# US 10,246,789 B2 · Systems and methods for copper recovery via roasting and leaching

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- Number: US 10,246,789 B2
- Document ID: US10246789B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/099,966
- Filed: 2016-04-15
- Published: 2016-08-11
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-20
- Assignees: Freeport Minerals Corporation
- Applicants: Freeport Minerals Corporation
- Inventors: Joanna M Robertson; Thomas R Bolles; Wayne W Hazen; Lawrence D May; Jay C Smith; David R Baughman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246789B2

## CPC

- C25C 1/12: of copper
- C22B 1/02: Roasting processes (C22B1/16 takes precedence)
- C22B 1/26: Cooling of roasted, sintered, or agglomerated ores
- C22B 3/02: Apparatus therefor
- C22B 3/12: in inorganic alkaline solutions
- C22B 3/14: containing ammonia or ammonium salts
- C22B 3/22: by physical processes, e.g. by filtration, by magnetic means {, or by thermal decomposition} (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26)
- C22B 15/0002: {Preliminary treatment}
- C22B 15/0078: {with ammoniacal solutions, e.g. ammonium hydroxide}
- C22B 15/0086: {by physical methods}
- C22B 23/005: {Preliminary treatment of ores, e.g. by roasting or by the Krupp-Renn process}
- C22B 23/0446: {with an ammoniacal liquor or with a hydroxide of an alkali or alkaline-earth metal}
- C22B 23/0453: {Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching (C22B23/0407 takes precedence)}
- C25C 1/00: Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions (C25C5/00 takes precedence)
- C25C 5/02: from solutions
- C25C 7/02: Electrodes (consumable anodes for the refining the metals C25C1/00 - C25C5/00); Connections thereof
- Y02P 10/20: Recycling
- C25C: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Various embodiments provide a process roasting a metal bearing material under oxidizing conditions to produce an oxidized metal bearing material, roasting the oxidized metal bearing material under reducing conditions to produce a roasted metal bearing material, and leaching the roasted metal bearing material in a basic medium to yield a pregnant leach solution.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process comprising:
roasting a metal bearing material comprising a copper carbonate under oxidizing conditions, at a temperature between about 625° C. and about 675° C.;
roasting the metal bearing material under reducing conditions, at a temperature of about 500° C. or greater; and
leaching the metal bearing material in a basic medium to yield a pregnant leach solution.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the basic medium comprises at least one of ammonia, ammonium carbonate and ammonium sulfate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the oxidizing conditions comprise an oxygen gas containing atmosphere.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the reducing conditions comprise a hydrogen gas containing atmosphere.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising subjecting the pregnant leach solution to a solution extraction process to yield a loaded aqueous stream.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The process of claim 5, wherein an extraction stage of the solution extraction yields a cobalt-bearing raffinate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The process of claim 6, further comprising precipitating cobalt from the cobalt-bearing raffinate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process of claim 7, wherein the precipitating yields cobalt sulfide.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process of claim 8, wherein the cobalt sulfide is subjected to leaching.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The process of claim 5, subjecting the loaded aqueous stream to electrowinning.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the copper carbonate comprises at least one of azurite and malachite.

### Claim 12

A process comprising:
oxidizing a metal bearing material comprising a copper carbonate to produce an oxidized metal bearing material at a temperature between about 625° C. and about 675° C.;
reducing the oxidized metal bearing material at a temperature of about 540° C. to produce a roasted metal bearing material; and
leaching the roasted metal bearing material in a basic medium to yield a pregnant leach solution.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, wherein the basic medium comprises at least one of ammonia, ammonium, ammonium carbonate and ammonium sulfate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, wherein the oxidizing is performed using an oxidizing agent, and wherein the reducing is performed using a reducing agent.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, further comprising at least one of preparing the metal bearing material and quenching the roasted metal bearing material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, further comprising subjecting the pregnant leach solution to a solution extraction process to yield at least one of a loaded aqueous stream and a cobalt-bearing raffinate.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The process of claim 16, further comprising precipitating cobalt from the cobalt-bearing raffinate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The process of claim 17, wherein the precipitating yields cobalt sulfide.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The process of claim 18, subjecting the loaded aqueous stream to electrowinning.