Patent ID: 9725784
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: C22B

Claim:
1. A method for production of copper comprising: (a) providing (1) a copper sulfide concentrate product of mining or mineral refining comprising copper and iron metal including sulfides thereof and (2) one or more copper oxides, to a molten bath wherein they react with each other for smelting desulfurization, (b) wherein the copper oxides are provided to the molten bath in stoichiometric or in excess of up to about 20 wt % of stoichiometric ratios, (c) agitating the molten bath, (d) thereby oxidizing the sulfide concentrate in a one step to produce: (1) molten blister copper, (2) iron oxide-containing slag, and (3) highly concentrated SO (e) removing at least a portion of said molten blister copper from step (c) and contacting it with oxygen to produce copper oxide, (f) recirculating the copper oxide produced in step (e) to the molten bath of step (a), (g) removing at least a portion of the molten blister copper produced in step (d) for further refining or processing.