Freeport Minerals Corporation

Sarah Lyons

Joanna M Robertson

Raquel Crossman

Oleksandr Klesov

Luciano Kiniti Issoe

Muneeb Alam

Tianfang Ni

Luke Gerdes

John Warren Dean, Jr

Chase Zenner

Casey J Clayton

Richard Melecio Sanchez

The present disclosure provides a method comprising determining an ore map for a heap to identify a location of a recoverable metal-bearing material in the heap, wherein the metal-bearing material comprises iron and at least one other metal value, delivering a leaching solution from a leaching solution source to a leaching solution regulating system, wherein the leaching solution comprises an effective amount of citric acid and hydrogen peroxide, regulating at least one of a pressure, a mass flow rate, or a volumetric flow rate of the leaching solution to achieve a target operational condition, wherein the target operational condition is selected to optimize a set of operational parameters to maximize recovery of the at least one other metal value, delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the leaching solution regulating system to the subsurface leaching distribution system, and delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the subsurface leaching distribution system to the location of the recoverable metal-bearing material under a surface of the heap to leach and recover the at least one other metal value.

Systems and methods for improved raffinate injection

Methods for recovering a metal value from a metal-bearing material are provided. The method comprises agglomerating the metal-bearing material with an agglomeration solution comprising a raffinate, an oxidant, and citric acid or salts thereof to form an agglomerated metal-bearing material; leaching the agglomerated metal-bearing material with a leaching solution comprising the raffinate and the citric acid or salts thereof to produce a pregnant leaching solution and a leached material; re-oxidizing the leached material with a curing solution comprising the raffinate and the oxidant; and recovering the metal value from the pregnant leach solution to produce the raffinate.

Methods and systems for leaching a metal-bearing material

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Vail, AZ, United States of America

Sarah Lyons