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Which metal ores can yield bismuth during smelting and refining?

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Commercial bismuth is produced primarily as a by-product during the smelting and refining of several metal ores. These include:

  • Lead ores1
  • Tin ores1
  • Copper ores1
  • Silver ores1
  • Gold ores1
  • Tungsten ores1

During the refining of lead bullion, bismuth is often recovered through processes such as the Betterton-Kroll process, which involves treating the molten metal with calcium and magnesium to form a bismuth-rich dross, or the Betts process, which utilizes electrolytic refining to recover bismuth from anode sludge. Similarly, in the electrolytic refining of copper, bismuth is recovered as a component of the anode sludge.21