Which impurities are driven off during the roasting of copper concentrate?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Molten copper pours from a large industrial furnace into rectangular molds at a copper smelting facility, with glowing metal and industrial equipment visible. — copper processing Molten copper being made into plates.

During the roasting of copper concentrate, the material is heated to approximately 590 °C (1,100 °F) to remove volatile impurities. The specific impurities driven off during this process include:

Arsenic1
Mercury1
Sulfur (which is removed in the form of sulfur dioxide)1

This roasting stage produces an oxidized product with a sufficiently low sulfur content to proceed to the smelting phase of copper processing.1