What does leaching use to separate metals?

Leaching is a process that utilizes chemicals to selectively dissolve and separate metals from their ores or other materials. This method typically involves the use of solvents that react with specific metal ions, allowing them to be extracted into a solution. Once the metals are in solution form, they can be further processed or recovered, often through additional chemical or separation processes.

This method is especially useful for metal extraction from complex ores where physical separation techniques may not be efficient. For instance, it is commonly applied in the mining industry to extract valuable metals like gold, copper, and silver, where the solvents used can target particular metals.

In contrast, the other processes mentioned involve different principles. Using heat melts metals but does not involve the chemical interactions necessary for selective metal dissolution. Applying electric current is a technique used in electrolysis for metal separation but is a distinct method not related to leaching. Filtration focuses on physical separation by removing impurities, which does not encompass the chemical interactions that leaching employs to obtain metals.