Hydrometallurgical process for the treatment of copper-bearing ore

A process for extracting copper from copper bearing ore, comprising:

• substantially uniformly wetting a copper bearing ore with a first solution which contains sulfuric acid and water in sufficient quantities and for a sufficient time to uniformly wet but not agglomerate the ore and alter the surface characteristics of the ore by increasing its thickening and filtration properties, and to sulfatize a significant portion of the copper therein;
• introducing into the copper bearing ore in the wetting stage an oxidizing agent in an amount sufficient to help oxidized copper sulfides;
• allowing the wetted ore to age for a period of time sufficient to further sulfatize the copper therein and form a substantially sulfatized copper ore;
• repulping the aged sulfatized copper ore with a second aqueous solution which water and optionally contains sulfuric acid for a sufficient time to extract a substantial portion of the sulfatized copper therefrom in a solution;
• and
• recovering copper from the extracted sulfatized copper solution.

A process for extracting copper from copper bearing ore, comprising:

• classifying the copper ore into coarse and fine fractions and collecting the coarse and fine fractions;
• substantially uniformly wetting the fine copper baring ore fraction with a first solution which contains sulfuric acid and water in sufficient quantities and for a sufficient time to uniformly wet but not agglomerate the ore and alter the surface characteristics of the ore by increasing its thickening and filtration properties and to sulfatize a significant portion of the copper therein and form a sulfatized fine ore fraction;
• allowing the wetted fine ore fraction to age for a period of time sufficient to further sulfatize the copper therein and form a substantially sulfatized fine ore fraction;
• pile leaching the coarse fraction with sulfuric acid and water to sulfatize a significant portion of the copper therein and form a sulfatized coarse ore fraction;
• repulping the sulfatized fine ore fraction with a second aqueous solution which contains water and optionally contains sulfuric acid for a sufficient time to extract a substantial portion of the sulfatized copper therefrom in a solution;
• and
• recovering the copper from the extracted sulfatized copper solution.