OPTIMIZED SOLID-LIQUID-SOLID HYDROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS FOR INCREASING THE SOLUBILIZATION OF METALS FROM MINERALS AND / OR CONCENTRATES IN AN ACID-CHLORIDE MEDIUM

Abstract

The present invention describes an optimized, redox-independent Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process for increasing the solubilization of metals from minerals and / or concentrates with a particle size of less than 40 mm, through an initial stage called "Activation"; a second stage called "Dry Auto-Catalytic Transformation"; a third stage called "Washing and Re-wetting"; and wherein the stages of dry auto-catalytic transformation and washing and re-wetting can be repeated alternately and repeatedly.

Description

OPTIMIZED SOLID-LIQUID-SOLID HYDROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS FOR INCREASING THE SOLUBILIZATION OF METALS FROM MINERALS AND / OR CONCENTRATES IN AN ACID-CHLORIDE MEDIUM FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to the mining industry. Specifically, the present invention relates to an optimized, redox-independent solid-liquid-solid hydrometallurgical process for increasing the solubilization of metals of interest from ores and concentrates. BACKGROUND The solubilization of metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt, and lead from ores and / or concentrates through hydrometallurgical processes remains a major challenge in the mining industry. This is partly due to the fact that leaching procedures used to solubilize various metals of interest from ores and / or concentrates face numerous technical challenges that are difficult to overcome. For example, it is desirable to have leaching processes that use the least amount of energy, reagents, and other inputs possible, while still increasing the percentage of solubilization of the target metal in the shortest possible time. In this context, the challenge lies in the fact that many of these objectives are contradictory, making it necessary to identify an optimal balance that allows the leaching process to be as efficient as possible. For example, increasing the percentage of solubilization of the target metal typically requires a longer reaction time and / or the use of more reagents and / or energy. Therefore, accelerating the leaching process would require using more reagents and / or energy, which would increase the process costs and make it less efficient. In this same vein, it has been described that the finer the ore, that is, the smaller the particle size, the greater the likelihood of solubilizing the metal of interest. However, this requires several grinding processes, which implies the use of a large amount of energy. Therefore, it is desirable to have leaching procedures that optimize these processes and allow the leaching procedures to function properly at larger particle sizes. Regarding copper, it is important to bear in mind that the challenges are particularly relevant in relation to the solubilization of this metal from chalcopyrite minerals. On the one hand, and as is well known, chalcopyrite is a highly refractory mineral, so some leaching agents do not readily dissolve it. On the other hand, this challenge has become especially significant because chalcopyrite minerals represent one of the largest sources of copper currently available. In this context, although a series of leaching procedures have been developed that aim to improve the solubilization of minerals and / or concentrates in terms of increasing the percentages of solubilization of the metals contained therein, these technologies do not adequately optimize the relationship between reagents, reagent concentrations, temperature, time, energy use, among others. For example, document WO / 2019 / 193403 describes an autocatalytic reductive chemical process with solid-solid interaction under salt supersaturation conditions, using the efflorescence phenomenon to solubilize copper metal from a primary metallogenic ore or chalcopyrite concentrate containing it. This process consists of two stages, called the Reductive Activation Stage and the Dry Autocatalytic Reductive Transformation or Efflorescence Stage, which must be repeated between 4 and 10 cycles to achieve a copper solubilization percentage of between 75% and 80%. Furthermore, document WO 2020 / 099912 describes a hydrometallurgical process with solid-liquid-solid interaction, optimized to solubilize copper from primary and / or secondary sulfide minerals and / or mineral concentrates with a particle size of less than V2 inch (12.7 mm) at a temperature range of between 20 and 35 °C to generate the selective transformation and precipitation of soluble chlorinated copper species, under conditions independent of the redox potential, achieving a copper solubilization of up to 80%. Likewise, document CL No. 1345-2010 describes a leaching procedure for primary copper minerals with an average particle size of 10.5 mm, mainly chalcopyrite, with the objective of achieving the solubilization of copper sulfides, in time periods of between 150 and 250 days, in the presence of an ambient temperature, and dependent on a redox potential between 500 and 600 mV. Using this procedure, a 50% total copper extraction rate was achieved. This was obtained from minerals with an average particle size of 10.5 mm. On the other hand, patent application CL No. 1188-2016 discloses a procedure for reducing leaching times, in which calcium chloride is used to treat primary and secondary copper sulfide ores with a particle size of less than 12 mm. The