Experimental investigation of flotation tailing leaching for copper recovery by using a batch mixing tank
Subject Areas :
Environmental pollutions (water, soil and air)
Jalil Pazhoohan
1
,
Hossein Beiki
2
1 - MSc. Student, Department of Chemical Engineering, Quchan University of Technology, Quchan, Iran.
2 - Assistant Prof., Department of Chemical Engineering, Quchan University of Technology, Quchan, Iran. *(Corresponding Author)
Received: 2017-05-09
Accepted : 2017-10-25
Published : 2021-11-22
Keywords:
Copper Recovery,
Flotation Tailing,
Leaching Process,
Environment,
Abstract :
Background and objectives: According to increase in copper demand and reduce high-grade resources, in this research, copper recovery from flotation tailings have been studied in a laboratory mixing tank experimentally. Flotation tailing should be reused judiciously because of its negative effects on the environment caused by building up of these industrial wastes in surroundings.
Material and Methodology: The leaching experiments have been carried out in a stirred stainless-steel tank, at a constant temperature of 25oC. Sulfuric acid with 98% purity was used as a solvent in the leaching process. The weight of flotation tailings used in experiments was 18 kg. Using various amount of water, different pulp density was achieved. The experiments were done with solid weight percentages of 30%, 35%, 40% and 45% in water.
Findings: The results of this study revealed that suddenly addition of acid to the tank due to sudden change of acid concentration caused to increase the efficiency of the leaching process. When acid was added to pulp suddenly, dissolution of iron from tailings was lower than that in gradual addition of acid condition. Solid particles residence time are less due to sudden addition of acid condition.
Discussion and Conclusion: The amount of consumed acid in the experiments varied from 31 to 54 kg/t with respect to pulp density. According to experimental conditions, sample contained 40% solid, as appropriate feed for recovery of copper from flotation tailing was recommended. For a solid percent of 40wt% and residence time 15 minutes, copper recovery reached 92.67%.
References:
Dold B., Fontbote L., 2001. Element cycling and secondary mineralogy in porphyry copper tailings as a function of climate. primary mineralogy, and mineral processing, J. Geochem. Explor, Vol. 74, pp. 3-35.
Bryan C.G., Hallberg K. B., Johnson D.B., 2006. Mobilisation of metals in mineral tailings at the abandoned Sao Domingos copper mine (Portugal) by indigenous acidophilic bacteria, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 83, pp. 184-194.
Andrade S., Moffett J., Correa J.A., 2006. Distribution of dissolved species and suspended particulate copper in an intertidal acosystem affected by copper mine tailings in Northern Chile, Chem, Vol. 101, pp. 203-212.
Li M. S., Luo Y. P., Su Z. Y., 2007 Heavy metal concentrations in soils and plant accumulation in a restored manganese mineland in Guangxi, South China, Environmental Pollution, Vol. 147, pp. 168-175.
Antonijevica M. M., Dimitnijevic M.D., Stevanovic Z.O., Serbula S. M., Bogdanovic G. D., 2008. Investigation of the possibility of copper recovery from the flotation tailings by acid leaching. Hazardous Materials, Vol. 158, p 23-34.
Davenport W.G., 2002, Extractive Metallurgy of Copper, 4th ed. PERGAMON.
Seetharaman, S., 2014, Treatise on Process Metallurgyreatise Volume 3: Industrial Processes.
Crundwell, F.K., 2014. The mechanism of dissolution of minerals in acidic and alkaline solutions: Part III. Application to oxide, hydroxide and sulfide minerals, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 149, pp. 71-81.
Watling, H.R., 2013. Chalcopyrite hydrometallurgy at atmospheric pressure: 1. Review of acidic sulfate, sulfate– chloride and sulfate– nitrate process options, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 140, pp. 163-180.
Bingol D., Canbazoglu M., 2004. Dissolution kinetics of malachite in sulphuric acid. Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 72: 159-165.
Hansen H. K., Rojo A., Ottosen L.M., Electrodialytic remediation of copper mine tailings, J. Hazard. Mater. Vol. 177, pp. 179-183.
Gericke M., Pinches A., Van Rooyen J., 2001. Bioleaching of a chalcopyrite concentrate using an extremely thermophilic culture, International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 62, pp. 243-255.
Towler, G., Sinnott R., 2013, Chapter 17 - Separation Columns (Distillation, Absorption, and Extraction), in Chemical Engineering Design (Second Edition), G. Towler and R. Sinnott, Editors., Butterworth-Heinemann: Boston. pp. 807-935.
Canterford J. H., Davey P.T., Tsambourakis G., 1985. The Influnce Of Ferric iron On The Dissolution Of Copper From Lump Oxide Ore : Implication In Solution Mining, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 15, pp. 93-112.
Muñoz J. A., Dreisinger D. B., Cooper W. C., Young S. K., 2007. Silver-catalyzed bioleaching of low-grade copper ores. Part II: Stirred tank tests, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 88, pp. 19-34.
Yang X., Huang X., Qiu T., 2015. Recovery of zinc from cyanide tailings by flotation, Minerals Engineering, Vol. 84, pp.100–105.
Treybal, R.E., 1968. Mass-transfer operations, McGraw-Hill New York.
Muravyov, M. I., Fomchenko, N. V., Usoltsev, A. V., Vasilyev, E. A., Kondrat'eva, T. F., 2012. Leaching of copper and zinc from copper converter slag flotation tailings using H2SO4 and biologically generated Fe2(SO4)3, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 119-120, pp. 40–46
Chen, T., Lei, C.,Yana, B., Xiao, X., 2014. Metal recovery from the copper sulfide tailing with leaching and fractional precipitation technology, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 147–148, pp.178–182.
