Recovering Metal Values from a Metalliferrous Material

Abstract

A method of treating a metalliferrous material source is provided. The metalliferrous material source includes at least one of nickel sulphide and cobalt sulphide, and also includes iron sulphide. The metalliferrous material source is leached with a preliminary leachant in a leaching zone to effect production of a preliminary leach product including a preliminary leach solution and a preliminary leach solid residue. The preliminary leachant includes an aqueous solution comprising ammonia and ammonium sulphate. The preliminary leach solution includes at least one of dissolved nickel comprising material and dissolved cobalt comprising material. The preliminary leach solid residue includes: (i) at least one of nickel sulphide and cobalt sulphide, (ii) at least one of other nickel comprising material and other cobalt comprising material, and (iii) other iron comprising material. At least a fraction of the preliminary leach solid residue is separated from the preliminary leach product such that a metalliferrous material is provided, wherein the metalliferrous material includes at least a fraction of the separated preliminary leach solid residue. At least a fraction of the metalliferrous material is leached with an aqueous solution including dissolved sulphuric acid and dissolved sulphur dioxide in a leaching zone so as to effect production of an operative leach product including a leachate component and a solid residue component, wherein the leachate component includes nickel sulphate, cobalt sulphate, and iron sulphate, and wherein the solid residue component includes at least one of nickel sulphide and cobalt sulphide. At least a fraction of the solid residue component is separated from the operative leach product to provide a recovered solid residue component. The recovered solid residue component is recycled to the preliminary leaching zone.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The subject matter of the present application is related to U.S. Application No. ______ (Attorney docket number 15413400) filed on May 27, 2009 and entitled “Recovering Metal Values From a Leach Residue,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to the recovery of metal values from a metalliferrous material.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Pressure leaching of sulphidic concentrates produces residues which often contain valuable minerals whose recovery is interfered with by the fact that such valuable minerals co-precipitate with non-valuable minerals or become occluded within gangue. These residues also include unleached materials, which also contain valuable minerals, and which are commingled with the residues.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION[0004]In one aspect, there is provided a method of treating a metalliferrous material source. The method includes providing a metalliferro...

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Benefits of technology

[0004]In one aspect, there is provided a method of treating a metalliferrous material source. The method includes providing a metalliferrous material source, wherein the metalliferrous material source includes at least one metalliferrous material source-based target elemental metal and at least one metalliferrous material source-based non-target elemental metal. A process feed material is provided, wherein the process feed material includes the metalliferrous material source. The process feed material is leached in a preliminary leaching zone to effect production of a preliminary leach product including a preliminary leach solution and a preliminary leach solid residue, wherein the preliminary leach solution includes at least one preliminary leach solution-based target elemental metal, and each one of the at least one preliminary leach solution-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one metalliferrous material source-based target elemental metal. At least a fraction of the preliminary leach solid residue is separated from the preliminary leach product such that a metalliferrous material is provided, wherein the metalliferrous material is includes at least a fraction of the separated preliminary leach solid residue, and wherein the metalliferrous material includes at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal and at least one metalliferrous material-based non-target elemental metal, wherein each one of the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one metalliferrous material source-based target elemental metal and at least one of the at least one metalliferrous material-based non-target elemental metal is a one of the at least one metalliferrous material source-based non-target elemental metal. The metalliferrous material is leached with an operative leachant to effect production of an intermediate product mixture including an intermediate operative solution product and an intermediate solid residue, wherein the intermediate operative solution product includes at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution product-based target elemental metal, wherein each one of the at least one dissolved intermediate operative solution product-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal, and wherein the intermediate solid residue includes at least one intermediate solid residue-based target elemental metal comprising solid material, wherein each one of the at least one intermediate solid residue-based target elemental metal comprising solid material includes at least one intermediate solid residue-based target elemental metal, and wherein each one intermediate solid residue-based target elemental metal is a one of the at least one metalliferrous material-based target elemental metal. At least a fraction of the intermediate solid residue is separated from the intermediate product mixture to provide a separated intermediate solid residue. The separated intermediate solid residue is recycled to the preliminary leaching zone such that the process feed material includes the recycled intermediate solid residue.

[0005]In another aspect, there is provided a method of treating a metalliferrous material source. The method includes providing a metalliferrous material source including at least one target elemental metal comprising metalliferrous material source-based metal sulphide and at least one non-target elemental metal comprising metalliferrous material source-based metal sulphide, wherein each one of the at least one target elemental metal comprising metalliferrous material source-based metal sulphide includes at least one metalliferrous material source-based target elemental metal, wherein the at least one target elemental metal comprising metalliferrous material source-based metal sulphide includes at least one of nickel sulphide and cobalt sulphide, such that the at least one metalliferrous material source-based target elemental metal includes at least one of nickel and cobalt, and wherein each one of the at least one non-target elemental metal comprising metalliferrous material source-based metal sulphide includes at least one

Problems solved by technology

Pressure leaching of sulphidic concentrates produces residues which often contain valuable minerals whose recovery is interfered with by the fact that such valuable minerals co-precipitate with non-valuable minerals or become occluded within gangue.

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