Cuprion process start-up control
AssigneeKennecott Copper Corporation
InventorsRobert E. Lueders, Roger N. Kust, David S. Davies
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Abstract
A process in which copper, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum are recovered by reducing comminuted raw manganese nodules with an aqueous solution containing cuprous ions. An improvement is disclosed in which copper is oxidized to provide a starting solution of cuprous ions for the process. In one important embodiment of the invention wet copper cement is added to a solution of carbon dioxide and ammonia and ground manganese nodules are then added to the mixture. As a result, a starting solution containing cuprous ions is produced. A major advantage gained from utilizing manganese nodules as an oxidizing agent is that the manganese nodule is itself reduced and its metal values are added to the reaction solution.
Claims9
In a process in which metal values selected from the group of copper, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum are recovered from manganese nodules by introducing the nodules into a reaction vessel containing an aqueous ammoniacal-ammonium carbonate solution and cuprous ions to allow the cuprous ions to reduce the manganese oxides in the nodules to enable the metal values to be solubilized and in which cuprous ions are continuously regenerated by a reducing gas wherein the improvement comprises providing a start-up solution of cuprous ions by oxidizing copper metal with the manganese nodules from which the metal values are to be recovered and recovering metal values selected from the group of copper, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum from the manganese nodules used to oxidize the copper metal to provide the start-up solution of cuprous ions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.