Recovering Metal Values from a Leach Residue

A method of treating a metalliferrous material, comprising:

• providing a metalliferrous material including at least one metalliferrous-based target elemental metal and at least one metalliferrous material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal includes at least one of nickel and cobalt, and the at least one metalliferrous material-based non-target elemental metal includes iron;
• solubilizing at least a fraction of the metalliferrous material so as to effect production of a solubilisation product including an intermediate operative solution, wherein the intermediate operative solution includes at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution target element metal comprising material and at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution non-target elemental metal comprising material, wherein the at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution non-target elemental metal comprising material includes an iron-comprising material and wherein the non-target elemental of the iron comprising material is iron, and wherein,
• when the at least one of nickel and cobalt of the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal is nickel, the at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution target elemental metal comprising material includes a nickel-comprising material and wherein the target elemental metal of any nickel-comprising material is nickel;
• and when the at least one of nickel and cobalt the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal is cobalt, the at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution target elemental metal comprising material includes a cobalt comprising material and wherein the target elemental metal of any cobalt comprising material is cobalt;
• and when the at least one of nickel and cobalt of the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal is nickel and cobalt, the at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution target elemental metal comprising material includes nickel-comprising material and cobalt comprising material and wherein the target elemental metal of the nickel-comprising material is nickel and wherein the target elemental metal of the cobalt comprising material is cobalt;
• such that the intermediate operative solution includes at least one operative intermediate operative solution-based target elemental metal, and the at least one operative intermediate operative solution-based target elemental metal is at least one of nickel and cobalt;
• and
• contacting the intermediate operative solution with a reagent material in a reaction zone, wherein the reagent material is aqueous ammonia solution, so as to effect production of a reaction product including a product solution component and a solid residue component.

A method of treating a metalliferrous material, comprising:

• providing an operative solution including a solvent component and a solute component, wherein the solute component includes at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental metal comprising material, and wherein the at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental metal comprising material includes at least one dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material and at least one dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material such that each one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material is a one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental metal comprising material and each one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material is a one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental metal comprising material, wherein each one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material includes at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal, and wherein each one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material includes at least one operative solution-based non-target elemental metal, such that the operative solution includes at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal and at least one operative solution-based non-target elemental metal;
• providing reagent material including at least one precipitation agent material and at least one complexing agent material;
• wherein each one of the at least precipitation agent material is configured to react with at least one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental metal comprising material when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material so as to effect production of at least one solid residue component-based elemental metal comprising solid material, such that any reaction of a dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material with a precipitation agent material effects production of at least one solid residue component-based target elemental metal comprising solid material and each one of the at least one solid residue component-based target elemental metal comprising solid material includes at least one solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the intermediate operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal, and such that any reaction of a dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material with a precipitation agent material effects production of at least one solid residue component-based non-target elemental metal comprising solid material and each one of the at least one solid residue component-based non-target elemental metal comprising solid material includes at least one solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based non-target elemental metal;
• and wherein each one of the at least complexing agent material is configured to react with at least one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based elemental comprising material
• when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material so as to effect production of at least one product solution component-based elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material, such that any reaction of a dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material with a complexing agent material effects production of at least one product solution component-based target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material and each one of the at least one product solution component-based target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material includes at least one product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal, and such that any reaction of a dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material with a complexing agent material effects production of at least one product solution component-based non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material and each one of the at least one product solution component-based non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material includes at least one product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based non-target elemental metal;
• providing at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material, wherein the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material is included within the intermediate operative solution such that each one of the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material is a one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material, wherein each one of the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material is configured to react with at least one of the at least one precipitation agent material, when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, to effect production of at least one solid residue component-based target elemental metal comprising solid material and each one of the at least one solid residue component-based target elemental metal comprising solid material includes at least one solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal, and wherein each one of the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based target elemental metal comprising material is also configured to react with at least one of the at least one complexing agent material, when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, to effect production of at least one product solution component-based target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material and each one of the at least one product solution component-based target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material includes at least one product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based target elemental metal;
• providing at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material, wherein the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material is included within the operative solution such that each one of the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material is a one of the at least one dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material, wherein each one of the at least one operative dissolved operative solution-based non-target elemental metal comprising material is configured to react at least with at least one of the at least one precipitation agent material, when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, to effect production of at least one solid residue component-based non-target elemental metal comprising solid material and each one of the at least one solid residue component-based non-target elemental metal comprising solid material includes at least one solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein at least one reaction is effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, such that at least one solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal is produced by the at least one reaction effected when the operative solution is contacted with the reagent material, wherein each one of the at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal is a one of the at least one operative solution-based non-target elemental metal;
• contacting the operative solution with the reagent material in a reaction zone, such that production of a product mixture is effected, wherein the product mixture includes a product solution component and a solid residue component, wherein the product solution component includes the at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal and any produced product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal, and wherein the solid residue component includes any produced solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal and the at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal,
• such that, with respect to the product solution component, there is provided a respective molar quantity of each one of the at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal such that at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal molar quantity is provided, and there is also provided a molar quantity of any produced product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein the ratio of (A1) the sum of the at least one produced product solution component target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based target elemental metal molar quantity to (B1) the molar quantity of any produced product solution component non-target elemental metal comprising dissolved complex material-based non-target elemental metal is defined by R1;
• and such that, with respect to the solid residue component, there is provided a molar quantity of any produced solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental metal, and there is also provided a respective molar quantity of each one of the at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal such that at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal molar quantity is provided, wherein the ratio of (A2) the molar quantity of any produced solid residue component target elemental metal comprising solid material-based target elemental to (B2) the sum of the at least one produced solid residue component non-target elemental metal comprising solid material-based non-target elemental metal molar quantity is defined by R2;
• wherein R1 is greater than R2.