摘要:
A hydrometallurgical method for leaching a base metal in a combined pressure acid leach comprises the steps of combining a sulphide ore (14) or concentrate with a laterite or other oxide ore (16) and mixing them together to form a slurry in a milling circuit (12). The combined slurry is leached in a pressure acid leach circuit (20) comprising a series of pressure Pachuca (tanks 22). An oxidant such as oxygen or air is provided to the pressure acid leach circuit such that the oxidant allows for the conversion of substantially all of the sulphide to transition through to sulphate.
摘要:
An improved hydrometallurgical method (10) for the extraction of nickel from laterite ores, the method comprising the method steps of: i) Forming at least one primary heap (20) from nickel laterite ore material; ii) Leaching the primary heap (20) with a leaching agent (22) to produce an intermediate leach solution (ILS) (24); iii) Recirculating the ILS (24) to the or each primary heap (20) whereby the concentration of nickel in solution approaches saturation, or a steady state to form a pregnant leach solution (PLS) (26); iv) Passing at least a portion of the PLS (26) to an iron precipitation step (28) in which iron is precipitated as hematite at elevated temperature and pressure, releasing acid; v) Directing the discharge from the iron precipitation step (32) to a solid liquid separation stage (34) to produce a waste residue (40) and a clarified PLS (36) containing acid; vi) Irrigating at least one secondary heap (42) of nickel laterite ore material with the clarified PLS (36) to facilitate the leaching of the or each secondary heap and produce a secondary ILS (46); vii) Passing a stream of a reducing gas (50) into the secondary ILS (46) to facilitate the reduction of ferric iron to ferrous iron; viii) Recirculating the ILS (46) over the or each secondary heap (42) to produce a secondary PLS (48); and ix) Directing the PLS (48) from step viii) to a metals recovery circuit.
摘要:
A method for agglomeration (10) characterised by the method steps of: i) adjusting the moisture content of an ore material to be agglomerated to a predetermined level, ii) passing the ore material to an agglomeration circuit (20); and iii) adding an acid containing agglomerating solution to the ore material in the agglomeration circuit to provide an agglomerated ore material, whereby the acid concentration of the agglomerating solution does not exceed about 100g/L.
摘要:
A process for the recovery of base metals from an oxide ore, comprising the steps of: e) forming at least one heap (40) of the oxide ore containing the base metals to be recovered; f) irrigating the at least one heap (40) of oxide ore with a leach solution (42) comprising sulphuric acid; g) collecting resulting pregnant leach solution (44,50) from the irrigated heap (40); and treating the pregnant leach solution (44,50) with a reducing gas stream to create a treated pregnant leach solution for recovery of required base metals. The process is applicable to treatment of laterite ores and the conversion of ferric ions to ferrous ions, with regeneration of sulphuric acid in the process, has benefits in terms of enhanced process efficiency and reduced operating costs.
摘要:
A hydrometallurgical method for precipitating iron in the form of hematite from leach solutions containing nickel, cobalt and iron, characterised by the steps of: i) pre-neutralising (12) the leach solution by the addition of a neutralising agent (14); ii) oxidising ferrous sulphate to ferric sulphate (16) by sparging air or oxygen into the solution resulting from step (i) at an elevated temperature; iii) adjusting the free acid and pH of the solution resulting from step (ii) to levels suitable for hematite precipitation; iv) adding hematite seed (22) to the solution resulting from step (iii) and maintaining the solution in these conditions for a residence time such that substantially complete conversion of ferric sulphate to hematite precipitate is achieved; v) filtering or thickening (24) the solution from step (iv) to remove the hematite precipitate; vi) recycling a portion of the hematite precipitate of step (v) to step (iv) as the hematite seed; and vii) recovering nickel and cobalt (26) from the filtrate solution.
摘要:
An improved leaching method (10) comprising the method steps of: i) preparing and stacking an ore material (12) to be leached such that the ore material is suitable for an atmospheric leach (18); ii) applying a lixiviant (20) at an initial predetermined irrigation rate for a period of time; iii) subsequently applying the lixiviant (20) at a second irrigation rate for a further period of time, the second irrigation rate being lower than the first irrigation rate; and iv) recovering metal values from a pregnant leach solution (22) resulting from steps ii) and iii).
摘要:
A hydrometallurgical method (10) for the extraction of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores, the method characterised by the method steps of: (i) Beneficiating (14, 16) a run of mine laterite ore containing nickel and cobalt into a substantially fine ore fraction and a substantially coarse ore fraction; (ii) Passing the fine ore fraction to a pressure acid leaching step (26) in which a sulphuric acid lixiviant is used to extract nickel and cobalt values forming a leach slurry comprising liquor and residue solids components; (iii) Passing at least a portion of the coarse ore fraction to an agglomeration step (22) in which the coarse ore fraction is agglomerated; (iv) Forming at least one heap (40, 48) from the agglomerated ore of step (iii); (v) Passing the leach slurry from the pressure acid leach step (ii) to a solid/liquid separation step (28), from which the residue solids are passed to waste (30), a proportion of the liquor is passed to further processing for metals recovery (34) and a further portion of the liquor is passed directly or indirectly to the or each heap (40, 48) formed in step (iv); (vi) Leaching the coarse ore fraction in the heaps (40, 48) with liquor separated in step (v) wherein the leaching agent is the free acid remaining therein from the pressure acid leaching step (ii); and (vii) Passing pregnant leach solution from the or each heap (40, 48) to metals recovery (34).
摘要:
A hydrometallurgical method (10) for precipitating iron as hematite at elevated temperature and pressure from a pregnant leach solution ('PLS') (12) containing nickel, cobalt and iron, the method comprising the steps of: (i) leaching a low to medium grade nickel laterite ore to produce a PLS (12) containing nickel, cobalt and ferric iron; (ii) subjecting the PLS (12) to elevated temperatures and pressures for a time sufficient to precipitate iron as hematite; (iii) passing the product of step (ii) through a solids/liquid separation circuit (26) to substantially remove the hematite precipitate, and produce a substantially iron-free, acid containing solution; and (iv) recovering nickel and cobalt from the final substantially iron-free, acid containing solution.