Extraction of selenium from copper anode slimes in a sealed leaching system

Abstract

A new method was proposed for extracting selenium from copper anode slimes with a low concentration of nitric acid in a sealed sulfuric acid leaching system. It is performed under an atmosphere of oxygen which allowed for a cyclic utilization of nitric acid. The effects of main parameters on selenium leaching were studied. The mineralogical characterizations of the typical samples were investigated by XRD and SEM. The results showed that the optimal conditions of the process are considered to be total gas pressure of 0.1 MPa, leaching temperature of 388 K, solid-liquid ratio of 0.20 g mL^–1, H₂SO₄ concentration of 2 mol L^–1, HNO₃ concentration of 0.07 mol L^–1 and leaching time of 2 h. The high selenium leaching efficiency of 99.23% was obtained under these conditions. According to the results of XRD and SEM-EDS, Cu–Ag selenide in the raw anode slimes is difficult to be leached with sulfuric acid alone; copper can be leached more easily from Cu-Ag selenide than silver; selenide is oxidized into the solution, undergoing the intermediate product of elemental selenium.