The document outlines the key concepts and tentative lecture plan for an extractive metallurgy course. It introduces basic terms like ore and mineral and describes various processes involved in extractive metallurgy like comminution, mineral dressing, pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and electrometallurgy. These include unit operations like crushing and grinding and unit processes like calcination, roasting, smelting, and leaching. The lecture plan details the topics to be covered in each of the 15 weeks including extraction of various metals from different sources.

1. MME-213
Extractive
Metallurgy
Week 1
Introduction to the
course, some basic terms

2. Text books

4. Tentative Lecture Plan
Week Contents CLOs
Week 1 Introduction to the course, the importance of extractive metallurgy, and sources of non-
ferrous metals.
CLO1
Week 2 Methods of beneficiation, crushing, grinding, sizing, magnetic separation, electrostatic
separation.
CLO1, CLO3
Week 3 Methods of mineral beneficiation: gravity concentration and froth floatation
General methods of extraction: pyrometallurgy, Calcination, roasting and its types
CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 4 Pyrmetallurgy: Smelting, the role of vacuum in pyrometallurgy
Hydrometallurgy leaching: solutions, operation, kinetics, and mechanisms of leaching
CLO 1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 5 Comparison of hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy
Introduction to electrometallurgy, Quiz 1
CLO3
Week 6 Electrowinning and electrorefining CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 7 General methods of refining CLO1
CLO3
Week 8 Extraction of metals from oxides: extraction of Mg CLO1, CLO2

5. Tentative Lecture Plan
Week Contents CLOs
Week 10 Extraction of metals from oxides: extraction of Aluminum CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 11 Extraction of ferroalloys, Extraction of metals from sulfides: extraction of Cu CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 12 Extraction of Copper cont...., extraction of Zinc CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 13 Extraction of reactor metals CLO 1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 14 Extraction of metals from halides: extraction of reactor metals, quiz 2 CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Week 15 Extraction of metals from halides: extraction of reactor metals cont.
Extraction of metals from halides: extraction of reactor metals, quiz 2
CLO1, CLO2,
CLO3, CLO4
Energy, cost, and environment-related problems in industry exercising non-ferrous
extractive metallurgy.
.
CLO3, CLO4
Week 16

6. A brief overview of modern day extractive metallurgy
• Metals exist in nature in the combined form, i.e., in minerals.
Mineral Ore
Naturally occurring inorganic
compound of one or more
metals in association with
nonmetals such as oxygen,
sulphur, and the halogens.
All minerals are not ores.
Clay is the mineral of Al.
An ore is a naturally occurring
aggregate or a combination of
minerals from which one or
more metals or minerals may
be economically extracted.
Bauxite and cryolite are the
ores of Al.

7. Factors effecting
economy of extraction
• Percentage of metal in the ore
• The percentage of impurities in the ore (which are
difficult to remove)
• The form in which the metal occurs, i.e., nature of
mineral in the ore
• The physical condition of the ore
• The location and magnitude of the ore
• The proximity to transport facilities
• The market value of the metal

8. Gold
Quartz
A gold ore
What is gangue in this ore?
How will we separate it out?

9. Comminution
• Ores → available in big lumps → unfit for
extraction processes
• Ores → valuable + waste frac on (gangue)
• Comminu on → par cle size of ore is reduced.
• Comminu on → mineral of interest is
separated from gangue
• Crushing → reduces par cles size to 6mm
• Grinding → reduces par cle size below 6 mm

10. Mineral Dressing
• Ore dressing is almost always needed before extraction operation.
• Ores must be concentrated → gangue must be separated.
• Gravity concentration methods (Jigging, tabling, heavy media
separation)
• Magnetic separation
• Electrostatic separation
• Froth flotation

11. Extractive Metallurgy
• Pyrometallurgy - deals with the
methods of extraction and refining
of metals by processes involving
high temperatures
• Calcination
CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
850 °C

12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273713
347_Sintering_thermodynamics_of_iron-
based_materials_containing_the_solid_lubricant_
molybdenum_disulfide

13. Extractive Metallurgy
• Pyrometallurgy - deals with the
methods of extraction and refining
of metals by processes involving
high temperatures
• Calcination:
thermal treatment of an ore
decomposition and release of
volatile products
products usually are CO2 and H2O
Why calcination requires high temperatures and how can those
temperatures be determined?

14. Extractive Metallurgy
• Pyrometallurgy - deals with the methods of
extraction and refining of metals by
processes involving high temperatures
• Roasting:
precedes smelting in pyrometallurgy and
leaching in hydrometallurgy.
mineral constituent of an ore is converted
into another chemical form.
calcina on → decomposi on of an ore
roas ng → chemical conversion of an ore
Example
ZnS + (g) → ZnO + S (g)
Types of roasting:
• Oxidizing roasting
• Volatilizing roasting
• Chloridizing roasting
• Magnetic roasting

15. Extractive Metallurgy
• Pyrometallurgy - deals with the methods of
extraction and refining of metals by
processes involving high temperatures
• Smelting:
heating process for the production of metal
or matte.
process of melting and separating charge
into two immiscible liquid layers, i.e. liquid
slag and liquid matte or liquid metal.
What is a matte?
Mattes are mixed molten sulphides of heavy metals

16. Extractive Metallurgy
• Hydrometallurgy – refers to the application
of aqueous solutions for metal recovery
from ores.
• Leaching:
metallic values in an ore ae selectively
dissolved using a suitable liquid reagent.
selectivity in dissolution depends on the
nature of the reagent.
metal rich solution is later processed for
metal recovery.
highly effective for lean ores.
What is leaching?

17. Extractive Metallurgy
• Hydrometallurgy – refers to the application
of aqueous solutions for metal recovery
from ores.
• Leaching
Photographs of raw ore (a), sulfuric acid (H2SO4, 0.15 M)-
treated ore (b) (after a weeklong, 7 days experiment), and
cross-section of leached ore (c) (1, 2: ore containing malachite
before reaction; 1′, 2′: ore after malachite leaching reaction).
Taken from
https://doi.org/10.3390/min11091020

18. Extractive Metallurgy
• Hydrometallurgy – refers to the application
of aqueous solutions for metal recovery
from ores.
• Leaching
Taken from
https://doi.org/10.3390/min11091020
The next process is recovering of the metallic values from leach liquor
Processes include:
• Precipitation
• Cementation
• Electrolysis
• Ion Exchange
• Solvent extraction
will go through them in the upcoming
classes

19. Extractive Metallurgy
• Electrometallurgy – refers to all
metallurgical processes which utilize
electricity and electrical effects.
• uses electrolysis to extract the metal.
• Electrowinning
extraction of metal from the electrolyte.
used extensively for the extraction of reactive
metals like Al and Mg.
Alternative to pyrometallurgical extraction for
metals like Cu and Zn
Inert anode
Metal ions in solutions
Metal from solution is
deposited on the
cathode

20. Extractive Metallurgy
• Electrometallurgy – refers to all
metallurgical processes which utilize
electricity and electrical effects.
• uses electrolysis to extract the metal.
• Electrorefining
refining of the impure metal which is in the form of
anode.
crude metal goes into the electrolyte
pure metals from solution deposits on the cathode
Animation taken from
https://www.ausetute.com.au/electrorefine.html

21. Unit
operation
and unit
process
Unit operation → a step which is
characterised by certain physical features (no
chemical changes takes place)
Crushing, grinding, sizing, mixing etc are unit
operations
Unit processes → refers to the steps involving
chemical reactions
Roasting, calcination, smelting, leaching, etc
are unit processes