Recovering copper from volcanic ASH by NH3 · H2O–NH2COONH4
- Authors: Mao Y.1,2, Deng J.2, Wen S.2, Fang J.2, Yin Q.3
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Affiliations:
- College of Science
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering
- Mining College
- Issue: Vol 57, No 6 (2016)
- Pages: 533-543
- Section: Metallurgy of Nonferrous Metals
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1067-8212/article/view/226042
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1067821216060158
- ID: 226042
Cite item
Abstract
Volcanic ash from Xinjiang in the PRC contains malachite and cuprite. The volcanic ash has a copper content of 1.29%. However, because of severe argillization it is difficult to recover the copper through enrichment by flotation. Because the ash contains significant amounts of calcium and magnesium carbonates leaching the ash with acid requires a large amount of acid. We thus studied the use of ammonia-water and ammonium carbamate as effective leaching agents for copper. Leaching with ammonia-water and ammonium carbamate does not affect gangue minerals such as quartz and calcite and it can also promote the dissolution of minerals that contain copper. This leaching agent is highly specific. Using this system we recovered more than 90% of the copper from the volcanic ash. Higher reaction temperatures, smaller ore particle sizes, a higher stirring speed, a higher liquid to solid ratio and an increase in the agent’s concentration increased the copper leaching rate. SEM analysis, the activation energy (7.827 kJ/mol) and kinetics data comprehensively indicate that the reaction of copper minerals in the ammonia-water and ammonium carbamate system is controlled by internal diffusion.
Keywords
About the authors
Ying-bo Mao
College of Science; State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering
Email: dengshuai689@163.com
China, Mengzi, 661199; Kunming, 650093
Jiu-shuai Deng
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering
Author for correspondence.
Email: dengshuai689@163.com
China, Kunming, 650093
Shu-ming Wen
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering
Email: dengshuai689@163.com
China, Kunming, 650093
Jian-jun Fang
State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Faculty of Land Resource Engineering
Email: dengshuai689@163.com
China, Kunming, 650093
Qiong Yin
Mining College
Email: dengshuai689@163.com
China, Kunming, 650051