The Copper Slag Process
Copper slag is a byproduct that is obtained from copper smelting, hence it is the waste of the copper purification, a process that is thought to have originated more than 4,000 years ago, when it is thought that ancient Middle East potter from Mesopotamia and Babylon developed primite open hearth furnaces to achieve the fire melting point to mold their first metal utensils. Today, there are countless copper slag suppliers that distribute this product that is mostly used as sandblasting media, but that can be used in building applications and projects, particularly those where concrete and stone need a binding agent.
However, back to the copper slag process, actually copper refineries produce two to three times this granulate waster for each one unit of copper that is purified after melting the rock that has it embedded. Copper incrustations may require more than one melting process before the metal reaches the purity grade required for its commercialization or industrial use, so the resulting waste is usually metal free, which is beneficial for copper slag blasting, since it is usually a 99.9 to 100% silica free. Even though when copper is properly refined, the waste may contain some of the metal, converting the slag for sale in a hazardous product that has to be used with care, avoiding prolonged inhalation that may lead to health risks, besides producing environmental pollution in this case.
You can always learn more about the quality of this material asking the person in charge at the places where you can find copper slag for sale. Copper smelting is an operation that besides melting uses air and chemicals to produce the reaction necessary to remove all unwanted materials from the metal, which is called tailings at this stage of the process. Tailings are disposed into tailing ponds that later are dried at high smelting temperatures to get the copper slag floating on the top of the waste. Even though, this material still has to undergo a sulfur dioxide gases removal to remove other impurities to continue the copper smelting process and the byproduct manufacturing.
Slag suppliers often ignore the whole process, but they can offer you their input about the superiority of copper slag over coal slag and other abrasive products. Whether you need to perform a blasting cleaning, paint or rust removal, as well as other repair and maintenance projects that need a powerful blast that produces smooth results, copper blast is worth it for your project. In addition, this is another fact that is worth keeping in mind, because copper slag is also a great fill material in the construction of buildings or paved roadways, thus the possibilities to use this slag are larger than using other abrasives.
