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Extracting metals – carbon reduction, the blast furnace, electrolysis of alumina and bio-extraction

ChemistryInorganic ChemistryAges 17–18

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Four screens: heat CuO, PbO, ZnO, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ with carbon to see which oxides are reduced, depending on where the metal sits relative to carbon in the reactivity series; a blast furnace with the reactions zone by zone and a table of iron, limestone, slag and CO₂ amounts; a Hall–Héroult cell that extracts aluminium from alumina dissolved in cryolite, with the mass m = MIt/(nF) and the energy used; and phytomining compared with bioleaching of low-grade copper ore over time.

Lesson: Extraction of metals: reduction with carbon, the blast furnace, electrolysis of aluminium oxide, phytomining and bioleaching

What it shows

How a metal is extracted depends on its reactivity. Metals below carbon in the reactivity series, such as copper, lead, iron and zinc, can be obtained by heating their oxides with carbon: the oxide loses oxygen and is reduced, while carbon gains oxygen and is oxidised. In a blast furnace, carbon monoxide reduces iron(III) oxide and limestone removes sand as slag. Metals above carbon, such as aluminium, need electrolysis of a molten compound, which uses a lot of energy. Copper from low-grade ores can be extracted slowly by plants (phytomining) or bacteria (bioleaching).

How to use

On Carbon reduction, choose an Oxide, set Heating temperature and press Heat; watch the solid and the limewater and read the masses. On Blast furnace, choose a zone and change Ore fed in and Fe₂O₃ content. On Electrolysis of alumina, set the Current I, Voltage U and Current efficiency η, toggle cryolite and press Run. On Bio-extraction, change Copper grade and Mass of low-grade ore, press Run and compare the two curves.

Parameters you can change

  • Screen Carbon reduction, Blast furnace, Electrolysis of alumina, Bio-extraction
  • Metal oxide Copper(II) oxide CuO, Lead(II) oxide PbO, Zinc oxide ZnO, Iron(III) oxide Fe₂O₃, Aluminium oxide Al₂O₃
  • Heating temperature 200–1600 °C
  • Mass of oxide 1–10 g
  • Iron ore fed into the blast furnace 50–400 t/h
  • Fe₂O₃ content of the ore 50–95 %
  • Current through the electrolysis cell 50–500 kA
  • Voltage across each cell 3.8–5 V
  • Current efficiency 80–100 %
  • Alumina dissolved in cryolite
  • Copper content of the low-grade ore 0.1–2 %
  • Mass of low-grade ore 100–10000 t
  • Last step to get copper from the solution Displacement with scrap iron, Electrolysis of the solution

Questions to explore

  1. Why can carbon reduce copper(II) oxide but not aluminium oxide?
  2. In the blast furnace, which substance is oxidised and which is reduced when iron(III) oxide reacts?
  3. Why does extracting aluminium use cryolite, and why is it so expensive in energy?

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