Asarco LLC

Michael G King

Jonathan S Jackson

Taie Li

Shijie J Wang

Wing H Heung

Venkoba Ramachandran

A method is provided for the hydrometallurgical recovery of metal values from metal sources containing more than one metal such as antimony, lead, copper, zinc, bismuth, tin, cadmium and other metals by leaching the metal containing source with a ferric fluoborate/fluoboric acid solution to provide a metal containing leach solution. The leach solution is extracted with organic extractants, ion exchange resins and the like to provide a loaded extract and a raffinate which contains fluoboric acid produced in the extraction step. The fluoboric acid concentration is controlled (reduced) in the raffinate by adding to the raffinate a metal oxide of a metal in the raffinate to form an acid adjusted raffinate. The acid adjusted raffinate is then electrowon or otherwise treated to form the desired metal and to provide a ferric fluoborate solution which is recycled for leaching additional metal containing material. When the metal containing material is a copper bearing material, a copper containing raffinate is treated with copper oxide to control the fluoboric acid in the raffinate. Likewise, when the metal containing material is a lead or zinc bearing material, lead oxide and zinc oxide, respectively, would be used to control formed fluoboric acid in the lead or zinc containing raffinate.

Fluoboric acid control in a ferric fluoborate hydrometallurgical process

A method is provided for the hydrometallurgical recovery of metal values from sources containing more than one metal of antimony, lead, copper, zinc, bismuth, tin, cadmium and other metals by leaching the metal containing source with a ferric fluoborate/fluroboric acid solution to provide a leachant metal containing solution. The leachant solution is contacted with specific organic extractants such as an organophosphoric acid ester, an alkyl salicylaldoxime and an amidobis(thiophosphoryl) compound in a series of extraction steps to separate metals based on the extractant used. The organic extractant solution is stripped of the extracted metal(s) and the metal(s) recovered. The remaining leach solution after extraction being either further treated to extract other metals or processed to provide metal values contained therein.

Ferric fluoborate/organic extractant hydrometallurgical process for

Machinable lead free brasses for potable water applications are provided wherein a combination of bismuth and selenium are substituted in the alloy for lead and the bismuth and selenium are added to the alloy in the form of an additive product comprising bismuth selenide. A method of making the brasses which meets environmental and safety regulations is also provided. The bismuth selenide is preferably made by sintering particles of bismuth and selenium in a Bi/Se weight ratio of about 1.8 or greater and fusing the sinter.

Method for making machinable lead-free copper alloys with additive

Bismuth impurity is removed from copper electrolyte by contacting the electrolyte with an effective amount of finely divided lead oxide.

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Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Michael G King