This document provides an overview of extractive metallurgy, which is the process of extracting metals from ores and refining them. It discusses the extraction and refining processes for several common metals like copper, lead, silver, gold, iron, aluminum, and magnesium. It also outlines the major applications of each metal, such as copper use in electrical wiring, lead in batteries, silver in jewelry and photography, and iron in construction. The document serves as an introductory guide to extractive metallurgy and the downstream uses of various refined metals.

1. 1

3. Jens Martensson
3

4. Jens Martensson
4
Content:
Basic knowledge
Flow chart
Applications and scope
Interesting information

5. Jens Martensson
• Extractive metallurgy:
Extractive
metallurgy is the practice of removing
valuable metals from an ore and refining
the extracted raw metals into a purer
form.
5
Basic knowledge

6. Jens Martensson
Flow chart
6

7. Jens Martensson
7

8. Jens Martensson
8
Applications and Scope of extractive
metallurgy
Note :
All alkali metals are the applications of
extractive metallurgy.

9. Jens Martensson
9
Copper is extracted by roasting in air.
Roasting:
It’s a process of heating the concentrated ore to a high temperature in excess of
air.(2CuFeS2+O2 Cu2S+2FeS+SO2)
Smelting :
It is further heating the roasted ore with sand flux and coke in the presence of excess air in
blast furnce
2FeS+3O2 2FeO+2SO2
FeO+SiO2 FeSiO2
On other hand cuprous sulphide also oxidize
2Cu2O+3O2 2Cu2O+2SO2
Cu2O+FeS Cu2S+FeO
Copper

10. Jens Martensson
10
.

11. Jens Martensson
11
Applications of copper:
Amongst other things copper is used for:
electrical wiring. It is a very good conductor of electricity and is easily drawn out into wires.
Domestic plumbing. It does not react with water, and is easily bent into shape.
Boilers and heat exchangers. It is a good conductor of heat and does not react with water.
Coinage. In many countries, as well as the more obvious copper-colored coins, "silver" coins are also copper
alloys - this time with nickel; these are known as cupronickel alloys. UK pound coins and the gold-colored bits
of euro coins are copper-zinc-nickel alloys

12. Jens Martensson
Lead
• Lead is extracted from its ore by reduction with carbon. Considerable effort has to be made to separate the
lead ore from zinc ores. In recent years, lead has become one of most highly recycled materials in general use.
Smelting:

13. Jens Martensson
13
Applications of lead
• Over 80% of all lead produced ends up in lead-acid batteries, with lead metal as the cathode and lead(IV)
oxide as the anode.
Lead Sheet for Soundproofing
Frequently used in sound control solutions, lead sheet is an excellent sound and noise reduction material.
Shield against X-rays
It is used as an shield against X-rays.
For making water proof things
It is used to make water proof surfaces .(Lead resists corrosion by water)
Lead is still widely used for car batteries

14. Jens Martensson
14
Extraction of silver
Silver is extracted from the ore-argentite (Ag2SAg2S). The process of extraction of silver is called as
cyanide process as sodium cyanide solution is used. The ore is crushed, concentrated and then treated with
sodium cyanide solution. This reaction forms sodium argento cyanide Na[Ag(CN)2]Na[Ag(CN)2].
AgS+4NaCN⇌2Na[Ag(CN)2]+Na2S(1)(1)AgS+4NaCN⇌2Na[Ag(CN)2]+Na2S
• The solution of sodium argento cyanide combines with zinc dust and forms sodium tetra cyanozicate and
precipitated silver. This precipitated silver is called spongy silver.
Zn+2Na[Ag(CN)2]→Na2[Zn(CN)4]+2Ag(2)(2)Zn+2Na[Ag(CN)2]→Na2[Zn(CN)4]+2Ag
• The spongy silver is fused with potassium nitrate to obtain pure silver. Then the silver obtained is
purified by electrolytic process.

15. Jens Martensson
15
Applications:
It is used for jewelry and silver tableware.
Silver is used to make mirrors, as it is the best reflector of visible light known, although it does tarnish with
time.
It is also used in dental alloys.
Silver bromide and iodide were important in the history of photography.
Silver has antibacterial properties and silver nanoparticles are used in clothing to prevent bacteria from
digesting sweat and forming unpleasant odours. Silver threads are woven into the fingertips of gloves so that
they can be used with touchscreen phones.

16. Jens Martensson
16
Gold
Gold extraction refers to the processes required to extract gold from its ores. This may require a combination
of comminution, mineral processing, hydrometallurgical, and pyrometallurgical processes to be performed on the
ore.

17. Jens Martensson
17
Applications of gold
Electronics and Computers:
Gold is a highly efficient conductor that is able to carry tiny electrical charges, and because of this property a
small amount is found in almost all electronic devices, including cell phones, televisions, GPS units and more.
Because gold is such an efficient conductor of electrical charges, it is also often found in desktop and laptop
computers to transfer information quickly
Jewelry:
About 78% of gold consumed each year is made into jewelry. Jewelry is the most common way gold reaches
consumers, and has been a primary use for the metal in various cultures. Because of its beautiful and durable
properties, gold jewelry is an adornment that is both ethereal and revered. Especially in India, adorning the body
with gold is a way to attract wealth and blessings
Medals and Awards:
Gold is used for making awards and medals.

