Cominco, Ltd.

Sherritt Gordon Mines Limited

Sherrit Gordon Mines Limited

Ernest G Parker

Godefridus M Swinkels

Horst E Hirsch

Donald Roderick McKay

Donald R Weir

Roman M Genik-Sas-Berezowsky

Edward Francis Milner

Michael J Fairweather

Eva A Vosahlo

Louis Landucci

John F Higginson

A process is described for the removal of chloride impurity from zinc sulphate solution. The process comprises the steps of forming a slurry of said solution with an inert particulate support material having elemental silver dispersed thereon, and an oxidizing agent, agitating said slurry at a temperature between about 60.degree. and about 100.degree. C. for precipitation of silver chloride on said support material, filtering said slurry to separate purified zinc sulphate solution from the support material containing the precipitated silver chloride, and treating said separated support material containing precipitated silver chloride with a reductant in an aqueous alkaline medium to regenerate elemental silver on said support material.

Precipitation of chloride from zinc sulphate solution

The process of the invention is for the separate recovery of elemental sulfur and residual sulfides and metal salt solution from reaction slurries obtained from leaching of metal sulfides in ores and concentrates. The process comprises directing flow of a said reaction slurry at a temperature at which sulfur is present in the liquid state and at a pressure such that flashing of vapor is avoided into a separating step comprising a substantially quiescent zone, coalescing said elemental sulfur in the substantially quiescent zone, settling coalesced sulfur together with unreacted sulfides from said quiescent zone, maintaining a velocity in said flow in said substantially quiescent zone to cause separation of said slurry into a first and a second fraction, said velocity having an upward velocity component, said first fraction containing dissolved metals and at least one material chosen from gangue materials and precipitated compounds, said at least one material having a terminal settling velocity less than said upward velocity component, and said second fraction containing coalesced liquid elemental sulfur and unreacted sulfides, and separately discharging said first and second fractions from said separating step.

Leaching of metal sulphides

A process for treating thermally activated metal sulfides containing copper, iron and zinc for separate recovery of zinc as zinc sulfide in which the metal sulfides are subjected to a two-stage countercurrent acid leach for the formation of copper sulfide containing acid leach residue and ferrous sulfate solution. The second-stage acid leach is performed in two steps; the first step is operated at a relatively high pulp density and high acid concentration for iron and zinc extraction, the resulting slurry diluted, and the second step is operated at a relatively low pulp density and low acid concentration for dissolution of precipitated ferrous sulfate and precipitation of any dissolved copper values by H.sub.2 S. The diluent solution for the slurry from the second-stage first step preferably is generated sulfuric acid solution from a jarosite precipitation and iron and zinc-containing solution from a subsequent activation leach. Zinc in solution from the acid leach and activation leach is precipitated as zinc sulfide in substantially pure form.

Process for recovery of copper and zinc from complex sulphides

A process for the treatment of complex lead sulfide-containing concentrates additionally containing at least one metal of the group consisting of iron, copper, zinc, silver, arsenic, antimony, bismuth and gold which comprises the steps of selectively leaching a concentrate with iron-containing lixiviant for converting lead sulfide in said concentrate to lead chloride and forming a leach residue and a leach solution, subjecting said lead chloride in the leach residue to a two-stage, countercurrent, hot brine leach to dissolve the lead chloride in a brine-leach solution, subjecting the brine leach solution to crystallization by evaporative cooling for the separate recovery of crystallized lead chloride, residual brine and crystallization condensate, and returning said residual brine to said brine leach, subjecting crystallized lead chloride in admixture with sodium chloride to electrolysis in a fused bath for production of lead and evolution of chlorine, absorbing chlorine in a first portion of said leach solution for the generation of ferric chloride-containing solution; and treating a second portion of said leach solution for the recovery of values. The iron-containing lixiviant comprises an aqueous solution of ferric chloride in a concentration in the range of from 100 to 200 g/l ferric ion or aqueous solutions of ferrous chloride and hydrochloric acid in concentrations in the range of 25 to 160 g/l ferrous chloride and of 60 to 120 g/l hydrochloric acid.

Hydrometallurgical process for treating metal sulfides containing lead

This invention relates to a process for hydrometallurgical treatment of concentrates of sulphides of copper, nickel, cobalt, lead and iron and copper-containing mattes. A first embodiment of the process includes subjecting a finely ground slurry of a sulphide concentrate to an oxidation leach at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of an oxygen-bearing gas to preferentially leach cobalt and nickel and to convert galena to lead sulphate. The reaction mixture is heated to a further elevated temperature, in the absence of oxygen, to convert a portion of chalcopyrite to insoluble simple copper sulphides and ferrous sulphate solution and to decompose complex insoluble ferric compounds. The resulting mixture is subjected to differential flotation whereby a lead concentrate and a copper concentrate are obtained. The solution is reduced in acid content by addition of limestone, the iron is precipitated and removed, and nickel and cobalt are precipitated in the remaining solution as sulphides and recovered as a concentrate. The second embodiment of the process includes subjecting a copper-containing matte to an oxidation leach at elevated temperature and under pressure of an oxygen-bearing gas whereby a copper sulphate-containing solution is formed for use in the process of the first embodiment and solids residue is recovered as a concentrate.

Process for hydrometallurgical upgrading

A process for the treatment of zinc plant residue formed on leaching zinc calcine with sulphuric acid in which the residue is leached in a first leaching step with a sulphuric acid solution at atmospheric pressure, and a temperature above about 60.degree.C, in the presence of excess zinc sulphide reductant whereby ferric iron in the residue is reduced to the ferrous state, thereby forming a zinc sulphate solution containing excess acid, ferrous iron and other dissolved impurities such as germanium, indium, gallium, antimony and arsenic nd a mixture of solids containing undigested zinc residue, lead residue, and unreacted zinc sulphide. Clarified solution is separated, preferably by thickening, from the mixture of solids. The mixture of solids is leached in a second residue leaching step at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature above about 60.degree.C in a solution which is substantially higher in acid than the solution in the first leaching step, unreacted zinc sulphide from the first residue leaching step providing reducing conditions in the second residue leaching step. Slurry from the second residue leaching step is treated by flotation to separate a froth product comprising unreacted zinc sulphide and elemental sulphur, a tailings product containing gangue and a lead residue, and an acidic solution which is recycled to the first residue leaching step. A portion of the clarified zinc sulphate solution from the first residue leaching step is treated by oxidizing a small part of the ferrous iron contained therein, and neutralizing this portion of the solution with limerock to precipitate solids containing oxidized iron, gypsum, and the other impurities. These precipitated solids are separated and this portion of the solution is combined with the remainder of the clarified zinc sulphate solution. Ferrous iron in the combined solution is oxidized to precipitate ferric iron compounds which are separated from the solution to provide purified zinc sulphate solution which is recovered.

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Rossland, Canada

Ernest G Parker