Activation of a mineral species
AssigneeDominion Mining Limited
InventorsIan J. Corrans, John E. Angove
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of activating a mineral species wherein the mineral species is activated by fine or ultra fine milling prior to processing by methods of oxidative hydrometallurgy. The milled mineral species may be subjected to oxidative leaching under relatively mild conditions of pressure and temperature due to the milling producing minerals which are activated, and which thus react far more readily with oxidants such as oxygen. Furthermore, the oxidative leaching is able to be conducted under conditions requiring less than stoichiometric levels of oxidant, again due to the activated nature of the minerals.
Claims16
A method of preparing a mineral species for oxidative hydrometallurgy comprising the step of milling the species to P80 of about 30 microns or less.
A method of processing a mineral species, said method comprising the steps of milling the mineral species to P80 of about 30 microns or less, and oxidative leaching of the milled mineral species under relatively mild conditions of pressure and temperature and in the presence of substoichiometric levels of oxygen.
A method according to claim 11 wherein the milling is conducted in a vertical stirred mill.
A method of processing a sulphide mineral, said method comprising the steps of fine milling the sulphide mineral in a vertical stirred mill to P80 of 15 micron or less and leaching the milled sulphide mineral with substoichiometric levels of oxygen at a temperature below about 120.degree. C. and an oxygen pressure below about 1000 kPa.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.