procedure is carried out in four stages. The first stage consists of adding a recirculated solution to the agglomeration process. The second stage involves applying heat to the primary sulfide ore and / or the solution during the curing stage at a temperature between 30 °C and 60 °C. The third stage involves applying heat to the ore or the solutions during the heap leaching stage, at a temperature between 30 °C and 60 °C. The fourth stage involves washing the heaps with a raffinate solution. This procedure achieves a 46% total copper solubilization. Finally, document CL No. 1777-2017 describes a hydrometallurgical process for extracting base and precious metals from refractory minerals with a particle size of 2.5 to 5 cm. The process comprises an agglomeration stage using a solution containing solid sodium cyanide, lime, and sodium chloride, a settling stage, and a washing stage. This process allows for the solubilization of the metals of interest, up to 70%, in 20 to 40 days. While this process allows for the extraction of base and precious metals from refractory minerals with a particle size of 2.5 to 5 cm, it uses sodium cyanide, which is highly toxic to the environment and incompatible with traditional acid solubilization processes for copper species and their subsequent production of copper cathodes. Thus, even though there are several technologies that disclose different hydrometallurgical leaching conditions and procedures to improve the solubilization of metals of interest, such as copper, from minerals and / or concentrates, there is currently no single procedure that is simple, eco-friendly and uses the minimum optimal amounts of reagents, and capable of optimizing copper solubilization above 80%, from minerals and / or concentrates, especially in the case of minerals with a particle size greater than V2 inch. For this reason, it is of great importance for the mining industry to have new procedures that allow for the efficient, industrial-level optimization of the solubilization of metals of interest, whether from minerals and / or concentrates. REFERENCES WO / 2019 / 193403. Process for the solubilization of metallogenic primary copper metals from chalcopyrite ores and / or concentrates containing it. NOVA MINERALIS SA 2018. WO 2020 / 099912. Solid-liquid-solid method for the solubilization of copper minerals and concentrates, independent of redox potential and with low water and acid consumption. NOVA MINERALIS SA 2018. CL No. 1345-2010. Leaching procedure for primary copper ores to achieve the dissolution of copper sulfides, comprising subjecting the chalcopyrite ore to a curing stage with H2SO4 and NaCl, then subjecting it to a second resting stage for a period of more than 30 days and leaching it by irrigation with an aqueous solution. NATIONAL COPPER CORPORATION OF CHILE. 2010. CL No. 1188-2016. Procedure for copper leaching using calcium chloride and recirculated solution in the agglomeration process cured between 30 °C and 60 °C, heap leaching at a temperature between 30 °C and 60 °C, and washing of the heap with raffinate solution following the heap leaching process at a temperature between 30 °C and 60 °C. ANTOFAGASTA MINERALES SA 2016. CL No. 1777-2017. Method for extracting base and precious metals through a pretreatment leading to the solubilization of their refractory matrices or hypexgoldest, comprising adding water to form a glomerate with a moisture content of 5-8% and a resting stage where the refractory material is transformed into a soluble salt. EXPONENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN MINERALS SPA. 2017. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an optimized and redox-independent Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process for increasing the solubilization of metals from minerals and / or concentrates. The present invention consists of a Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process comprising the following steps: a) an initial stage called Activation which includes a curing and agglomeration process, which can be carried out by: (a) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 60 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 100 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 6% and 12%, for copper sulfide minerals of primary and / or secondary origin; or a.2) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 100 kg / t and 250 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 120 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 8% and 15%, for copper concentrates. b) a second stage called Dry Auto-catalytic Transformation comprising a drying and super-saturation process of the chloride salts, for a time of between 30 and 90 days in each cycle, at a temperature of between 40 °C and 60 °C. c) a third stage called Washing and re-wetting which includes irrigation with an acid-chloride solution or industrial refining, using an irrigation rate of at least 5 L / h / m2, and a pH of between 0.1 and 5. where the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting are repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for 3 to 8 cycles. Step a) of the present invention is preferably carried out with minerals of a granulometry of less than 40 mm, even more preferably less than 25 mm. The aforementioned minerals are mixed with acid-chloride solutions, which are preferably prepared with water and / or industrial refining solutions, in both cases with or without chloride ion content. More preferably, the acid-chloride solutions used in activation step a) are prepared