Min, X., Yuan, C., Liang, Y., Chai, L., Kea, Y., 2012, Metal recovery from sludge through the combination of hydrothermal sulfidation and flotation, The 7th International Conference on Waste Management and Technology, Procedia Environmental Sciences, Vol. 16, pp. 401 – 408.
Ahmed, I. M., Nayl, A. A., Daoud, J. A., 2016, Leaching and recovery of zinc and copper from brass slag by sulfuric acid, Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, Vol. 20, pp. S280–S285.
Mengjie Luo, M., Liu, C., Jiang, Y., Xue, J., Li, P., Yu, J., 2017 Green recovery of potassium and aluminum elements from alunite tailings using gradient leaching process, Vol. 168, pp. 1080-1090.
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Dold B., Fontbote L., 2001. Element cycling and secondary mineralogy in porphyry copper tailings as a function of climate. primary mineralogy, and mineral processing, J. Geochem. Explor, Vol. 74, pp. 3-35.
Bryan C.G., Hallberg K. B., Johnson D.B., 2006. Mobilisation of metals in mineral tailings at the abandoned Sao Domingos copper mine (Portugal) by indigenous acidophilic bacteria, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 83, pp. 184-194.
Andrade S., Moffett J., Correa J.A., 2006. Distribution of dissolved species and suspended particulate copper in an intertidal acosystem affected by copper mine tailings in Northern Chile, Chem, Vol. 101, pp. 203-212.
Li M. S., Luo Y. P., Su Z. Y., 2007 Heavy metal concentrations in soils and plant accumulation in a restored manganese mineland in Guangxi, South China, Environmental Pollution, Vol. 147, pp. 168-175.
Antonijevica M. M., Dimitnijevic M.D., Stevanovic Z.O., Serbula S. M., Bogdanovic G. D., 2008. Investigation of the possibility of copper recovery from the flotation tailings by acid leaching. Hazardous Materials, Vol. 158, p 23-34.
Davenport W.G., 2002, Extractive Metallurgy of Copper, 4th ed. PERGAMON.
Seetharaman, S., 2014, Treatise on Process Metallurgyreatise Volume 3: Industrial Processes.
Crundwell, F.K., 2014. The mechanism of dissolution of minerals in acidic and alkaline solutions: Part III. Application to oxide, hydroxide and sulfide minerals, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 149, pp. 71-81.
Watling, H.R., 2013. Chalcopyrite hydrometallurgy at atmospheric pressure: 1. Review of acidic sulfate, sulfate– chloride and sulfate– nitrate process options, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 140, pp. 163-180.
Bingol D., Canbazoglu M., 2004. Dissolution kinetics of malachite in sulphuric acid. Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 72: 159-165.
Hansen H. K., Rojo A., Ottosen L.M., Electrodialytic remediation of copper mine tailings, J. Hazard. Mater. Vol. 177, pp. 179-183.
Gericke M., Pinches A., Van Rooyen J., 2001. Bioleaching of a chalcopyrite concentrate using an extremely thermophilic culture, International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 62, pp. 243-255.
Towler, G., Sinnott R., 2013, Chapter 17 - Separation Columns (Distillation, Absorption, and Extraction), in Chemical Engineering Design (Second Edition), G. Towler and R. Sinnott, Editors., Butterworth-Heinemann: Boston. pp. 807-935.
Canterford J. H., Davey P.T., Tsambourakis G., 1985. The Influnce Of Ferric iron On The Dissolution Of Copper From Lump Oxide Ore : Implication In Solution Mining, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 15, pp. 93-112.
Muñoz J. A., Dreisinger D. B., Cooper W. C., Young S. K., 2007. Silver-catalyzed bioleaching of low-grade copper ores. Part II: Stirred tank tests, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 88, pp. 19-34.
Yang X., Huang X., Qiu T., 2015. Recovery of zinc from cyanide tailings by flotation, Minerals Engineering, Vol. 84, pp.100–105.
Treybal, R.E., 1968. Mass-transfer operations, McGraw-Hill New York.
Muravyov, M. I., Fomchenko, N. V., Usoltsev, A. V., Vasilyev, E. A., Kondrat'eva, T. F., 2012. Leaching of copper and zinc from copper converter slag flotation tailings using H2SO4 and biologically generated Fe2(SO4)3, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 119-120, pp. 40–46
Chen, T., Lei, C.,Yana, B., Xiao, X., 2014. Metal recovery from the copper sulfide tailing with leaching and fractional precipitation technology, Hydrometallurgy, Vol. 147–148, pp.178–182.
Min, X., Yuan, C., Liang, Y., Chai, L., Kea, Y., 2012, Metal recovery from sludge through the combination of hydrothermal sulfidation and flotation, The 7th International Conference on Waste Management and Technology, Procedia Environmental Sciences, Vol. 16, pp. 401 – 408.
Ahmed, I. M., Nayl, A. A., Daoud, J. A., 2016, Leaching and recovery of zinc and copper from brass slag by sulfuric acid, Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, Vol. 20, pp. S280–S285.
Mengjie Luo, M., Liu, C., Jiang, Y., Xue, J., Li, P., Yu, J., 2017 Green recovery of potassium and aluminum elements from alunite tailings using gradient leaching process, Vol. 168, pp. 1080-1090.
