What is a copper concentrate used for after flotation?

After the flotation process, the resulting copper concentrate is dewatered and filtered to create a filter cake, which is then sent to a copper smelter.1

At the smelter, the concentrate undergoes extraction and refining to remove impurities and recover valuable metals. The primary steps include:

• Smelting: The concentrate is heated—often using flash or bath smelting—to produce a molten matte, which is an artificial copper-iron sulfide, and a layer of slag that contains oxidized impurities.2
• Converting: The molten matte is processed in a converter to remove remaining iron and sulfur, resulting in "blister" copper.2
• Fire Refining: The blister copper is refined to reduce sulfur and oxygen levels, preparing it for electrolytic refining.2

Beyond copper production, these concentrates are also a significant source for recovering other precious metals, such as gold and silver, which are extracted from the slimes that accumulate during the electrolytic refining stage.23