| abstract |
A sulfur dioxide free process for the production of high purity metallic copper from copper-matte wherein copper-matte is leached under oxidizing conditions in a ferric-containing acid copper sulfate electrolyte leach assembly including one or more leach reactors to yield a copper-rich electrolyte, and copper cathode is produced in an electrowinning assembly which is physically decoupled from the leaching assembly and may include one or more electrowinning cells. The process operates at ambient pressure and temperatures less than the boiling point. |