My Dearest Friend Ducksie - R I P
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Iron ore
When iron rusts, does it it turn back into same substance as iron ore?
Can it be refined again?
I ask this as it was suggested in a recent BBC programme that there is talk of 'mining ' old tips for their metal.
To what extent can a mixture of metals be separated? I hav e seen tin (floating on the top I think) of liquid metal.
Can it be refined again?
I ask this as it was suggested in a recent BBC programme that there is talk of 'mining ' old tips for their metal.
To what extent can a mixture of metals be separated? I hav e seen tin (floating on the top I think) of liquid metal.
Answers
1 to 4 of 4
methinks the poster has confused geology and genealogy...
12:30 Mon 12th Oct 2009
The short answer is yes.
Iron ore is the generic name given to compounds of iron found naturally in the ground. The most common one is haematite, which is one to two oxides of iron that are possible - in this case, ferric oxide.
Mixtures of metals are separated by various methods, but getting one of the mixed elements to combine with another substance that floats or sinks in the second element is a common technique.
With iron, the main impurity in haematite is silicon. By heating the iron with a commonly available limestone, calcium silicate is formed which floats on the surface as slag. This slag can be skimmed off.
If the price of a base metal rises, a point is reached at which it is worth revisting old spoil heaps to remove more of the material not previously worth transporting for processing - because, say, the percentage of metal in the ore was originally not high enough to make it worthwhile.
Iron ore is the generic name given to compounds of iron found naturally in the ground. The most common one is haematite, which is one to two oxides of iron that are possible - in this case, ferric oxide.
Mixtures of metals are separated by various methods, but getting one of the mixed elements to combine with another substance that floats or sinks in the second element is a common technique.
With iron, the main impurity in haematite is silicon. By heating the iron with a commonly available limestone, calcium silicate is formed which floats on the surface as slag. This slag can be skimmed off.
If the price of a base metal rises, a point is reached at which it is worth revisting old spoil heaps to remove more of the material not previously worth transporting for processing - because, say, the percentage of metal in the ore was originally not high enough to make it worthwhile.
1 to 4 of 4
