Question

Discuss various techniques used for the production of a metal from the concentrated ore.

Answer 1

Techniques used for the production of a metal from concentrated ore are:

1. Roasting: Heating ore in air to convert impurities and sulphides into oxides.
2. Calcination: Heating ore in limited air to remove moisture and volatile impurities.
3. Smelting (Chemical Reduction): Heating the roasted ore with reducing agents like carbon (coke) to get free metal.
4. Reduction with Aluminium: Used for oxides difficult to reduce by carbon (Goldschmidt process).
5. Reduction with Dihydrogen or Water Gas: Used for selective ores.
6. Electrolytic Reduction: For active metals like Na, Mg, Al that can’t be chemically reduced easily.

Each method selection depends on the ore type and metal reactivity.