age (4500 BC)

• copper and bronze (first alloy) for tools, ornaments, jewelry, and weapons

brass

copper + zinc =

bronze

copper + tin =

Iron Age (1400 BC)

• iron (wrought) cast

• iron and steel

steel

carbon + iron =

1. Gold

2. Copper

3. Silver

4. Lead

5. Iron

6. Mercury

7. Tin

Seven Metals of Antiquity

De Re Metallica (“On the nature of metals”)

contains a comprehensive description of the mining industry during the early Renaissance

De la Pirotechnia

one the the earliest printed books on Metallurgy

Metallurgy

the art and science of extracting and refining metals from primary and secondary sources to characterize, process, and fabricate for application and use at profit with utmost consideration of the environment

Minerals

• naturally occurring

• inorganic

• homogeneous solid

• definite composition

• ordered structures (crystalline properties)

Ore

a mineral deposit with sufficient utility and value to be mine at a profit or economically exploited to become a source or supply of a particular material

Run-of-Mine (ROM)

as mined ore which consists of valuable minerals and gangue

Concentrate

valuable minerals obtained from the recovery processes and product of mineral processing

Gangue

minerals of no value and disposed

Tailings

predominantly the gangue materials

may contain very small amount of valuable mineral

Ore Dressing / Benefication

preparation required for ores before the extraction process

Extraction

recovery of valuable metal from concentrates or ore

Recovery / Winning

process involving the production or recovery of pure metals

Grade / Assay

metal content or measure of the concentration of metal

Grade / Assay

used to ascertain the content of valuable metal in ore

Cut-off Grade

lowest grade of mineralized material considered economic

1. Native Ore

2. Sulfide Ore

3. Oxidized Ore

Types of Ores

Native Ore

metal is present in elementary form

• Gold

• Silver

• Copper

give example(s) of native ore

Sulfide Ore

contain metals as sulfides

• Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂)

• Chalcocite (Cu₂S)

• Pyrite (FeS₂)

give example(s) of sulfide ore

Oxidized Ore

valuable mineral may be present as oxide, sulfides, sulfates, silicates, carbonates

Unit Operations

individual sequential steps in producing metal from the ore involving purely physical changes

Unit Operations

can use chemicals as long as it will not alter the ore chemically

Unit Processes

individual sequential steps in producing metal from the ore involving chemical changes and/or changes in the state of aggregation

Metallurgical Engineering Process

• Miller Process

• Wohlwill Process

• CIP / CIL / CIC

• Direct Smelting

• Merrill-Crowe Process

• MacArthur-Forrest Process

Gold Production Processes

• HPAL

• Moa Bay Process

• Sherritt-Gordon Process

• Direct Smelting

Nickel Production Processes

High Pressure Acid Leach

HPAL meaning

• Blast Furnace Smelting

• Midrex Process

• Corex Process

• Basic Oxygen Furnace Smelting

Iron Production Processes

• Heap Leaching

• Mitsubishi Process

• Flash Smelting

• Electrorefining

Copper Production Processes