A comparative study of different leaching processes for the extraction of Cu, Ni and Co from a complex matte

Kyung-Ho Park; Debasish Mohapatra; Chul-Woo Nam; Hong-In Kim

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.24, No.5, 835-842, September, 2007

DOI10.1007/s11814-007-0050-6 Export Citation

A comparative study of different leaching processes for the extraction of Cu, Ni and Co from a complex matte

Kyung-Ho Park, Debasish Mohapatra^†, Chul-Woo Nam, and Hong-In Kim

Minerals and Materials Processing Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 305-350, Korea

E-mail:

The extraction behaviors of Cu, Ni and Co from a complex matte under different leaching conditions have been discussed. The synthetic Cu-Ni-Co-Fe-S matte was prepared by melting the pure metals. The matte contained 24.95% Cu, 35.05% Ni, 4.05% Co, 11.45% Fe, 24.5% S, similar composition as is expected to be obtained by reduction smelting of the Pacific Ocean nodules followed by sulphidisation of the alloy. The different phases identified are CuFeS2, CuS2, (FeNi)9S8, (FeNi)S2, Ni9S8, Ni3S2, (CoFeNi)9S8 and Co metal. The merits and demerits of each process of dissolution i.e., H2SO4/oxygen pressure leaching, atmospheric FeCl3 leaching, NH4OH/(NH4)2SO4 pressure leaching are discussed in detail. Out of the three, the H2SO4/oxygen pressure leaching process is found to be the most suitable with more than 99% metal extraction efficiency within 1 h of leaching time. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, the different undissolved phases corresponding to different leaching processes have been identified. The metal extraction efficiency decreased in case of atmospheric FeCl3 leaching and NH4OH/(NH4)2SO4 pressure leaching processes due to the formation of product layer such as elemental sulfur and goethite, respectively.

Keywords:Manganese Nodules;Matte;H2SO4 Pressure Leaching;NH4OH/(NH4)2SO4 Pressure Leaching;Atmospheric FeCl3 Leaching

[References]

Rona PA, Science, 299, 673 (2003)
Fuerstenau DW, Herring AP, Hoover M, Trans. AIME, 254, 205 (1973)
Fuerstenau DW, Han KN, Miner. Process. Technol. Rev., 1, 1 (1983)
Murray DJ, Healy TW, Fuerstenau DW, Adv. Chem. Ser., 79, 74 (1968)
Burns RG, Burns VM, Marine manganese deposits, G. P. Glasby, Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 185-248 (1977)
Agarwal JC, Becher N, Davis DS, Hubred GH, Kakaria VK, Kust RN, J. Met., 28, 24 (1976)
Brooks PT, Martin DA, Processing of manganiferrous seanodules, US Bur. Mines, IR 7473 (1971)
Jana RK, Pandey BD, Premchand, Hydrometallurgy, 53, 45 (1999)
Kane WS, Cardwell PH, Reduction method for separating metal values from ocean floor nodule ore, U.S. Patent 3,869,360 (1975)
Kane WS, McCutchen HL, Cardwell PH, Recovery of metal values from ocean floor nodules by halidation in molten salt baths, U.S. Patent 3,894, 927 (1975)
Kanungo SB, Jena PK, Hydrometallurgy, 21, 41 (1988)
Han KN, Fuerstenau DW, Int. J. Miner. Process., 2, 163 (1975)
Zhang Y, Liu Q, Sun C, Minerals Eng., 14, 525 (2001)
Acharya R, Ghosh MK, Anand S, Das RP, Hydrometallurgy, 53, 169 (1999)
Mukherjee A, Raichur AM, Modak JM, Natarajan KA, Chem. Eng. Process., 44(7), 754 (2005)
Copper Industry Participants Research Association (Tucson, AZ), “In-Site Mining of Copper Sulphides,” March, p. 150 (1991)
Dutrizac JE, Can. Metall. Q., 20, 307 (1981)
Nam CW, Kim BS, Park KH, The Korean Soc. Geosystem Eng., 40, 191 (2003)
Nam CW, Park KH, Kim HI, The Korean Soc. Geosystem Eng., 41, 413 (2004)
Park KH, Mohapatra D, Reddy BR, Sep. Purif. Technol., 51, 332 (2006)
Park KH, Mohapatra D, Reddy BR, Nam CW, Hydrometallurgy, 86, 164 (2007)
Deng T, Nickel and cobalt extraction by pressure hydrometallurgy. Proceedings of the international conference on mining and metallurgy of complex nickel ores, F. Chongyue, H. Huanhua and Z. Chuanfu, Eds., International Academic Publishers, Beijing. PRC, pp. 59-64 (1993)
Meng X, Han KN, Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 16, 23 (1996)
Rao KS, Ray HS, Miner. Eng., 11, 1011 (1998)
Rao KS, Das RP, Mukunda PG, Ray HS, Metallurgical Transactions B, 24B, 937 (1993)

