Metal extraction.

Abstract

This document describes a method for extracting metal from a metal sulfide-containing material comprising the steps of: a) providing an aqueous acidic oxidizing mixture comprising water, an acid, an oxidizing medium, and a halide ion source, wherein the aqueous acidic oxidizing mixture has a pH less than 7; wherein the oxidizing medium comprises hydrogen peroxide, ozone, oxygen, chlorine, bromine, iodine, hypochlorous acid, hypobromous acid, hypoiodous acid, a hypochlorite salt, a hypobromite salt, a hypoiodite salt, a percarbonate salt, a persulfate salt, a permanganate salt, an anode connected to a power source, or combinations thereof; b) contacting the aqueous acidic oxidizing mixture with the metal sulfide-containing material to extract the metal from the metal sulfide-containing material and form a metal halide solution; wherein the metal comprises copper, nickel, lead, zinc, or combinations thereof.