Process for Leaching Metal Sulfides with Reagents Having Thiocarbonyl Functional Groups

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021198767-A1
Application number	US-202117140943-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2021
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 1, 2021
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 . A method of recovering at least one base metal from at least one base metal sulfide in a material, the method comprising:
contacting the material with an acidic solution comprising reagent having a thiocarbonyl functional group, wherein the reagent is thiourea (Tu), and wherein the initial concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 60 mM, to produce a pregnant solution containing base metal ions; and recovering the at least one base metal from the pregnant solution.

61 . The method of claim 60 , 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.

62 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution comprises at least one oxidizing agent.

63 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 50 mM.

64 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 30 mM.

65 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 20 mM.

66 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 10 mM.

67 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 5 mM.

68 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 2 mM.

69 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 1 mM.

70 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 0.5 mM.

71 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 0.2 mM.

72 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.002 mM to about 0.02 mM.

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

74 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 50 mM.

75 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 30 mM.

76 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 20 mM.

77 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 10 mM.

78 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 5 mM.

79 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 0.2 mM to about 2 mM.

80 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 60 mM.

81 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 50 mM.

82 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 30 mM.

83 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 20 mM.

84 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 10 mM.

85 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 2 mM to about 5 mM.

86 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 10 mM to about 60 mM.

87 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 10 mM to about 50 mM.

88 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 10 mM to about 30 mM.

89 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 10 mM to about 20 mM.

90 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 30 mM to about 60 mM.

91 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the concentration of the reagent in the acidic solution is in the range of about 30 mM to about 50 mM.

92 . The method of claim 62 , wherein the at least one oxidizing agent comprises a source of ferric ions.

93 . The method of claim 92 , wherein the source of ferric ions comprises ferric sulfate.

94 . The method of claim 92 , wherein the source of ferric ions comprises ferric ions generated at least in part by bacteria.

95 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a sulfate solution.

96 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric sulfate solution.

97 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric solution.

98 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution comprises a ferric media.

99 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the acidic solution is replaced with a ferrous sulfate solution.

100 . The method of claim 99 , wherein the ferrous sulfate solution provides a source of Fe 2+ ions that are actively oxidized to Fe 3+ ions by bacteria.

101 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the at least one base metal sulfide comprises at least one copper sulfide.

102 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide is chalcopyrite, covellite, bornite, enargite, a copper sulfide of the formula Cu x S y wherein the x:y ratio is between 1 and 2, or a combination thereof.

103 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide comprises chalcopyrite.

104 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide comprises covellite.

105 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide comprises bornite.

106 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide comprises enargite.

107 . The method of claim 101 , wherein the at least one copper sulfide comprises a copper sulfide of the formula Cu x S y wherein the x:y ratio is between 1 and 2.

108 . The method of

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