Improving the Physical Quality of the Organic Phase Through Clay Treatment: Industrial Cases

摘要

Maintaining optimal conditions for the organic phase is essential for achieving the operational, metallurgical and physical objectives of a solvent extraction (SX) plant. As it circulates through the process, the organic phase is exposed to internal and external contaminating agents that affect its quality. This situation negatively impacts copper transfer, increases production costs due to the need for additional reagents and other additives, and results in lower quality of the final cathodic product. To keep the organic phase free of contaminants, it is necessary to continuously perform clay treatment. Several studies have been published demonstrating the benefits associated with the clay treatment process (stage efficiency, Cu:Fe selectivity, reduced entrainment, etc.), both at laboratory scale and at the pilot plant level. To date, however, the success of industrial clay treatment cases in Latin America (LA) is not well known in the industry. The present study shows three industrial cases of SX plants in LA that have successfully incorporated clay treatment in their process, achieving a reduction in A/O and O/A entrainments, increasing stage efficiency as well as Cu:Fe selectivity, and ensuring the operational stability of the SX plants. These improvements translated into significant economic savings for the target mining operations.