Copper smelting is the process of separating copper metal from the rock in which it is naturally embedded by melting it. This is accomplished through a series of several processing steps. The term copper smelting may refer to this melting step in particular or it may refer somewhat less formally to the entire process overall.
In nature, copper, as well as many other metals, can be found embedded in rock. Such a combination of metal and rock is known as ore. For copper to be put to practical use, it must be separated from the rock and other metals and refined to acceptable purity. Each copper smelting operation has its own unique process, however many share similar basic steps.
A typical process might begin with grinding of the ore into a powder. This powder is processed with chemicals and air to separate out some of the unwanted material and concentrate the copper. Unwanted material from this step is referred to as the tailings. The tailings are typically disposed of in a tailings pond.
