Leaching of metal sulphides

In a process for extracting metals from ores and concentrates containing metal sulfides and for separate recovery of elemental sulfur which comprises leaching said ores and concentrates with lixiviant capable of dissolving metals with concurrent oxidation of sulfide sulfur to elemental sulfur at a temperature in the range of from ambient to 175.degree. C., said leaching resulting in the formation of a reaction slurry comprising dissolved metals, elemental sulfur and unreacted sulfides and at least one material chosen from the group consisting of gangue materials and precipitated compounds, and separating molten sulfur and unreacted sulfides from dissolved metals and said at least one material chosen from gangue materials and precipitated compounds, the improvement which comprises continuously directing a flow of said reaction slurry containing solids of which at least 80% has particle sizes smaller than 74.mu. at a temperature at which sulfur is present in the liquid state in the range of about 110.degree. to 160.degree. C. and at a pressure in the range of from the vapour pressure of the reaction mixture at the temperature at which S is present in the liquid state to 3000 kPa such that flashing of vapour is avoided into a separating step comprising a relatively quiescent zone free of turbulence;

• coalescing said elemental sulfur in the relatively quiescent zone;
• settling coalesced sulfur together with unreacted sulfides from said quiescent zone;
• maintaining a velocity in said flow in said relatively quiescent zone to cause separation of said slurry into a first and a second fraction, said velocity having an upward velocity component in the range of 1 to 100 cm/min., said first fraction containing dissolved metals and at least one material chosen from gangue materials and precipitated compounds, said at least one material having a terminal settling velocity less than said upward velocity component, and said second fraction containing coalesced liquid elemental sulfur and unreacted sulfides;
• stirring said coalescing elemental sulfur, settled coalesced sulfur and unreacted sulfides at a rotational speed in the range of 1 to 150 rpm and at a peripheral velocity in the range of 5 to 150 cm/sec.;
• separately discharging said first and second fractions from said separating step;
• flashing the discharged first fraction in one or more stages;
• recovering solution containing dissolved metal;
• and subjecting the discharged second fraction to hot filtration to yield a filtercake of unreacted sulfides and a filtrate of liquid sulfur.