Smelter
Channel: English Unpacked
Date: 29/01/2024

The term "smelter" refers to a facility or a person who engages in the process of smelting. Smelting is the act of extracting metal from its ore by heating and melting it. The smelter is responsible for transforming raw materials into usable metal through this process.
For example, let's say there is a copper mine. The copper ore extracted from the mine needs to be processed to obtain pure copper. This is where a smelter comes into play. The smelter receives the copper ore and heats it in a furnace at high temperatures. As a result of the smelting process, the impurities are removed, and pure copper is obtained.
Another example could be the production of iron. Iron ore is mined from the ground and needs to go through smelting to obtain iron metal. The smelter takes the iron ore and heats it in a blast furnace. This process separates the iron from other elements present in the ore, resulting in pure iron.
In summary, a smelter is a facility or a person involved in the process of smelting, which is the extraction of metal from its ore through heating and melting. Smelters play a crucial role in transforming raw materials into usable metal by removing impurities and obtaining pure metal.