Process for recovery of copper
US4032330A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1976 |
| Grant date | Jun 28, 1977 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 1996 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P10/20
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A process for the leaching and recovery of copper values from copper-containing material which comprises vat leaching a sulfidic copper-containing material with an aqueous acidic ferric sulfate leach solution initially containing at least 10 gpl ferric ion to form a copper pregnant leach solution containing substantially less than 10 gpl ferric ion and a corresponding increase in ferrous ion concentration, extracting said leach solution with an extractant selective to copper and non-selective to iron to strip the copper values from said leach solution, adjusting the acid content of the stripped leach solution to between about 10 to 20 gpl to form an acidic leach solution, passing said acidic stripped leach solution through at least one mineral dump containing oxidized copper for a time sufficient to cause reoxidation of ferrous ion to restore the concentration of ferric ion to at least about 10 gpl, adding sufficient sulfuric acid to the dump off-solution to cause said solution to have an acid concentration of from about 10 to about 20 gpl, and recycling said acidic ferric sulfate leach solution to the vat leaching operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.