Meet the editors

Daniel Fernández-González graduated with a bachelor's and master's degree in mining engineering in 2013, and he earned a Ph.D. in Materials from the Oviedo School of Mines, Energy, and Materials at the University of Oviedo, Spain, in 2019. He has worked as a researcher at the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center, Spanish National Research Council since 2021. His research deals with the synthesis of materials, the

production of metals, ceramics, and composite materials, and the characterization of materials. He has also focused on sustainable metallurgical processes based on solar energy and the recycling of industrial wastes. He has published forty articles and six books. He has been a visiting researcher at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico, the AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland, and the Processes, Materials and Solar Energy (PROMES) laboratory, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France. He has participated in different research projects on materials synthesis and sintering funded by public agencies and private companies.

Luis Felipe Verdeja González is a Professor of Materials Science and Metallurgy and Head of the Siderurgy, Metals and Materials Group at the University of Oviedo. He was previously the head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Oviedo, Spain. He is a member of the American Ceramic Society, The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, and the Institute of

Materials, Minerals and Mining. His research focuses on the application, maintenance, and wear of refractory linings in blast furnaces and other metal and steel production processes, and non-ferrous extractive metallurgy. He has published more than 100 articles and 9 books and has participated in more than 40 public and private research projects.

## Contents


Preface

Copper has accompanied human development for thousands of years in different fields and forms. During the Copper Age, copper was employed in its native form. Later, bronze comprising copper and tin was discovered. The wide utilization of copper in the form of this alloy, and some others that appeared later, including brass (Cu-Zn) or alpaca (Cu-Ni-Zn), highlighted copper metallurgy's importance. These alloys were widely used in bells, ornamental parts, weapons, body armors, and more due to their excellent properties, including their high mechanical, corrosion, and wear resistance. In addition, the discoveries of Michael Faraday in the electricity field represented a new use for copper. He constructed the first electrical generator, and subsequent developments in electricity led to the current importance of copper as an electrical conductor. This widespread use of copper in the field of electrical conduction, and in heat transfer applications, has led to an increase in copper production. Copper is being used in new applications, such as those in biomedicine, increasing its importance as a fundamental functional material.

Written by expert researchers from around the world, this book is organized into two sections: "Copper Mining and Processing" and "Copper Applications." Section 1, "Copper Mining and Processing", includes three chapters dedicated to copper mining

Chapter 1 provides an overview of copper, from the ore to the final metal. It includes a description of the main ores, the technologies used to produce copper, and its final applications. The chapter concludes with a novel process of copper extraction from

Chapter 2 focuses on a theoretical and experimental study of an electroosmotic drainage technique applied to copper mining. It provides an interesting study about water

Chapter 3 emphasizes the refractory lining of the furnaces used to produce copper. It analyzes the different processes and materials and how they interact with the refrac-

Section 2, "Copper Applications", includes four chapters on different copper applica-

Chapter 4 analyzes the problem of halogenated organic compounds and how to deal with them using a system comprising metallic copper and borohydride as an alternative to nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) and palladium (Pd). This system might be an

Chapter 5 studies the influence of non-covalent interactions on the complexes formed by various biomolecules with the copper cation using the method of density func-

tories. It also describes the families employed in copper metallurgy.

attractive alternative for the treatment of water and wastewater.

tional theory. This study is interesting for biomedical applications.

and metallurgy.

slags using solar energy.

tions in different fields.

permeability in a copper mine pile.
