pyrometallurgy

(noun)

The thermal treatment of minerals or ores to bring about physical and chemical transformations in the materials to enable recovery of valuable metals.

Related Terms

Examples of pyrometallurgy in the following topics:

  • Metallurgy

    • Pyrometallurgy involves high temperature processes where chemical reactions take place among gases, solids, and molten materials.
    • The scope of electrometallurgy has significant overlap with the areas of hydrometallurgy and (in the case of fused salt electrolysis) pyrometallurgy.

  • Extractive Metallurgy

    • Pyrometallurgy involves high temperature processes where chemical reactions take place among gases, solids, and molten materials.
    • The scope of electrometallurgy has significant overlap with the areas of hydrometallurgy and (in the case of fused salt electrolysis) pyrometallurgy.

  • Occurrence of Metals

    • Pyrometallurgy uses high temperatures to convert ore into raw metals, while hydrometallurgy employs aqueous chemistry for the same purpose.