Fluidized hydrogen reduction process for the recovery of copper
AssigneeCyprus Metallurgical Processes Corporation
InventorsFrank M. Stephens, Jr., James C. Blair
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Copper is recovered from copper salts, e.g. cuprous chloride, by means of a process comprising reducing the copper salts with hydrogen in a fluidized bed in the presence of chemically inert, generally spherical, relatively smooth, non-porous particles in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.
Claims17
In a process for recovering elemental copper and copper-bearing materials selected from the group consisting of copper oxides and copper salts by means of reducing the copper-bearing materials with hydrogen in a fluidized bed reactor, the improvement comprising:
- performing the reduction in the presence of sufficient chemically inert, relatively smooth, generally spherical particles in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.
In a process for recovering elemental copper from copper-bearing materials selected from the group consisting of copper oxides and copper salts by means of reducing the copper-bearing materials with hydrogen in a fluidized bed reactor, the improvement comprising:
- performing the reduction at a temperature of from about 400.degree. C. to about 600.degree. C. in the presence of from about 0.7 to about 10 times by weight based on the amount of copper-bearing feed material of particles ranging in size from about 9 to about 150 mesh, the particles being characterized as being chemically inert with respect to the reactants in the reactor, and having relatively smooth, generally spherical surface areas with relatively low apparent porosities in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.
In a process for recovering elemental copper from cuprous chloride by means of reducing the cuprous chloride with hydrogen in a fluidized bed reactor, the improvement comprising:
- performing the reduction in the presence of from about 0.7 to about 10 times based on the weight of cuprous chloride feed material of sand ranging in size from about minus 20 to about plus 48 mesh, the sand particles possessing a relatively smooth surface area and being generally spherical in shape in order to restrain sintering of the reduced copper.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.