Editing Copper extraction (section)

{{Short description|Process of extracting copper from the ground}}
[[File:Chino copper mine.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|The [[El Chino Mine|Chino open-pit copper mine]] in New Mexico]]
[[File:Chalcopyrite perou.jpg|thumb|[[Chalcopyrite]] specimen from [[Huarón Mining District|Huarón]] mine, [[Peru]]]]

'''Copper extraction''' is the multi-stage process of obtaining [[copper]] from [[list of copper ores|its ores]]. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local [[environmental law|environmental regulations]], and other factors.<ref name=Ullm/> The copper smelters with the highest production capacity (metric tons of copper yearly) lie in China, Chile, India, Germany, Japan, Peru and Russia.<ref name=sona/> China alone has over half of the world's production capacity and is also the world's largest consumer of refined copper.<ref name=jorge/><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 April 2024 |title=China's copper smelters to discuss fees as crisis roils sector |url=https://www.mining.com/web/chinas-copper-smelters-to-discuss-fees-as-crisis-roils-sector/ |access-date=20 April 2025 |website=mining.com}}</ref>

[[Precious metal]]s and [[sulfuric acid]] are often valuable by-products of copper refining.<ref name=nuevaf/> [[Arsenic]] is the main type of impurity found in copper concentrates to enter smelting facilities.<ref name=sona>{{Cite report |title=Fundiciones de Cobre en Chile |date=2015-06-10 |url=https://www.sonami.cl/v2/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FCM-20150610-Com-Miner%C3%ADa-y-Energia-Senado-Fundiciones.pdf |last=Costabal M. |first=Francisco |access-date=2025-03-23 |publisher=[[SONAMI]] |language=es}}</ref> There has been an increase in arsenic in copper concentrates over the years since shallow, low-arsenic copper deposits have been progressively depleted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arsénico y Minería |url=https://www.ecometales.cl/difusion/arsenico/arsenico-y-mineria |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=ecometales.cl |language=es |quote=Hoy se extrae más arsénico que antes debido al agotamiento de los minerales de más alta ley de cobre y sin impurezas, lo que obliga a explotar yacimientos de mayor profundidad con más arsénico.|trans-quote=More arsenic is being mined today than before due to the depletion of higher-grade copper ores without impurities, which requires the exploitation of deeper deposits with more arsenic.}}</ref>