Inventors:
Frank A. Baczek - Sandy UT
Bruce C. Wojcik - Kearns UT
Alexander A. Jueschke - Salt Lake City UT
Daniel M. Lewis - Salt Lake City UT
Jack C. Otto - Magma UT
Lawrence L. Tuttle - Sandy UT
Assignee:
Envirotech Corporation - Menlo Park CA
International Classification:
C25C 112, C25C 700
Abstract:
A process and system are provided for recovering copper from chalcopyrite concentrate. The chalcopyrite is ground to a mean particle size of about 1. 5-5 microns. The ground chalcopyrite is then divided into a first stream and a second stream. The first stream is leached in a leach solution containing at least about 100 gpl sulfuric acid and about 10-30 gpl ferric iron to produce a copper sulfate solution containing about 40-75 gpl dissolved copper and less than about 5 gpl ferric iron. The second stream of ground chalcopyrite is combined with the copper sulfate solution and with sulfur dioxide such that the combination reacts to precipitate dissolved copper from the copper sulfate solution as simple copper sulfides and to produce a liquor containing dissolved ferrous iron. The simple copper sulfides are then separated from the ferrous iron liquor. Sulfuric acid is added to the ferrous iron liquor to precipitate the ferrous iron as ferrous sulfate and the produce a recycle solution containing about 400-600 gpl sulfuric acid.