Technological investigations of sulphide oxidation from flotation tailings in order to increase the degree of copper leaching

Abstract

The off-balance resources present the environmental problem and potential resource for copper extraction. This paper presents the results obtained using different reagents for the process of sulphide form oxidation of copper from flotation tailings. For the investigation in this paper work, the samples of flotation tailings were taken from the Old Flotation Tailing Dump of the Mining and Smelting Complex Bor in Eastern Serbia. Experimental testing was carried out in order to increase the leaching degree of copper with addition of oxidants during leaching. Using the Fe2(SO4)3 as an oxidant, the achieved copper leaching degree was 76.8%. The effect of thermal destruction of sulfide copper from flotation tailings in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid was also investigated. After leaching of calcine with water, the degree of copper leaching was attained of 92%. Solutions after leaching are suitable for the SX-EW process of obtaining the copper.

Keywords

• flotation tailings
• oxidation
• leaching
• copper