with seawater or other water with a high chloride ion content. Even more preferably, in step a1), the minerals are mixed with acid-chloride solutions comprising seawater at a rate of 80 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t, and sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t, thereby achieving a final moisture content of 10%. Thus, this step can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drying and supersaturation process of step b) is carried out by injecting cold or hot humid air, with a mixture of air and water vapor, through the base of the industrial leaching heap to enhance and accelerate drying in a controlled manner during the drying cycles. Preferably, step b) is carried out for a period of 45 days per cycle at a temperature of 50 °C. The leaching heaps used in this process can be permanent or dynamic (on-off), with dimensions conventional for such stockpiles and according to the treatment capacity of each plant. Thus, this stage can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. In one embodiment of the invention, for copper concentrates, step c) is carried out in a stirred reactor with a solid / liquid ratio of between 1:5 and 1:10, and concluding with a filtration that allows a final moisture content of no more than 15%. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, step c) utilizes an acid-chloride refining solution at a chloride ion concentration of between 80 and 200 g / L. More preferably, step c) is carried out with an acid-chloride refining solution at a temperature of between 25 °C and 60 °C. Thus, this step can be scaled up according to industrial requirements without affecting the scope of protection of the patent. Additionally, the procedure of the present invention comprises the repetition of the stages b) of dry autocatalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting, alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for 3 to 8 cycles. Finally, the described Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process allows for the solubilization of metals of interest, which can be selected from the group that includes copper, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt, and lead. Preferably, the invention allows for the solubilization of metals from sulfide minerals containing arsenicals and / or concentrates of arsenical sulfide minerals containing arsenicals, which are usually considered resistant to dissolution. Even more preferably, the invention allows for the solubilization of metals of interest from copper minerals and / or concentrates containing chalcopyrite, enargite, bornite, covellite, chalcocite, and tennantite. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become evident from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying figures. Figure 1 shows a table presenting the chemical and mineralogical analyses of seven samples, comprising six samples of primary and secondary sulfide minerals and one sample of copper concentrate. The mineralogical analysis involved determining the content of copper species such as chalcopyrite, enargite, bornite, covellite, and chalcocite using Tescan electron microscopy, along with identification of the copper content via XRF. The chemical analysis involved the sequential analytical determination of acid-soluble copper (CuSh+), cyanide-soluble copper (CuScn+), and insoluble copper (Cuinsoi). Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for the determination, and volumetric titration was used for the concentrates. Figure 2 shows a graph where the percentage of copper extraction is represented as a function of different granulometries, ¥4, ¥2, ly 1 ¥2, of a mineral sample (Ml), in the presence of two different temperatures, at 20 °C and 40 °C, during the development of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure. Figure 3 shows a graph representing the percentage of copper extraction as a function of the duration of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process. The process was carried out using one ore sample (Ml) under three drying conditions in each cycle: with dry air injection, with humid air injection, and without air injection. A total of seven cycles were performed at a constant temperature of 35 °C, with a 30-day rest period between each cycle. Figure 4 shows a graph representing the percentage of copper extraction as a function of the duration of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process at different temperatures: 20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C. The process was carried out using mineral sample M1. A total of five cycles were performed, with a 45-day rest period between each cycle. Figure 5 shows five graphs representing the percentage of copper extraction as a function of the duration of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process at different temperatures (20 °C, 35 °C, and 50 °C) for different compositions of primary and secondary copper sulfide minerals. The different compositions of the analyzed minerals are detailed in Figure 1. Each of the processes was carried out in a total of five cycles with a 45-day rest period between each cycle. Figure 6 shows a graph representing the percentage of copper extraction as a function of the duration of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process at different temperatures: 35 °C, 45 °C, and 55 °C, for a sample of copper concentrate ore. The process was carried out in a total of six cycles with a 30-day resting period between each cycle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an