[Referenced By]

[1] Rona PA, Science, 299, 673 (2003)

[2] Fuerstenau DW, Herring AP, Hoover M, Trans. AIME, 254, 205 (1973)

[3] Fuerstenau DW, Han KN, Miner. Process. Technol. Rev., 1, 1 (1983)

[4] Murray DJ, Healy TW, Fuerstenau DW, Adv. Chem. Ser., 79, 74 (1968)

[5] Burns RG, Burns VM, Marine manganese deposits, G. P. Glasby, Ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 185-248 (1977)

[6] Agarwal JC, Becher N, Davis DS, Hubred GH, Kakaria VK, Kust RN, J. Met., 28, 24 (1976)

[7] Brooks PT, Martin DA, Processing of manganiferrous seanodules, US Bur. Mines, IR 7473 (1971)

[8] Jana RK, Pandey BD, Premchand, Hydrometallurgy, 53, 45 (1999)

[9] Kane WS, Cardwell PH, Reduction method for separating metal values from ocean floor nodule ore, U.S. Patent 3,869,360 (1975)

[10] Kane WS, McCutchen HL, Cardwell PH, Recovery of metal values from ocean floor nodules by halidation in molten salt baths, U.S. Patent 3,894, 927 (1975)

[11] Kanungo SB, Jena PK, Hydrometallurgy, 21, 41 (1988)

[12] Han KN, Fuerstenau DW, Int. J. Miner. Process., 2, 163 (1975)

[13] Zhang Y, Liu Q, Sun C, Minerals Eng., 14, 525 (2001)

[14] Acharya R, Ghosh MK, Anand S, Das RP, Hydrometallurgy, 53, 169 (1999)

[15] Mukherjee A, Raichur AM, Modak JM, Natarajan KA, Chem. Eng. Process., 44(7), 754 (2005)

[16] Copper Industry Participants Research Association (Tucson, AZ), “In-Site Mining of Copper Sulphides,” March, p. 150 (1991)

[17] Dutrizac JE, Can. Metall. Q., 20, 307 (1981)

[18] Nam CW, Kim BS, Park KH, The Korean Soc. Geosystem Eng., 40, 191 (2003)

[19] Nam CW, Park KH, Kim HI, The Korean Soc. Geosystem Eng., 41, 413 (2004)

[20] Park KH, Mohapatra D, Reddy BR, Sep. Purif. Technol., 51, 332 (2006)

[21] Park KH, Mohapatra D, Reddy BR, Nam CW, Hydrometallurgy, 86, 164 (2007)

[22] Deng T, Nickel and cobalt extraction by pressure hydrometallurgy. Proceedings of the international conference on mining and metallurgy of complex nickel ores, F. Chongyue, H. Huanhua and Z. Chuanfu, Eds., International Academic Publishers, Beijing. PRC, pp. 59-64 (1993)

[23] Meng X, Han KN, Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 16, 23 (1996)

[24] Rao KS, Ray HS, Miner. Eng., 11, 1011 (1998)

[25] Rao KS, Das RP, Mukunda PG, Ray HS, Metallurgical Transactions B, 24B, 937 (1993)