Method of leaching arsenic from ore comprising copper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11149328-B2
Application number	US-201414531770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a treated ore solid comprising a reduced amount of a contaminant, for example arsenic, compared to the ore solid prior to treatment. Also disclosed are temperature and pressure modifications, parameters, and methods for treating an ore solid by pressure oxidation leaching of enargite concentrates. The disclosed methods and processes may be applied to copper sulfide orebodies and concentrates containing arsenic. In some cases, the disclosed methods and systems extract, remove, or reduce contaminants, for example arsenic, from an ore containing solution at moderately increased temperature, pressure, and oxygen concentration, and in the presence of an acid.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of leaching arsenic from an ore, the method comprising:
adding the ore to an airtight container, wherein the ore comprises arsenic and copper;
adding an acid-containing liquid of between 10 g and 30 g acid per liter to the container to form a solution;
pressurizing the container between 0 psi and 100 psi;
maintaining the solution at a temperature between 100 degrees Celsius and 160 degrees Celsius;
agitating the solution;
allowing the arsenic in the ore to dissolve;
filtering the solution to separate the dissolved arsenic from the ore.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the solution is about 160 degrees Celsius.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of between about 1 and 20 g/L.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of about 5 g/L.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of arsenic in the ore is lowered by between about 15% and 90%.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of arsenic in the ore is lowered by about 55%.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of between about 1 and 20 g/L.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of about 5 g/L.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the concentration of arsenic in the ore is lowered by between about 15% and 90%.

11. The method of claim 3 , wherein the concentration of arsenic in the ore is lowered by about 55%.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of between about 1 and 20 g/L.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solution comprises solids at a concentration of about 5 g/L.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sulfuric acid is at a concentration of about 30 g/L.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the temperature is about 160 degrees Celsius.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sulfuric acid is at a concentration of about 30 g/L.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sulfuric acid is at a concentration of about 20 g/L.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sulfuric acid is at a concentration of about 10 g/L.

Assignees

• Colorado School Of Mines

Inventors

• Conner Kimberly D
• Anderson Corby G

Classifications

• C22B1/11

  Removing sulfur, phosphorus or arsenic other than by roasting · CPC title

• C22B3/08

  Sulfuric acid {, other sulfurated acids or salts thereof} · CPC title

• C22B30/04

  Obtaining arsenic {(extraction of metal compounds by leaching in organic solutions C22B3/16; treatment or purification of solutions by adsorption on solids C22B3/24, by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42)} · CPC title

• C22B15/0008 Primary

  by wet processes (by flotation B03D) · CPC title

• C22B15/0071

  containing sulfur · CPC title