Unit 6

GENERAL PRINCIPLES & PROCESSES

OF ISOLATION OF ELEMENTS
• Introduction

• Occurrence (ores) of Al, Fe, Cu and Zn

• Concentration of Ore

• Extraction of crude metal

• Refining: principles and examples

• Thermodynamic principles of Metallurgy

• Principles of extraction of aluminium, iron, copper, zinc

• Assignment questions and Blue print

 GENERAL PRINCIPLES & PROCESSES OF ISOLATION OF
ELEMENTS
Occurrence of metal in nature
• Metals are present in earth crust in
native form or in combined form.
Except for noble metals like gold, silver
and platinum that occur in native form
or nuggets, all other reactive metals
occur in combined form as minerals
along with earthly materials.

 Minerals: They are the

naturally occurring chemical
substances present in the
earth’s crust obtained by
mining.
 Gangue: The earthy or Bauxite Haematite

undesired materials like sand

and rock particles which are
present with the ore are called
gangue.
Malachite Zincite
• Ores: The mineral from which the metals can be
economically and conveniently extracted are known
as ore. Examples are as given below.
Metallurgy: It is the important part of material science and engineering that
studies the physical and chemical properties of behaviour of metallic elements,
intermetallic compounds and alloys.
It is also the technology of metals, the way in which science is applied to the
production of metals and engineering for usage in products for consumers and
manufactures
It is the process of extracting a metal from its ores.
The following operations are carried out for obtaining the metal in the pure
form during the metallurgical process:
 Concentration of ore: Physical methods
Gravity separation Method
The powdered ores is agitated with water or washed with a running stream
of water.
The heavy ore particles settles down where as the lighter gangue particles
like sand, clay etc. are washed away.

It is used for carbonate

and oxide ores
Electro Magnetic Separation:

It is used for ferromagnetic ores.

A magnetic separator consists of a belt moving over two rollers, one of which is
magnetic. The powdered ore is dropped on the belt at the other end. Magnetic
portion of the ore is attracted by the magnetic roller and falls near to the roller
while the non-magnetic impurity falls farther off.

Example wolframite.
Froth Floatation Process:

It is used for sulphide ores like galena (PbS) and zinc blende(ZnS).
The finely divided ore is introduced into water containing small quantity
of oil (e.g. Pine Oil). The mixture is agitated violently with air a froth is
formed which carries away along with it the metallic particles on account of
the surface tension forces. The froth is transferred to another bath where
gangue-free ore settles down.

Sometimes depressant like

NaCN are used to separate
a mixture of two sulphide
ores like PbS and ZnS
Leaching:

*It is a process of treating a substances using suitable solvent and water.

*It is based on the above factor were pulverised ore is dissolved using some
suitable reagent and solution is formed while impurities not dissolved.

*The ore is recovered from the solution by suitable chemical method.

e.g. Bauxite ore contains impurities of silica, iron oxide & TiO2. The
powdered ore is treated with NaOH which dissolve Al & impurities remains
insoluble in it.

Al2O3 +2NaOH +3H2O→2 Na[Al(OH)4].

Working On The Concentrated Ore Involves Oxidation
By Chemical Methods
Calcination: Carbonate or hydrated oxide ores are subjected to
the action of heat in order of expel water from hydrated oxide
and carbon dioxide from a carbonate.

It is carried our in reverberatory furnace in the absence of air

at a temperature below its melting point

Examples:
ZnCO3 --> ZnO + CO2
CaCO3 --> CaO + CO2
Al2O3×2H2O --> Al2O3 + 2H2O
2Fe2O3×3H2O --> 2Fe2O3 + 3H2O
• Roasting: Sulphide ores are subjected to the action of heat
and air at temperatures below their melting points in order
to bring about chemical changes in them.
• It is carried out in reverberatory furnace.

Examples:
2PbS + 3O2 --> 2PbO + 2SO2
PbS + 2O2 --> PbSO4
2ZnS + 3O2 --> 2ZnO + 2SO2
ZnS + 2O2 --> ZnSO4
CuS + 2O2 --> CuSO4
2Cu2S + 3O2 --> 2Cu2O + 2SO2
 Difference Between Roasting And Calcination Process

Roasting Calcination
• Thermal process carried • Thermal process carried
out in the presences of out in the absences of air
air
• Sulphide ores are • Carbonate ores are
roasted calcinated
• Example • Example
2ZnS+3O2→2ZnO +2SO2 ZnCO3→ZnO+ CO2
Assignment Questions

1. Which type of ore is concentrated by froth floatation process?

2. Name the depressant used in the separation of an ore containing ZnS
and PbS.
3. What type of ores are concentrated by magnetic separation method?
4. What type of ores are concentrated by gravity separation method?
5. Name a carbonate ore of iron.
6. Mention the chief ore of Aluminium.
7. Which type of ore is roasted?
8. Which type of ore is calcinated?
9. What is calcinations? Give an example.
10. What is roasting? Give an example.
11. Give any two difference between roasting and calcination.
12. Explain froth floatation process.
13. How is aluminium concentrated by leaching process

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