optimized and redox-independent Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process for increasing the solubilization of metals from minerals and / or concentrates of sulfide minerals of primary and / or secondary origin. The present invention consists of a Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process comprising the following steps: a) an initial stage called Activation which includes a curing and agglomeration process, which can be carried out by: (a) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 60 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 100 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 6% and 12%, for copper sulfide minerals of primary and / or secondary origin; or a.2) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 100 kg / t and 250 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 120 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 8% and 15%, for copper concentrates. b) a second stage called Dry Auto-catalytic Transformation, which comprises a drying and super-saturation process of the chloride salts, for a time of between 30 and 90 days in each cycle, at a temperature of between 40 °C and 60 °C. c) a third stage called Washing and re-wetting, which comprises irrigation with an acid-chloride solution or industrial refining, using an irrigation rate of at least 5 L / h / m2, and a pH of between 0.1 and 5. where the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting are repeated alternately and repeatedly, for 3 to 8 cycles. To carry out the procedure, the invention comprises an activation stage a) which is preferably carried out with minerals of a granulometry of less than 40 mm, preferably less than 25 mm, which can be incorporated into a homogenizing device, such as in an agglomerating drum or on a conveyor belt, in both cases to add and mix the reagents with the acid-chloride solutions that allow the curing and eventually the agglomeration of the mineral subject to the process. In this way, the minerals and reagents are mixed with acid-chloride solutions, which are preferably prepared with water and / or industrial refining solutions, in both cases with or without chloride ion content. More preferably, the acid-chloride solutions used in activation step a) can be prepared with seawater or other water with a high chloride ion content. Even more preferably, in step a) the minerals are mixed with acid-chloride solutions comprising seawater at a rate of 80 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t, and sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t, thereby achieving a final moisture content of 10%. Thus, this step can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. Thus, the invention presents great advantages in relation to what is known in the state of the art, one of them being related to the granulometry of the minerals, and the concentration of reagents used during the procedure. Regarding particle size, the advantage of this procedure lies in its ability to efficiently process minerals with a particle size of less than 40 mm. Indeed, it is known in the prior art that metal solubilization increases as the particle size of the minerals being processed decreases. This is because the specific surface area increases, improving accessibility for the migration of solutions into the interior of the particles. In other words, there is an inversely proportional relationship. Therefore, it is evident that increasing the particle size of the minerals subjected to leaching processes decreases the solubilization of the mineral species of interest. Conversely, when applying the procedure described in the present invention, the solubilization of the mineral species of interest remains high, even when applied to minerals with a larger particle size, for example, 40 mm.The aforementioned surprising effect is due to the fact that the operational conditions of the procedure have been optimized, allowing a solubilization percentage of over 75% to be obtained even at coarser granulometries, as is the case of the 40 mm mentioned previously. Additionally, regarding the concentration of reagents used in the present invention, although these are known, the advantage of this procedure lies in the use of the minimum optimal concentrations of reagents, that is, very low levels of sodium chloride, sulfuric acid, and acid-chloride solutions, while still achieving a solubilization percentage of metals of interest exceeding 90%. Therefore, the procedure of the present invention allows for a reduction in the resources required for its execution, representing a remarkable optimization. Continuing with the procedure, once the minerals and / or concentrates have been moistened and agglomerated, they are transported to the leaching heaps to complete the curing process and begin stage b) of dry autocatalytic transformation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, step b) of the dry autocatalytic transformation comprises the injection of cold or hot humid air, containing a mixture of air and water vapor, through the base of the industrial leaching heap to enhance and accelerate drying in a controlled manner during the drying cycles. Preferably, the humid air injection is carried out with a mixture of air and water vapor, which can be applied by means of blowers and a system of perforated corrugated pipes placed at varying distances from the base of the heap to generate an aeration flow against the flow of the irrigation solution. The air injection flow should be carried out in such a