Duisburger Kupferhutte

Duisburger Dupferhutte

Norbert L Piret

Herbert Kudelka

Meinolf Hopper

Wilhelm Roever

Hans Joachim Rabben

Siegbert Schmidt

A process for the production of a sulphidic copper concentrate from a complex sulphidic concentrate containing as its main constituents copper, iron and at least one non-ferrous metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, lead, nickel and cobalt, comprising mixing the complex sulphidic concentrate with a copper-containing predominantly chloridic solution thereby to form a suspension, and treating the suspension thus obtained at elevated temperature and pressure at a pH-value of below 3, thereby to form a sulphidic copper concentrate, thereby the non-ferrous metals being extracted from the concentrate without formation of significant amount of acid. Precious metals may also be present. Advantageously the ratio by weight of the complex concentrate added to the copper-containing predominantly chloridic solution to the copper content of the solution is such that the predominantly chloridic solution after being at least partly freed from copper by an exchange reaction has a potential at 60.degree. C. of at least about 400 mV versus the standard hydrogen electrode.

Production of sulphidic copper concentrates

Process for selectively separating precious metal such as silver and gold from a chloride solution of the precious metals and other heavy metals which involves:

Process for recovering silver and gold from chloride solutions

Aqueous lead solutions obtained by hot chloride leaching of residues containing lead and silver ore are subjected to selective precipitation of the silver as silver sulphide, with e.g. hydrogen sulphide. The silver can then be recovered in a known manner. Lead can be precipitated from the remaining solution as a basic salt also in a known manner. If the initial residue contains copper, it is also precipitated as sulphide. The copper sulphide can be separated from the precipitate by selectively dissolving the copper with sulphuric acid under an elevated oxygen pressure. Elemental sulphur is formed and the silver sulphide can be separated from the elemental sulphur in a known manner.

Process for recovering silver from residues containing silver and lead

Copper sulfate solution obtained by the sulfuric acid leaching of cupriferous material and containing impurities such as Fe, As, Sb, Bi, Se, Te, Sn, Pb, Cl, Ag, Hg, and PO.sub.4, are subjected to a two step purification process. In the first step, the pH is adjusted to 2.7-3.3 with, e.g. Ca(OH).sub.2, and the potential in relation to the standard hydrogen electrode is adjusted to at least 575 mv with an oxidizing agent, e.g. air. The temperature is 50.degree.-90.degree. C. Impurities precipitate and are separated. Se, Cl, and possibly Ag and Hg remain in solution and are removed in the second step, wherein the potential is reduced to below 350 mv by addition of a cupriferous reducing agent, e.g. Cu or Cu.sub.2 O. The pH is below 3 and the temperature is below 50.degree. C. Impurities precipitate as copper (I) compounds, and are separated to provide the solution in condition for the electrolysis. The copper produced is of high purity, having a conductivity of at least 58.8 mho .times. m/mm.sup.2 and a maximum semi-hard temperature of 200.degree. C.

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Duisburg, Germany

Norbert L Piret