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Mining History:
Hello Rick,
The process is simple indeed.
Simple concrete vats are built. Iron in preferably non massive form, e.g. bales of scrap iron wire would be good, are put into the vats and copper-charged mine water is pumpled in.
Slowly the iron wire will dissolve away and copper oxide powder will accumulate in the bottom of the vats.
Finally the vats are pumped out and the bottom sludge let cake and dry and then is bagged up and sent away .. and the operator gets some money for the product.
I've never done it but I have seen it done.
Cheers,
John Byrnes
(Geologist)
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Stewart [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 8:48 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Copper precipitation
As I understand it the copper precipiation process is relitively simple:
Copper rich water is run over iron, copper is replaces the iron leaving a
residue of ochre.
Could someone expand on this for me i.e what form the copper takes at
various stages in the process, what the actual process is etc.
Thanks
Rick Stewart
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