Peer-reviewed
The history of copper cementation on iron — The world's first hydrometallurgical process from medieval China
‘Cementation’ is an important unit process in hydrometallurgical engineering and is used to precipitate a metal from its solution onto another metal that is more electropositive. The precipitation of copper on iron from natural solution is a classical example of a relatively ancient art which has been applied successfully for centuries to produce copper on a commercial scale. The method applied to extraction of copper from mine water has been practiced in China since 1086 A.D., in the Northern Sung period (960-1126 A.D.). This occurrence is many centuries earlier than any in Europe and other places of the world. The early development of the process is thought to be a contribution by medieval Chinese alchemists. The results of a study on the historical development of copper cementation in China are presented in this paper
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