18. Potassium

19. Jens Martensson
Occurrence
•Although potassium is the eighth
most abundant element on earth and
comprises about 2.1% of the earth's
crust, it is a very reactive element and
is never found free in nature.)

20. Jens Martensson
Applications
• It is used as a powerful reducing agent in organic chemistry.
• Potassium/Sodium alloys are used as a heat exchange medium . The heat in the
potassium warms water and makes it hot enough to boil. Then water is changed into
steam, which is used to work devices that generate electricity. To generate electricity
and in nuclear reactors

21. Jens Martensson
• It is used to manufacture potassium superoxide (KO2), which is used to
regenerate oxygen (and absorb carbon dioxide) in the air in submarines,
mines and space vehicles.
4KO2+2CO2⟶2K2CO3+3O2
Structure Of Potassium Superoxide(KO2):-

22. Sodium

23. Jens Martensson
• Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin natrium)
and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal.
Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table,
because it has a single electron in its outer shell, which it readily
donates, creating a positively charged ion—the Na+ cation. Its only
stable isotope is 23Na.
• Occurrence :-
Sodium is found as a compound in nature due to
its high reactivity. It is found in a variety of minerals, but the most
common is table salt (NaCl), largely found in seawater and in solid
deposits.
. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal.

24. Jens Martensson
• It is occasionally used as a heat exchange medium in nuclear power plants. Liquid
sodium is sealed into pipes surrounding the reactor core. Generated heat is absorbed
by sodium and forced through the pipes in a heat exchanger which can be used to
generate electricity

25. Jens Martensson
• Sodium is used in making metals such as titanium. Sodium is made
to react with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) to yield titanium.
• TiCl4 + 4Na------ Ti + 4NaCl
• Sodium is used as a catalyst to make artificial rubber.

26. Magnesium

27. Jens Martensson
• Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the
universe.
• It is a shiny gray solid which bears a close physical
resemblance to the other five elements in the second
column.
• Magnesium occurs naturally only in combination with
other elements, where it invariably has a +2 oxidation
state.
• Magnesium is the eleventh most abundant element by
mass in the human body and is essential to all cells and
some 300 enzymes.

28. Jens Martensson
• Magnesium is used in textile processing,
• Magnesium is used in leather tanning
• Magnesium is used in insulation
• Magnesium is used in fertilizers, cosmetics and ceramics
• Magnesium is used in •Aircraft and missile components
• Magnesium is used in •Aircraft fuel tanks, wings
• Magnesium is used in Equipment for material handling
• It is also used in Steering wheels and columns, seat frames

29. Calcium

30. Jens Martensson
• Calcium is a very reactive and does not occur as a free
element in Nature. It is present in the earth's crust in
the forms of carbonate, sulfate, fluoride, silicate and
borate. The calcium carbonate occurs in marble, chalk,
limestone and calcite.

31. Jens Martensson
• Calcium has significant applications in the production of alloys
with lead and aluminum, and in the industrial production of metals
from its oxides.

32. Jens Martensson
• Calcium is an essential element in living organisms. It plays an
important role in the metabolism of nitrogen in some plants where a
deficiency of calcium leads to poor absorption of nitrogen. Lack of
calcium in plant nutrition leads to a reduction in the number and size
of the chloroplasts.
• Calcium is the most abundant inorganic element in the higher animals
and is located principally in the bones and teeth as apatite, a calcium
phosphate mineral. Blood is also a huge reservoir of calcium in
animals. Calcium is distributed throughout all tissues where it has
special roles in controlling nerve impulse transmission, muscle action,
blood clotting and cell permeability.

33. Jens Martensson
Aluminum
• Extraction of aluminium
• Aluminium are extracted by the process of electrolysis.
• Aluminium extracted from the bauxite ore.
Bauxite ore

34. Jens Martensson
Applications of Aluminium
• It is used for making electrical wires.
• Aluminium are used in food packing and cooking
pots.
• It is used in mirror and other decorative
architectural components.
• Aluminium are also used in making windows ,doors
and roof of factories.
• Alluminium alloy are widely used in aeronautical
applications because of high strength weight ratio.
• For automobiles for reducing weight of the vehicles
thus reducing fuel consumption

35. Jens Martensson
Iron
• Extraction of iron:
• Raw material (iron ore ,coke and limestone) are added at the top of
the furnace.
• Blast of a hot air are blown in near the bottom of the furnace.
• Oxygen in the blast of air react with coke (carbon) to form carbon
monoxide.
• 2C + O2 2CO
• this reaction is very exothermic and the temperature in the
furnace reached 2000degree
• As carbon monoxide rised up the furnace. It react with the iron ore to
form iron.
• Fe2O3 + 3CO 2Fe + 3CO2
• Molten iron runs to the bottom of the furnace.it is tapped off from
time to time.

36. Jens Martensson
Application of iron
• Iron are widely used in the construction of road , railways ,
buildings and appliances.
• Most large structure buildings contain the skeleton of steel
stadiums skyscrapers , bridges and airports are supported by the
steel skeleton.
• Other common applications including shipbuilding, pipelines ,
mining, aerospace , white good (washing machines e.g ) heavy
equipment's such as bulldozers office furniture's steel wool , tools
, vehicle armor and many other applications.

37. 37

39. Jens Martensson