Treatment of pyrite and arsenophrite containing material with ferric ions and sulfur dioxide/oxygen mixture to improve extraction of valuable metals therefrom
OwnerJesus A Ariasinventor
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Abstract
A method of treating a mined material which includes a sulphide mineral and iron or a concentrate of the mined material to improve the recovery of a valuable metal from the sulphide mineral is disclosed. The method comprises: (i) oxidising the sulphide mineral in the presence of ferric ions to make the valuable metal in the sulphide mineral more accessible to extraction; and (ii) oxidising ferrous ions generated in step (i) or derived from iron in the mined material with a mixture of sulphur dioxide and oxygen to produce ferric ions for step (i).
Claims11
A method of treating a mined material or a concentrate of the mined material to improve the recovery of a valuable metal from the mined material, the mined material including a sulphide mineral, the sulphide mineral containing the valuable metal and iron and being pyrite and/or arsenopyrite, which method produces a treated product and comprises:
- (i) oxidising the sulphide mineral in the presence of ferric ions to produce ferrous ions, the purpose being to make the valuable metal in the sulphide mineral more accessible to extraction;
- and
- (ii) oxidising the ferrous ions generated in step (i) or present in the mined material with a mixture of sulphur dioxide and oxygen to produce ferric ions for use in oxidising the sulphide mineral in step (i).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.