Process for the recovery of metals from oxidic ores

A process for the recovery of Cu, Co, Ni, Fe and Mn from oxidic ores, comprising the steps of:

• dissolving the oxidic ores (P1) in acidic conditions using H2SO4 and SO2, thereby obtaining a Cu, Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing first solution (S1) and a first residue (R1);
• Solid/Liquid (S/L) separation of the first solution and of the first residue;
• recovering Cu (P2) by:
• precipitation as a sulfide by addition of a sulfide-bearing compound, or as a metal by addition of a metal more easily oxidized than Cu, thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing acidic second solution (S2) and a Cu-bearing second residue (R2) and S/L separation of the second solution and of the second residue;
• or by:
• extraction by electrowinning or solvent extraction (SX), thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing acidic second solution (S2) and a Cu-bearing stream;
• neutralizing (P3) the second solution (S2) to pH 2 to 5 by addition of first acid-consuming compounds, thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing neutralized third solution (S3);
• precipitating Co and Ni (P4) by adding a sulfide-bearing compound to the third solution, thereby obtaining an Fe and Mn-bearing fourth solution (S4) and a Co and Ni-bearing fourth residue (R4);
• S/L separation of the fourth solution and of the fourth residue;
• crystallizing Mn and Fe (P5) as sulfates from the fourth solution, thereby obtaining a fifth solution containing a minor part of the Mn (S5), and a fifth residue containing the major part of the Mn and of the Fe (R5);
• and
• S/L separation of the fifth solution and of the fifth residue.