10.1.6

Overexploitation & Alternative Extraction Methods

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Copper Extraction - New Sources

Historically, copper has been overexploited. Most of the copper-rich ores have been used up. For this reason, we have had to find new sources to extract copper from.

Alternative Methods of Extracting Copper

Phytomining is a technique that allows us to extract copper from contaminated land. A technique called bioleaching has improved our ability to extract copper from low-grade ores.

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Phytomining

  1. Plants growing on contaminated land absorb copper ions as they grow.
  2. These plants are harvested and burned, producing ash that contains high concentrations of copper compounds.
    • A disadvantage of phytomining is that the process takes a lot longer than the classic methods.
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Bioleaching

  1. Bacteria are added in with low-grade ores.
  2. The bacteria break down the ores to create a solution rich in copper compounds known as a leachate solution. We can easily extract copper from leachate solution.
    • Similarly to phytomining, bioleaching is a much slower process than traditional mining.

Jump to other topics

1Atomic Structure

2Chemical Bonding

3Quantitative Chemistry

4Chemical Changes

5Energy Changes

6The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7Organic Chemistry

8Chemical Analysis

9Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10Using Resources

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