reclaiming copper

[patrick1]

A GC uses pure elemental copper to reduce nitrogen oxide to elemental nitrogen with the resultant oxidation of the copper to copper oxide.
What process(es) can be used to reclaim elemental copper from the black oxide waste.
I have approximately 20kg of this product.

 

[anachronism]

Hi Patrick

Google "copper cycle" and look at images it will tell you what you need to do with the copper oxide.

Jon

 

[g_axelsson]

I would look into smelting with carbon or using sulfuric acid to electrowin the copper from a water solution.

For the second suggestion my idea is that sulfuric acid dissolves copper oxide, creating copper sulfate and water. This liquid can be electrolysed using an inert anode that will convert the sulfate ion and water into sulfuric acid while the copper deposits on the cathode. The sulfuric acid is then free to dissolve more copper oxide, so a little sulfuric acid should be able to handle a lot of copper oxide.

I can't test this procedure as I don't have a lot of copper oxide at hand, but I think that procedure should work.

Göran

 

[snoman701]

A GC uses pure elemental copper to reduce nitrogen oxide to elemental nitrogen with the resultant oxidation of the copper to copper oxide.
What process(es) can be used to reclaim elemental copper from the black oxide waste.
I have approximately 20kg of this product.

Is it just copper, or copper and others?

If just copper oxide, ball mill it dry and sell as is as a pottery glaze chemical.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Topher_osAUrus]

Im with Göran,
Sulfuric dissolution and electrolysis (electrowinning) for the win!

 

[patrick1]

Thanks to those who took the time to offer advice - greatly appreciated.
Patrick