Leach aid for metal recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016298209-A1
Application number	US-201615093422-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods of recovering metals from metal-bearing materials, and more particularly, methods for improving leaching efficiency in extraction processes by employing a surfactant composition in the extraction process, as well as slurries useful in the methods of recovering metals are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of extracting metal from a metal-bearing material, the method comprising:
forming a slurry comprising the metal-bearing material, water, a surfactant composition, and a leaching composition; and recovering at least a portion of the metal from the slurry.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal-bearing material is comminuted prior to formation of the slurry.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition comprises an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of: an alkyl aryl sulfonate, an olefin sulfonate, a paraffin sulfonate, an alcohol sulfate, an alcohol ether sulfate, an alkyl carboxylate, an alkyl ether carboxylate, an ethoxylated alkyl phosphate ester, a monoalkyl sulfosuccinate, a dialkyl sulfosuccinate, a monoalkyl sulfosuccinamate, a dialkyl sulfosuccinamate, and combinations thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition comprises a cationic surfactant selected from the group consisting of: an alkyl trimethyl quaternary ammonium salt, an alkyl dimethyl benzyl quaternary ammonium salt, a dialkyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium salt, an imidazolinium salt, and combinations thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition comprises a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of: an alcohol alkoxylate, an alkylphenol alkoxylate, a block copolymer of ethylene oxide, a block copolymer of propylene oxide, a block copolymer of butylene oxide, an alkyl dimethyl amine oxide, an alkyl-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) amine oxide, an alkyl amidopropyl dimethyl amine oxide, an alkylamidopropyl-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) amine oxide, an alkyl polyglucoside, a polyalkoxylated glyceride, a sorbitan ester, a polyalkoxylated sorbitan ester, an alkoyl polyethylene glycol ester, an alkoyl polyethylene glycol diester, and combinations thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition comprises a high terpene-containing natural oil.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the high terpene-containing natural oil is selected from the group consisting of: orange peel oil, grapefruit peel oil, lemon peel oil, pine oil, and combinations thereof.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition is present in the slurry at a concentration of from about 1 gram of surfactant composition to about 10,000 grams of surfactant composition per metric ton of metal-bearing material.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition is present in the slurry at a concentration of from about 10 grams of surfactant composition to about 100 grams of surfactant composition per metric ton of metal-bearing material.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the leaching composition comprises a leaching agent selected from the group consisting of: nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, perchloric acid, a carbonate, a hydroxide base, gaseous ammonia, a cyanide salt, ferric sulfate, ferric chloride, cupric chloride, ferrous chloride, ozone, a thiosulfate salt, thiourea, thiosulfuric acid, dithiooxamide, a substituted dithiooxamide, a halogen-containing compound, and combinations thereof.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the leaching agent is at least one of sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide, and calcium cyanide.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recovered metal is at least one of gold, silver, and copper.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal-bearing material is ore.

14 . A method of improving leaching efficiency in a metal extraction process, the method comprising:
treating a metal-bearing material with a surfactant composition; and subjecting the treated metal-bearing material to a metal extraction process.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the metal-bearing material is communited before or during treatment with the surfactant composition.

16 . A slurry comprising:
water; a metal-bearing material comprising at least one of gold, silver, and copper; a high terpene-containing natural oil; and
a leaching agent comprising at least one of an acid and a cyanide.

17 . The slurry of claim 16 , wherein the high terpene-containing natural oil is selected from the group consisting of: orange peel oil, grapefruit peel oil, lemon peel oil, pine oil, and combinations thereof.

18 . The slurry of claim 16 , wherein the high terpene-containing natural oil is orange peel oil.

19 . The slurry of claim 16 , wherein the metal-bearing material comprises gold.

20 . The slurry of claim 16 , wherein the leaching agent comprises a cyanide.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Mujicic Vladimir
• Coleman Kim
• O'Brien Kevin

Classifications

• C22B3/08

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

• C22B11/08

  by cyaniding · CPC title

• C22B3/10

  Hydrochloric acid {, other halogenated acids or salts thereof} · CPC title

• C22B3/14

  containing ammonia or ammonium salts · CPC title

• C22B3/04

  by leaching (C22B3/18 takes precedence) · CPC title