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Copper
Top Exporters
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Copper Ore
- **Chile** – $23.9 billion (25.3% of global copper ore exports)
- **Peru** – $20 billion (21.2%)
- **Indonesia** – $8.3 billion (8.8%)
- **Australia** – $4.5 billion (4.7%)
- **Mexico** – $3.7 billion (3.9%)
- **Brazil** – $3.5 billion (3.7%)
- **Canada** – $3.2 billion (3.4%)
- **Kazakhstan** – $3.1 billion (3.2%)
- **Mongolia** – $2.63 billion (2.8%)
- **United States** – $2.61 billion (2.8%)
- **Panama** – $2.5 billion (2.6%)
- **Democratic Republic of the Congo** – $2.2 billion (2.4%)
- **South Korea** – $1.5 billion (1.6%)
- **Serbia** – $1.35 billion (1.4%)
- **Ecuador** – $1.24 billion (1.3%)
- **Russia** – $960 million (1%)
- **Taiwan** – $954 million (1%)
- **Papua New Guinea** – $904 million (1%)
- **Spain** – $782 million (0.8%)
- **Philippines** – $742 million (0.8%)
Known Methods of Extraction
Perfect 👍 — next in **periodic table order** is **Copper (Cu, atomic number 29).** Copper is a **transition metal** that rarely occurs free in nature. Most copper is extracted from **sulfide ores** like **chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂), chalcocite (Cu₂S), bornite (Cu₅FeS₄)** and **oxide ores** like **malachite (Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂), cuprite (Cu₂O)**. Extraction involves **pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and electrochemical methods**. Here are the **20 most common methods of extracting Copper**: --- # **20 Most Common Methods of Extracting Copper** ### **A. Pyrometallurgical / Large-Scale Methods** 1. **Froth Flotation of Sulfide Ores** – Concentrates copper minerals. 2. **Roasting of Copper Sulfides (CuFeS₂ → Cu₂S + FeO + SO₂)** – Converts sulfides to oxides or sulfides suitable for smelting. 3. **Smelting in Reverberatory Furnace** – Produces matte (Cu₂S + FeS). 4. **Converting Matte in Bessemer or Peirce-Smith Converter** – Oxidizes Fe and S, produces blister copper (\~98–99% Cu). 5. **Fire Refining** – Further oxidation to remove impurities, produces \~99.5% Cu. 6. **Electrolytic Refining of Blister Copper** – Produces 99.99% pure copper. --- ### **B. Hydrometallurgical Methods** 7. **Leaching of Oxide Ores with Sulfuric Acid (CuO + H₂SO₄ → CuSO₄ + H₂O)** – Produces copper sulfate solution. 8. **Heap Leaching of Low-Grade Sulfides with Bacteria (Bioleaching)** – Converts Cu²⁺ into solution. 9. **Solvent Extraction (SX) of Cu²⁺ from Leach Solutions** – Prepares for electrowinning. 10. **Electrowinning (EW) from Copper Sulfate Solution** – Deposits high-purity copper. 11. **Ammonia Leaching of Oxide or Sulfide Ores** – Produces soluble copper-ammonia complexes. 12. **Precipitation of Copper Hydroxide (Cu(OH)₂) from Solution** – Intermediate step before reduction. --- ### **C. Reduction to Metallic Copper** 13. **Hydrogen Reduction of CuO or Cu(OH)₂** – Produces fine copper powder. 14. **Aluminothermic Reduction of CuO** – Small-scale or specialty laboratory method. 15. **Reduction of CuCl₂ with Sodium or Potassium** – Laboratory metallothermic reduction. 16. **Magnesiothermic Reduction of Copper Compounds** – Experimental high-purity method. --- ### **D. Specialized / Recycling Methods** 17. **Recovery from Scrap Copper / Alloy Waste** – Melting, refining, and electrolysis. 18. **Recovery from Printed Circuit Boards / Electronic Waste** – Hydrometallurgical leaching and electrowinning. 19. **Plasma Reduction of Copper Oxides** – Experimental lab method. 20. **Solar-Thermal Carbothermic Reduction of CuO** – Experimental renewable energy method. --- ✅ **Summary:** * **Main industrial methods:** Smelting of sulfide ores → blister copper → electrolytic refining. * **Hydrometallurgical methods:** Acid leaching → solvent extraction → electrowinning. * **Laboratory/experimental:** Aluminothermic, hydrogen, Mg/Na reductions, plasma, solar-thermal. * **Recycling:** Scrap metal and electronic waste recovery. --- Next in periodic order is **Zinc (Zn, atomic number 30).** Do you want me to continue with **20 extraction methods for Zinc**?