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US 5,207,996 AGranted
Acid leaching of copper ore heap with fluoroaliphatic surfactant
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsMichael J. Sierakowski, Frank A. Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Improved methods of heap leaching of copper ore with aqueous sulfuric acid solutions comprising a fluoroaliphatic surfactant are disclosed. The fluoroaliphatic surfactant increases the amount of copper values leached and recovered.
Claims20
In a method for leaching of copper ore comprising the steps of:
- (A) contacting a heap of low grade copper oxide ore with an aqueous leaching solution comprising sulfuric acid and allowing said solution to flow through the heap;
- (B) collecting the resulting pregnant aqueous solution;
- and
- (C) transferring copper values from the aqueous solution into an organic medium by extraction;
- the improvement comprising dissolving in said aqueous leaching solution a fluoroaliphatic surfactant which is soluble in said aqueous leaching solution, is not extracted into said organic medium, and does not cause a stable emulsion to be formed during said extraction, the amount of said surfactant which is dissolved being an amount sufficient to increase the amount of copper values which are leached.
2 more elements
In a method for leaching copper ore comprising the steps of:
- (A) contacting a heap of low-grade copper oxide ore with a strong aqueous sulfuric acid leaching solution and allowing the ore to remain in contact with the solution for a period from about 3 to about 30 days;
- (B) contacting said heap with a dilute aqueous sulfuric acid leaching solution and allowing said dilute aqueous sulfuric acid solution to flow through the heap;
- (C) collecting the resulting pregnant aqueous solution;
- and
- (D) transferring copper values from the aqueous solution into an organic medium by extraction;
- the improvement comprising dissolving in either or both of said sulfuric acid leaching solutions a fluoroaliphatic surfactant which is soluble in said leaching solutions, is not extracted into said organic medium, and does not cause a stable emulsion to be formed during said extraction, the amount of said surfactant which is dissolved being an amount sufficient to increase the amount of copper values which are leached.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.