DE364930C - Process for leaching sulphidic copper ores - Google Patents

Description

Process for leaching sulphidic copper ores. For leaching copper-containing Ore and ore processing and smelter residues are often used ferric salts. However, this process fails in many cases: firstly, when the ores are strong contain carbonate and render the alkalis ineffective by dulling the acids and secondly, if they are not pure copper sulfide, but complex copper iron sulfides contain. These latter are only very imperfectly attacked by ferric solutions (see Borchers Hüttenwesen, 2nd edition 1921, p. 72); one will benefit them in this way make, you have to roast them beforehand, whereby they are converted into a leachable state will. For this reason, the material to be leached is usually subjected to a previous one Roasting, if it is not, such as the gravel burns mentioned in patent 30708 j, has already gone through a roasting process beforehand.

Investigations with various copper ores, especially with Mansfeld Copper shale and roof mountains have now shown that these ores, although complex Contain copper iron sulphides, practically completely leached without prior roasting if they can be treated with chlorine in a crushed state subject to wet roads. This leaching can be carried out in 1/2 to 2 hours. It turns out that the high carbonate content that some of these ores have, forms no obstacle; at the speed at which the leaching takes place, the carbonates, where they are contained in larger quantities, are only incomplete open minded. In the same way, any other sulphidic copper ore, like Rammelsberg or Ctavierze. You can also use ores in this way treat, which consist of copper pebbles and iron luster, because the iron luster a lot dissolves more slowly than copper ore.

The copper can be extracted from the lye, or through cementation on iron or zinc or by electrolysis. In the latter case you can generate part of the chlorine required for the leaching process in the electrolysis.

One can order cementation or electrolysis in more economical Way to make the copper enrich in the alkalis by adding one and the same Amount of liquid used repeatedly for leaching new ore masses. Here can it may be advantageous to add small amounts of acid, e.g. B. 1/2 kg of crude hydrochloric acid on a ton of lye, a weakly acidic concentration zii obtained.

Before the electrolysis, the alkali is an electrolyte, for. Legs Add chlorine solution in a suitable amount. One has easily oxidizable sulphidic copper ores or metallurgical products, such as copper luster or copper stone, see above it is advantageous to use the copper chloride contained in the lye in a known per se Way by seeping over to reduce one of the mentioned ilI materials, whereby part of the copper contained in them: goes into solution as chlorine while the copper chloride. the lye is also reduced to chlorine. In this way can be achieved in the reduction to copper by using the same amount of electricity in the electrolysis or by the pale amount of iron or zinc in the cementation! twice the amount of copper retire; one does so without considerable expense, with the reduction of the Chloride in solution benefits copper.

If the ore contains silver, it turns into silver chloride in the process transferred and can be obtained in a known manner by leaching.

Claims (1)

PATENT CLAIM: Process for the extraction of copper from ores and metallurgical products, containing complex copper iron sulfides, by chlorinating and leaching them and precipitation of the copper from the alkali obtained by electrolysis or cementation, characterized in that the good is wet without prior roasting with chlorine Treated ways.