UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG

FACULTY OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

BSK 3163

INORGANIC CHEMISTRY PROCESS

ASSIGNMENT 2

MINERAL PROCESSING IN MALAYSIA

(COPPER)

NAME : NURUL NAJWA BTE MUSTAFA

STUDENT ID : SA10100

LECTURER NAME : PROF DR MOHD RIDZUAN BIN NORDIN

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 22 NOVEMBER 2012

The mineral processing in Malaysia (Copper).

Malaysia is one of the major mineral processing and exportation. Indeed, most of the

city in Malaysia being a major mining process such as Raub (gold mining), Johore

(aluminium and bauxite), Selangor (lead), Pahang (iron and steel), Perak (tin) and other type

of mineral. The first processing was started in 1975 at Mamut, Sabah. The owner of the

copper mining industries in Sabah was Mamut Copper Mine (MCM). This company was

developed in Sabah which is located at Mamut. The company was running their product

since 1975 until 1999. Within 24 years in copper mining industries, they have produced

about 250 Mt of overburden and waste rocks. Besides, they also produced 100 Mt of tailings.

Not only have that, MCM also wished to explore other places such as Merungin Ranau and

Pingan. For your information, they also got their license approval to operate the production

at Pingan but they faced some of the problem which related to government incentives. Even

though some problem facing by the company but they manage it successfully until they

become the most important company in copper mining industry.

The Earth crusts are found to be rich of many types or mineral included copper

minerals and their ore. They usually occur in both sedimentary and igneous rocks. The outer

crust of the copper contains 33g of copper for every tonne of rock. Furthermore, this is

insufficient value to make it commercially viable to extract the rock. The general mining

process involved 8 step in producing copper metal. The steps are:

i) Ore

An ore is a rock contains metal to be extracted to produce another types of

metal. There are many types of mineral found in one area of mining. During this

period, the most important copper are chalcopyrite, bornite and malachite.

ii) Grinding

The process is to crushed the copper metal into powder form

iii) Concentrating

The ore is enriched using a process called froth flotation. The unwanted

material like gangue sinks to the bottom and is removed.

iv) Roasting

This is where the chemical reactions start. The powdered, enriched ore is

heated in air between 500 °C and 700 °C to remove some sulphur and dry the

ore, which is still a solid called calcine.

v) Smelting

The solid calcine is heated to 1200 °C and melts. Some impurities are removed

as slag, leaving a matte (copper and iron sulphide liquid).

vi) Conversion

Air is blown into the liquid matte forming blister copper.

vii) Anode casting

The blister is cast into anodes for electro-refining.

viii) Electro-refining

The copper is purified to 99.99% by electrolysis. It is like a giant version of a

school laboratory experiment.

The general stages during processing have been discussed. So that, the chemical

reaction take place during mining process will be explain. The copper can extract by two

method, traditional method and leaching method. For traditional method, there involved two

part which currently from underground where the sinking of the vertical shaft into the Earth

using an appropriate depth and will be send to horizontal tunnels into the ore. The second

part was open pit where 90% of the ore will be mining here. For leaching method, the ore will

be dilute with sulphuric acid. At this period, the process will slowing go through to form

copper sulphate and will be covered by electro refining process. While concentrated the ore,

the copper will be crushed, ground and mixed with Froth Flotation. After treated with paraffin

oil, the unwanted rock will be removed. The chemical reactions start at this stage where the

copper mineral convert to copper metal. The reaction shows the chalcopyrite change to

copper oxide while sulphur will be removed as sulphur oxide. The product produced during

this stage is calcine.

2CuFeS2 (s) + 3O2 (g) → 2FeO (s) + 2CuS (s) + 2SO2 (g)

Then, the calcine is heated to 1200°C (with fluxes such as limestone and silica). At

this stage, the calcine will melts and reacts with the fluxes and other impurities such as oil

and water is removed. The chemical reaction below shows the slag removed from the

mixture. The liquid inside is a mixture of copper sulphides and iron sulphides which is called

matte.

FeO (s) + SiO2 (s) → FeO.SiO2 (l)

slag

The liquid matte will be oxidized with air to form blister copper in a converter during

conversion stage process. The reactions involved are :

a) Elimination of iron sulphide by oxidation to iron oxide which forms a slag:

2FeS (l) + 3O2 (g) + SiO2 (l) → 2FeO.SiO2 (l) + 2SO2 (g)

Air Flux Slag Gas

b) Formation of blister copper by reduction of copper sulphide:

Cu2S (l) + O2 (g) → 2Cu (l) + SO2 (g) air blister Gas

copper

During this process, 99% of pure copper have been produced. The ‘blister copper’ is

defined as the final stage process which produces bubbles of sulphur dioxide on the surface

of copper and the process involved next is electrolytic refining.

The financial and environmental problem is kind of the important matter to be

discussed. However, review on financial issue absolutely essential in the mineral industry

where in contribute about $180b. This is such huge number for copper mining industry. The

number is getting higher for every decade where the last 1992, about RM166.8M have been

sold in Sabah. But, the environmental effect is hardly worse such as acid rock drainage,

erosion, noise pollution and others.

From my view, it seem like I am support towards this activities but the owner for this

industry must pretend to manage and control the environmental issue with their own ideas.

The conclusion is even though it may influence our environment but this is the one major

exportation will be going success in future. Furthermore, it is quite important industries that

contribute the new era globalization.

References :

i) Banwant, S.A. & Malmstrom, M.E. 2001. Hydrogeochemical modeling for preliminary

assessment of minewater pollution, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 74:73-97.

ii) Chon, H.T. & Hwang, J.H. 2000. Geochemical characteristics of the acid mine drainage

in the water system in the vicinity of the Dogye Coal Mine in Korea. Environmental

Geochemistry and Health, 22:155-172.

iii) http://www.miningiq.com/mining/articles/mineral-processing-innovations-and-challenges

iv) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_mining