PROCESS DESCRIPTION

The copper matte retrieved during the initial melt is converted to blister copper by blowing an oxygen-containing gas into the converter. Both continuous and discontinuous processes are used here. Nearly 75 % of copper producers work with the discontinuous “Peirce-Smith"-converter where an oxygen/air mixture is introduced to the melt in two stages. The oxygen content is between 21 Vol.-% and 28 Vol.-%.