Heap Leaching of Copper
AssigneeBhp Chile Inc
InventorGeorge Frederick Rautenbach
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Abstract
A method of leaching copper from a heap of ore that includes at least one resting step followed by an irrigation step, wherein, during the irrigation step a leach solution that contains chloride ions is applied to the ore at a higher rate than during the resting step.
Claims21
-20. (canceled)
A method of leaching copper from a heap of ore comprising at least one resting step followed by an irrigation step, wherein during the irrigation step a leach solution that contains chloride ions is applied to the ore at a higher rate than during the resting step and during the irrigation step a chloride ion concentration of the leach solution is between 100 g/l and 190 g/l, wherein the resting step has a duration of at least 20 hours.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.