The application and economics of NSC catalyzed pressure leaching of copper ores and concentrates

摘要

Today there is increased interest in evaluating new processing alternatives for copper production. Hydrometallurgical pressure oxidation of copper ores and concentrates is one of the more environmentally and economically viable approaches. Several technological candidates have emerged and are now being utilized on the pilot or production scale. Of these, the first industrially proven methodology utilized nitrogen species catalysis (NSC) in the oxidizing pressure leach system to produce copper via SX/EW. Given its many inherent process advantages, this will prove to be a feasible process alternative for the future. In this update of the application of the technology, the history of the system and its application to copper concentrates and ores will be outlined. In particular, a non-cyanide methodology for effective recovery of precious metals from chalcopyrite concentrates will be discussed. Finally, two recent industrial application studies will be delineated along with their site specific economics.