Refining copper-bearing material contaminated with nickel, antimony and/or tin

Abstract From the Canadian patent

In a copper refinery including smelting converting and electrolytic refining steps feed, material containing copper and contaminated with iron and one or more impurity metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, antimony, and tin is refined in a process in which the impurity metals are separated from the copper prior to the main electrolytic refining of anodes containing less than about 1% nickel less than, about 0.4% antimony and less than about 0.2% tin into, a converter slag product that is subsequently smelted to form anodes which are electrolyzed in a portion of the main copper refinery electrolyte. In another embodiment oxidic (e.g. roasted), copper and copper-nickel …