Cominco, Ltd.

Sherritt Gordon Mines Limited

Eva A Vosahlo

Donald R Weir

Roman M Genik-Sas-Berezowsky

Godefridus M Swinkels

Ernest G Parker

A process for purifying copper sulfate solution by converting contained hexavalent selenium to tetravalent selenium which is amenable to removal from solution by heating and maintaining the solution at a temperature in the range of about 135.degree. to 220.degree. C. under a non-oxidizing atmosphere in the presence of bivalent iron. The converted selenium is removed from the solution either by co-precipitation with ferrous iron oxidized and hydrolyzed to ferric oxide at a temperature in the range of 135.degree. to 220.degree. C. and under an oxygen pressure of about 140 to 450 kPa or by cementation with a metal powder at a temperature in the range of about 25.degree. to 85.degree. C. at about ambient pressure under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Removal of selenium from sulphate solutions

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.

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Fort, Canada

Eva A Vosahlo