Freeport-mcmoran Corporation

Freepoint-mcmoran Corporation

James D Gillaspie

John C Wilmot

Wayne Werneke Hazen

David R Baughman

Dennis D Gertenbach

George Owusu

John O Marsden

The present invention relates generally to a process for removing dissolved or colloidal silica from a pregnant leach solution ('PLS'). More particularly, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a, process which mixes PLS with an acid source, preferably lean electrolyte, to induce formation of colloidal silica that can then be collected and removed. Additionally, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least one silica seeding agent is added to induce formation of colloidal silica, at least one flocculant is added to induce aggregation of the colloidal silica, and a solid-liquid separation process is utilized to remove advantageous amounts or substantially all of the colloidal silica, thereby providing relief from supersaturation of dissolved silica in the metal recovery processes.

Silica removal from pregnant leach solutions

The present invention relates, generally, to a method and apparatus for recovering metal values from a metal-bearing materials, and more specifically, a process for recovering copper and other metals through leaching, electrowinning using the ferrous/ferric anode reaction, and the synergistic addition of ferrous iron to the leach step.

Method and apparatus for electrowinning copper using an atmospheric leach with ferrous/ferric anode reaction electrowinning

The present invention relates generally to a process for removing dissolved or colloidal silica from a pregnant leach solution ('PLS'). More particularly, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a process which mixes PLS with an acid source, preferably lean electrolyte, to induce formation of colloidal silica that can then be collected and removed. Additionally, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least one silica seeding agent is added to induce formation of colloidal silica, at least one flocculant is added to induce aggregation of the colloidal silica, and a solid-liquid separation process is utilized to remove advantageous amounts or substantially all of the colloidal silica, thereby providing relief from supersaturation of dissolved silica in the metal recovery processes.

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Gilbert, AZ, United States of America

James D Gillaspie