Question

Self reduction of CuS to Cu can be carried out in:
A. Bessemer converter
B. Blast furnace
C. Both A and B
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:To answer this question we should know the metallurgy of copper. The extraction of metal from its ore is known as metallurgy. The copper is converted into its sulphide. The pure copper is obtained by conversion of copper sulphide into copper.

Complete answer:Copper is extracted from its ore by the following procedure:
Concentration of ore
Roasting
Smelting
Treatment in Bessemer converter
Refining
Copper pyrite \[{\text{CuFe}}{{\text{S}}_2}\] is the ore of copper. From this ore, the copper is concentrated or separated by the froth flotation process. First, the copper pyrite is converted into powder and mixed with water. Forth stabilizers are added to stabilize the froth. Collectors are added to increase the hydrophobicity of the metal.
Then the mixture is rotated and the air is supplied. The rotation makes the froth. The hydrophobic ore particles surround with air, so come into the froth and the gangue partials surround with water, so they become heavy. The fourth is separated and dried.
After concentrating the ore, copper metal is separated by converting the ore into oxide by roasting process the then roasted ore is reduced by heating with sand and cock in a reverberatory furnace.
In a reverberatory furnace, iron impurity is removed as a slug leaving behind the copper sulphide which is known as copper matte.
Copper metal is oxidised in a Bessemer converter with oxygen. The process is bessemerization. The sulphide is removed as sulphur dioxide and forms copper metal.
The self-reduction reaction occur in Bessemer converter are shown as follows:
${\text{C}}{{\text{u}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{S}}\,{\text{ + }}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}\, \to \,{\text{C}}{{\text{u}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{O}}\,{\text{ + }}\,{\text{S}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}$
${\text{C}}{{\text{u}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{S}}\,{\text{ + C}}{{\text{u}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{O}}\, \to \,{\text{Cu}}\,{\text{ + }}\,{\text{S}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}}$
So, self-reduction of CuS to Cu can be carried out in a Bessemer converter.

Therefore, option (A) Bessemer converter, is correct.

Note:Removal of impurities form metal is known as concentration. Sulphide ores are converted into oxide by roasting. Calcination is used for the extraction of the metal from carbonate or oxide ores. The reduction in absence of reducing agent is known as self-reduction. Copper sulphide reacts with copper oxide to give copper, so here, copper compound itself work as a reducing agent.