Arsenic removal from copper–silver ore by roasting in vacuum.

Abstract: An investigation has been carried out for arsenic removal from a silver–copper ore. The copper ore was roasted in air, in nitrogen atmosphere and in vacuum at high temperature. It was found that arsenic was more easily removed in vacuum at lower temperature with shorter time. By suitably adjusting the main reaction conditions, almost 98.97% arsenic could be removed, while most of the sulfur was particularly retained in the copper ore. It was illustrated that arsenic could be completely removed on anaerobic conditions. After arsenic was removed, the copper ore with higher economic value could be used for feeding to the smelter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]