During the Bessemerisation of Copper Matte (), a blast of air and sand () is blown through the molte — Metallurgy and Isolation of Elements Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Copper matte contains a small impurity of $FeS$. The air blast first oxidizes $FeS$ to basic $FeO$. The added silica ($SiO_2$) acts as an acidic flux, reacting with the $FeO$ to form a removable, lighter slag of Iron silicate ($FeSiO_3$), purifying the copper sulphide for the final reduction.