smelting
Extracting metal industrially
Smelting is the process of extracting metal from ore by heating it to high temperatures, typically with a reducing agent like carbon.
The heat melts the ore and separates the pure metal from impurities: Copper smelting has been practiced for thousands of years.
Smelting differs from simply melting metal—it chemically transforms raw ore into usable material.
Enclosed heat-producing structure
- oreMetal-bearing rock
- moltenLiquefied by extreme heat
- slagIndustrial metalworking byproduct
- fluxContinuous change or flow
crucible · matte · tapping · ladling · blast · roasting · reduction · calcination
Reddish-brown metallic element
bronze · aluminum · nickel · gold · silver · steel · brass · pig iron
Remove impurities from
- drossMetalwork's floating refuse
- impuritiesUnwanted substances within something
- fluxContinuous change or flow
- electrolysisCurrent-induced ionic separation
leaching · separation · precipitate · purity · concentrate · gangue · tailings · calcine
Metal casting facility
- ironworksIndustrial metalworking facility
- steelworksIndustrial metal production facility
- refineryIndustrial purification facility
- metalworksFactory processing raw ore
plant · mining · extraction · production · manufacturing · industrialization · metalworker · labor
Making something smaller
- conversionAct of changing states
- extractionAct of removing
- liquefactionConversion to liquid state
- transmutationComplete change of form
alchemy · refining · processing · oxidation · chemical reaction · metamorphosis
furnace
Enclosed heat-producing structure
flux · crucible · matte · tapping · ladling · blast · roasting · reduction · calcination · charge
copper
Reddish-brown metallic element
tin · bronze · aluminum · nickel · gold · silver · steel · brass · pig iron · bullion
refine
Remove impurities from
- drossMetalwork's floating refuse
- impuritiesUnwanted substances within something
- fluxContinuous change or flow
electrolysis · leaching · separation · precipitate · purity · concentrate · gangue · tailings · calcine
foundry
Metal casting facility
- ironworksIndustrial metalworking facility
- steelworksIndustrial metal production facility
- refineryIndustrial purification facility
metalworks · plant · mining · extraction · production · manufacturing · industrialization · metalworker · labor · facility
reduction
Making something smaller
- conversionAct of changing states
- extractionAct of removing
- liquefactionConversion to liquid state
transmutation · alchemy · refining · processing · oxidation · chemical reaction · metamorphosis
- Bergslagenironworks, iron ore, copper mining, mine shafts, blast furnaces
- copper miningcopper ore, copper production, refining, open pit, flotation
- Copperbeltcopper mining, copper mines, mining towns, Zambia, copper production
- platinum miningore dressing, flotation, refining, extraction, recovery
- Potosi Miningsilver ore, mine shafts, mining tunnels, mineral veins, silver veins
- heavy industrysteel mills, steel production, steel industry, steelmaking, foundries
smeltingoxidation
Losing electrons chemically
corrosion · rusting · mineralization · tarnishing · calcination
smeltingmining
Extracting earth's resources
forging · finishing · quarrying · prospecting · casting
smeltingseparation
State of being apart
division · disconnection · disintegration · decomposition · fragmenting
- copper smeltingExtracting metal via heat
- iron smeltingReducing ore with heat
smelt, smelter, smelters, smelts, smelted, smeltery, unsmelted