2. UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG
FACULTY OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
BSK 3163
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY PROCESS
ASSIGNMENT 2
MINERAL PROCESSING IN MALAYSIA
(COPPER)
NAME : NURUL NAJWA BTE MUSTAFA
STUDENT ID : SA10100
LECTURER NAME : PROF DR MOHD RIDZUAN BIN NORDIN
DATE OF SUBMISSION : 22 NOVEMBER 2012

3. The mineral processing in Malaysia (Copper).
Malaysia is one of the major mineral processing and exportation. Indeed, most of the
city in Malaysia being a major mining process such as Raub (gold mining), Johore
(aluminium and bauxite), Selangor (lead), Pahang (iron and steel), Perak (tin) and other type
of mineral. The first processing was started in 1975 at Mamut, Sabah. The owner of the
copper mining industries in Sabah was Mamut Copper Mine (MCM). This company was
developed in Sabah which is located at Mamut. The company was running their product
since 1975 until 1999. Within 24 years in copper mining industries, they have produced
about 250 Mt of overburden and waste rocks. Besides, they also produced 100 Mt of tailings.
Not only have that, MCM also wished to explore other places such as Merungin Ranau and
Pingan. For your information, they also got their license approval to operate the production
at Pingan but they faced some of the problem which related to government incentives. Even
though some problem facing by the company but they manage it successfully until they
become the most important company in copper mining industry.
The Earth crusts are found to be rich of many types or mineral included copper
minerals and their ore. They usually occur in both sedimentary and igneous rocks. The outer
crust of the copper contains 33g of copper for every tonne of rock. Furthermore, this is
insufficient value to make it commercially viable to extract the rock. The general mining
process involved 8 step in producing copper metal. The steps are:
i) Ore
An ore is a rock contains metal to be extracted to produce another types of
metal. There are many types of mineral found in one area of mining. During this
period, the most important copper are chalcopyrite, bornite and malachite.
ii) Grinding
The process is to crushed the copper metal into powder form
iii) Concentrating
The ore is enriched using a process called froth flotation. The unwanted
material like gangue sinks to the bottom and is removed.
iv) Roasting
This is where the chemical reactions start. The powdered, enriched ore is
heated in air between 500 °C and 700 °C to remove some sulphur and dry the
ore, which is still a solid called calcine.
v) Smelting
The solid calcine is heated to 1200 °C and melts. Some impurities are removed
as slag, leaving a matte (copper and iron sulphide liquid).

4. vi) Conversion
Air is blown into the liquid matte forming blister copper.
vii) Anode casting
The blister is cast into anodes for electro-refining.
viii) Electro-refining
The copper is purified to 99.99% by electrolysis. It is like a giant version of a
school laboratory experiment.
The general stages during processing have been discussed. So that, the chemical
reaction take place during mining process will be explain. The copper can extract by two
method, traditional method and leaching method. For traditional method, there involved two
part which currently from underground where the sinking of the vertical shaft into the Earth
using an appropriate depth and will be send to horizontal tunnels into the ore. The second
part was open pit where 90% of the ore will be mining here. For leaching method, the ore will
be dilute with sulphuric acid. At this period, the process will slowing go through to form
copper sulphate and will be covered by electro refining process. While concentrated the ore,
the copper will be crushed, ground and mixed with Froth Flotation. After treated with paraffin
oil, the unwanted rock will be removed. The chemical reactions start at this stage where the
copper mineral convert to copper metal. The reaction shows the chalcopyrite change to
copper oxide while sulphur will be removed as sulphur oxide. The product produced during
this stage is calcine.
2CuFeS2 (s) + 3O2 (g) → 2FeO (s) + 2CuS (s) + 2SO2 (g)
Then, the calcine is heated to 1200°C (with fluxes such as limestone and silica). At
this stage, the calcine will melts and reacts with the fluxes and other impurities such as oil
and water is removed. The chemical reaction below shows the slag removed from the
mixture. The liquid inside is a mixture of copper sulphides and iron sulphides which is called
matte.
FeO (s) + SiO2 (s) → FeO.SiO2 (l)
slag
The liquid matte will be oxidized with air to form blister copper in a converter during
conversion stage process. The reactions involved are :

5. a) Elimination of iron sulphide by oxidation to iron oxide which forms a slag:
2FeS (l) + 3O2 (g) + SiO2 (l) → 2FeO.SiO2 (l) + 2SO2 (g)
Air Flux Slag Gas
b) Formation of blister copper by reduction of copper sulphide:
Cu2S (l) + O2 (g) → 2Cu (l) + SO2 (g)
air blister Gas
copper
During this process, 99% of pure copper have been produced. The ‘blister copper’ is
defined as the final stage process which produces bubbles of sulphur dioxide on the surface
of copper and the process involved next is electrolytic refining.
The financial and environmental problem is kind of the important matter to be
discussed. However, review on financial issue absolutely essential in the mineral industry
where in contribute about $180b. This is such huge number for copper mining industry. The
number is getting higher for every decade where the last 1992, about RM166.8M have been
sold in Sabah. But, the environmental effect is hardly worse such as acid rock drainage,
erosion, noise pollution and others.
From my view, it seem like I am support towards this activities but the owner for this
industry must pretend to manage and control the environmental issue with their own ideas.
The conclusion is even though it may influence our environment but this is the one major
exportation will be going success in future. Furthermore, it is quite important industries that
contribute the new era globalization.

6. References :
i) Banwant, S.A. & Malmstrom, M.E. 2001. Hydrogeochemical modeling for preliminary
assessment of minewater pollution, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 74:73-97.
ii) Chon, H.T. & Hwang, J.H. 2000. Geochemical characteristics of the acid mine drainage
in the water system in the vicinity of the Dogye Coal Mine in Korea. Environmental
Geochemistry and Health, 22:155-172.
iii) http://www.miningiq.com/mining/articles/mineral-processing-innovations-and-challenges
iv) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_mining