Copper is extracted from low-grade ores by phyto-mining - AQA - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 4 - 2019 - Paper 2

Copper metal is produced by phyto-mining through the cultivation of specific plants that absorb copper ions from the soil. These plants are grown on low-grade copper ore, where they selectively take up the copper compounds during their growth period. After harvesting, the plants are then burnt to produce ash, which contains the copper in a soluble form. This ash can be dissolved in acid to yield a copper solution, which can then undergo electrolysis or further processing to extract pure copper metal.