PHYSICO-CHEMICAL FEATURES OF COPPER EXTRACTION DURING SULFURIC ACID LEACHING OF COPPER MINERAL AND MAN-MADE RAW MATERIALS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25635%20/%202313-1586.2025.02.087Keywords:
azurite, malachite, chrysocolla, chalcopyrite, leaching, mixed copper ores, thermodynamic modeling, man-made depositsAbstract
This study investigates the mutual influence of oxidized and sulfide forms of copper on the kinetics of sulfuric acid leaching during the processing of flotation tailings from mixed copper ores. The research focused on selected monomineralic fractions: chalcopyrite, azurite, malachite and chrysocolla with a known copper content. The copper concentration in the pregnant leach solution was determined by iodometric titration according to GOST 15934.1−91. Statistical analysis was conducted using Kono’s cubic design with varying contents of azurite, malachite, and chrysocolla at a fixed chalcopyrite content. The aim of the work is to study the mutual influence of oxidized and sulfide forms of copper on the kinetics and recovery rate during sulfuric acid leaching.
The results indicate that carbonate minerals completely dissolve in dilute sulfuric acid solutions (0.5-3%), ensuring 85-90% copper extraction. Chalcopyrite is characterized by low leaching efficiency due to the formation of elemental sulfur on the mineral surface. Chrysocolla also leaches with low efficiency due to the formation of silicon dioxide, which prevents the dissolution of both the mineral itself and associated carbonate copper minerals. A mathematical model describing the dependence of copper extraction on mineral composition with a relative error of no more than 5% has been obtained. The results of thermodynamic modeling of the elemental speciation during sulfuric acid leaching depending on pH are presented. It was found that the presence of minerals containing elements such as iron and calcium in the tailings can significantly increase sulfuric acid consumption, causing reagent overconsumption of up to 40 kg/t. The results are of practical importance for optimizing leaching parameters for beneficiation tailings.
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