How Hydrometallurgy and the SX/EW Process Made Copper the
In this process copper ore is mined, crushed, ground, concentrated, smelted and refined. The mining, crushing and grinding portions of the processing are extremely energy intensive since the rock must be reduced essentially to talcum powder fineness in order to separate the copper bearing minerals from it. To be applicable to this process, the ores must contain copper minerals in sulfide form



























