Process for Leaching Metal Sulfides with Reagents Having Thiocarbonyl Functional Groups

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020181737-A1
Application number	US-202016748557-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

This application pertains to methods of recovering metals from metal sulfides that involve contacting the metal sulfide with an acidic sulfate solution containing ferric sulfate and a reagent that has a thiocarbonyl functional group, wherein the concentration of reagent in the acidic sulfate solution is sufficient to increase the rate of metal ion extraction relative to an acidic sulfate solution that does not contain the reagent, to produce a pregnant solution containing the metal ions.

First claim

1 .- 59 . (canceled)

60 .- 114 . (canceled)

115 . A method of recovering at least one base metal ion from a material containing at least one base metal sulfide, the method comprising:
contacting the material with an acidic solution comprising at least one oxidizing agent and a reagent having a thiocarbonyl functional group to extract at least one base metal ion from the at least one base metal sulfide, wherein the concentration of the reagent is in the range of 0.2 mM to 100 mM, to produce a pregnant solution containing the at least one base metal ion; and recovering at least one base metal ion from the pregnant solution.

116 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is sufficient to increase the rate of the at least one base metal ion extraction relative to an acidic solution that does not contain the reagent.

117 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the at least one oxidizing agent comprises a source of ferric ions.

118 . The method of claim 117 , wherein the source of ferric ions is Fe 3 ±.

119 . The method of claim 117 , wherein the source of ferric ions is ferric sulfate.

120 . The method of claim 117 , wherein the source of ferric ions comprises ferric ions generated at least in part by bacteria.

121 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric sulfate solution.

122 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric solution.

123 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric media.

124 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the acidic solution is replaced with a ferrous sulfate solution.

125 . The method of claim 124 , wherein the ferrous sulfate solution provides a source of Fe 2+ ions that are actively oxidized by to Fe 3+ by bacteria.

126 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the thiocarbonyl functional group of the reagent has a sulfur that bears a partial negative charge, bears negative electrostatic potential surface, and has an empty π*-antibonding orbital as its lowest unoccupied molecular orbital.

127 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the reagent is N—N′ substituted thioureas; 2,5-Dithiobimea; Dithiobiuret; Thiosemicarbazide purum; Thiosemicarbazide; Thioacetamide; 2-Methyl-3-thiosemicarbazide; 4-Methyl-3-thiosemicarbazide; Vinylene trithiocarbonate purum; Vinylene trithiocarbonate; 2-Cyanothioacetamide; Ethylene trithiocarbonate; Potassium ethyl xanthogenate; Dimethylthiocarbamoyl chloride; Dimethyldithiocarbamate; Dimethyl trithiocarbonate; N,N-Dimethylthioformamide; 4,4-Dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide; 4-Ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide; O-Isopropylxanthic acid; Ethyl thiooxamate; Ethyl dithioacetate; Pyrazine-2-thiocarboxamide; Diethylthiocarbamoyl chloride; Diethyldithiocarbamate; Tetramethylthiuram monosulfide; Tetramethylthiuram disulfide; Pentafluorophenyl chlorothionoformate; 4-Fluorophenyl chlorothionoformate; O-Phenyl chlorothionoformate; Phenyl chlorodithioformate; 3,4-Difluorothiobenzamide; 2-Bromothiobenzamide; 3-Bromothiobenzamide; 4-Bromothiobenzamide; 4-Chlorothiobenzamide; 4-Fluorothiobenzamide; Thiobenzoic acid; Thiobenzamide; 4-Phenylthiosemicarbazide; O-(p-Tolyl) chlorothionoformate; 4-Bromo-2-methylthiobenzamide; 3-Methoxythiobenzamide; 4-Methoxythiobenzamide; 4-Methylbenzenethioamide; Thioacetanilide; Salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone; Indole-3-thiocarboxamide; S-(Thiobenzoyl)thioglycolic acid; 3-(Acetoxy)thiobenzamide; 4-(Acetoxy)thiobenzamide; Methyl N′-[(e)-(4-chlorophenyl)methylidene]hydrazonothiocarbamate; 3-Ethoxythiobenzamide; 4-Ethylbenzene-1-thiocarboxamide; Tert-butyl 3-[(methylsulfonyl)oxy]-1-azetanecarboxylate; Diethyldithiocarbamic acid; 2-(Phenylcarbonothioylthio)propanoic acid; 2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde; N-ethylthiosemicarbazone; (1R,4R)-1,7,7-Trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-thione; Tetraethylthiuram disulfide; 4′-Hydroxybiphenyl-4-thiocarboxamide; 4-Biphenylthioamide; Dithizone; 4′-Methylbiphenyl-4-thiocarboxamide; Tetraisopropylthiuram disulfide; Anthracene-9-thiocarboxamide; Phenanthrene-9-thiocarboxamide; Sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate; 4,4′-Bis(dimethylamino)thiobenzophenone; or any combination thereof.

128 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the material is an ore.

129 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the material is a concentrate of the at least one base metal sulfide.

130 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 60 mM.

131 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 50 mM.

132 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 30 mM.

133 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 20 mM.

134 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 10 mM.

135 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 5 mM.

136 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 4 mM.

137 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 3 mM.

138 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 2 mM.

139 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 1.5 mM.

140 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 1.0 mM.

141 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.9 mM.

142 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.8 mM.

143 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.7 mM.

144 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.6 mM.

145 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.5 mM.

146 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.4 mM.

147 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of 0.2 mM to 0.3 mM.

148 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the at least one base metal comprises copper and the at least one base metal sulfide comprises chalcopyrite.

149 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the at least one base metal comprises copper and the at least one base metal sulfide comprises covellite.

150 . The method of claim 115 , wherein the at least one base metal comprises copper and the at least one base metal sulfide comprises a copper

Assignees

• Univ British Columbia

Inventors

• Dixon David
• Olvera Olmedo Oscar
• Asselin Edouard
• Ghahreman Ahmad
• Ren Zihe

Classifications

• C25C1/08

  of nickel or cobalt · CPC title

• C25C1/16

  of zinc, cadmium or mercury · CPC title

• C22B23/0461

  by chemical methods · CPC title

• C22B15/0089

  by chemical methods · CPC title

• C22B3/18

  with the aid of microorganisms or enzymes, e.g. bacteria or algae · CPC title