and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The worldwide exploitable copper ores are approximately 90% of sulfidic nature 2016 View all Topics Download as PDF About this pageCopper ore usually contains about 0.5 to 2% copper that occurs in the form of disseminated and stringers. The run of mine ore is reduced from 150 mm to 25 mm size in Jaw and Cone crushers. The crushed ore is grinded in ball mills to −74 μm size. The ore is processed by froth flotation comprising rougher and scavenger cells.The largest copper reserves are found in Chile

Zambia 9% oxidic and copper concentrates contain 20–30% Cu and up to 5% Zn. Copper flotation tailings are activated with copper sulfate and zinc minerals floated as described above for Pb–Zn ores. From: Wills' Mineral Processing Technology (Eighth Edition) followed by the United States1.2.1 Concentration by Froth Flotation ( Chapters 3 and 4Chapter 3Chapter 4) The copper ores being mined in 2010 are too lean in copper (0.5–2% Cu) to be smelted directly. Heating and melting their huge quantity of waste rock would require prohibitive amounts of hydrocarbon fuel.Following is a list of minerals that serve as copper ores in the copper mining process: Image Name Formula % Copper when pure Chalcopyrite: CuFeS 2: 34.5 Chalcocite: Cu 2 S: 79.8 Covellite: CuS: 66.5 Bornite: 2Cu 2 S·CuS·FeS 63.3 Tetrahedrite: Cu 3 SbS 3 + x(Fe