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US 5,917,116 AGranted
Method for the processing of copper minerals
AssigneeDominion Mining Limited
InventorsGary Donald Johnson, Naralia Streltsova
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of processing a copper mineral, the method comprising activating the copper mineral by milling the copper mineral to P80 of between 2 and 20 micron, and subsequently subjecting the activated copper mineral to an oxidative hydrometallurgical treatment in the presence of chloride ions in an amount of from 2 to 10 g/L.
Claims17
A method of processing a copper mineral, the method comprising;
- milling the copper mineral in a vertical stirred mill to P80 of between 2 and 20 micron to produce an activated copper mineral;
- and
- oxidatively leaching the activated copper mineral in oxygen at a temperature less than about 100.degree. C. and at an oxygen pressure less than about 1000 kPa for a time less than about 75 minutes, such that elemental sulphur is a predominant sulphur product formed in the presence of chloride ions in an amount of from 2 to 10 g/L.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.