Hydrometallurgical process for the leaching of Copper Oxide Minerals without the use of Sulphuric Acid

摘要

Claim 1: mineral hydrometallurgical process for the leaching of Copper Oxide to produce Copper Cathodes, sheets or Precipitate, which uses a non polluting Organic leaching Agent, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) Mineral leaching Copper Oxide, in which, once transferred the ore from the mine,It is the primary, secondary and tertiary crushing of the Ore for classification, after which it is transported to a phase of Agglomeration to be impregnated with a lixiviant which consists of an aqueous solution comprising acid tricarboxylic acid (C6H8O7) in combination with Water (H2O), in such a mixture in which the acidity varies between pH 1.0 and 50; ore already impregnated is moved and collected in Leach, which are irrigated with the lixiviant previously specified through a systematic Management that consists in dividing or segregate Heap Leach into sectors, which are consumed sequentially with the lixivi Before,Obtaining a Concentrated Copper Citrate; (b) electro deposition of Copper Citrate obtained which is driven and controlled by a Flow casting, electro Deposition, VATS containing anodes and cathodes, FED by a Voltage that varies between 0.1 and 7,0 Volts, a current Density that varies between 5 and 3000 amperes per square meter; (c) recovery of Leach by a Second grinding ore already exhausted the Leach pads, which consists in a Wet Milling in which employs the lixiviant previously identified, applying a Mechanical agitation for a Residence time controlled, determined according to the leaching Kinetics of each mineral.Which generates a Leach Pulp that allows the core of this mineral, which, once filtered, produces additional Copper Liquor that allows to recover the noble Metals (Gold, Silver and Platinum), as also the Copper sulphides which might still be content.