way that the drying does not occur abruptly.Even more preferably, the air injection flow is carried out in the mineral bed in a slow and controlled manner, throughout the drying cycle, to promote and exacerbate the haloclasty and cryptoefflorescence phenomena, through the application of a humid air flow rate not exceeding 0.05 Nm3 / h*t. During stage b) of dry autocatalytic transformation, the drying and supersaturation of the chloride salts along with the ore is carried out for a period of 30 to 90 days per cycle, at a temperature between 40 °C and 60 °C. More preferably, stage b) is carried out for a period of 45 days per cycle, at a temperature of 50 °C. The leaching heaps used in this process can be permanent or dynamic (on-off), of conventional dimensions for such stockpiles and according to the treatment capacities of each plant. Thus, this stage can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. At this point, it is worth mentioning that researchers have determined that injecting humid air produces a surprising effect, as it promotes and exacerbates the haloclasty and cryptoefflorescence phenomena that occur within the mineral species. Thus, by favoring these phenomena slowly and in a controlled manner at a temperature between 40 °C and 60 °C, the internal breakdown of the minerals is enhanced, increasing their exposed surface area without the need for finer particle sizes. In this way, the leaching process proves to be much simpler and more efficient than that described in the state of the art. Subsequently, and continuing with the procedure, once the drying time has been completed, stage c) of washing and re-wetting is carried out, where all the solubilized copper is removed, with intensive irrigation at a rate consistent with the granulometry of the stacked minerals and the height of the leaching pile. Preferably, step c) of washing and re-wetting is carried out with an acid chloride raffinate solution at a chloride ion concentration of between 80 and 200 g / l. More preferably, step c) is carried out with an acid chloride raffinate solution at a temperature between 25 °C and 60 °C. This prevents heat loss from the system and allows the thermal conditions to be maintained for the start of the next cycle, which begins with a new step b) of dry autocatalytic transformation, followed by a new step c) of washing and re-wetting. Thus, this step can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. In an alternative approach, stage c) of washing and re-wetting for copper concentrates is carried out in a stirred reactor, with a solid-to-liquid ratio of between 1:5 and 1:10, given the high copper content. The solid-to-liquid separation required after washing should be performed using a filter press or similar device, leaving the filtrate residue with a moisture content not exceeding 15%. This optimizes the start of the next settling cycle. Additionally, the procedure involves repeating steps b) of dry autocatalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting, alternately, intentionally, and repeatedly, for 3 to 8 cycles. Thus, this step can be scaled up according to industrial needs without affecting the scope of protection of the invention patent. While it is known that repeating leaching stages can increase the solubilization of metals of interest, achieving optimal conditions for this process, and even more so for treating different types of mineralogical species using the same procedure, is not straightforward. In this regard, adjusting operational parameters plays a crucial role, as this stage must consider the type of mineralogical species, the washing time and conditions, the final moisture content, and other factors. Thus, the researchers have managed to demonstrate that the repetition of stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting, alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for between 3 and 8 cycles, under the conditions described above, allows increasing the solubilization of the metals of interest by over 80%, whether for sulfide minerals of primary and / or secondary origin, as well as for concentrates thereof. Finally, the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process allows the solubilization of metals of interest, which can be selected from the group that includes copper, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt, and lead. Preferably, the invention allows the solubilization of metals from sulfide minerals containing arsenic and / or concentrates of arsenical sulfide minerals containing arsenic, which are usually considered resistant to dissolution. Even more preferably, the invention allows the solubilization of metals from copper minerals and / or concentrates, containing chalcopyrite, enargite, bornite, covellite, chalcocite, and tennantite. The invention will be better understood by means of the following examples, which are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the invention. Several changes and modifications to the described embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and such changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection of the appended claims. EXAMPLES Example No. 1: Chemical and mineralogical analysis of copper sulfide minerals and mineral concentrates, of primary and secondary origin. With the aim of optimizing the solubilization of metals of interest from copper sulfide minerals and / or mineral concentrates, of primary and secondary origin, the composition of six mineral samples and one concentrate sample was analyzed first, as shown in Figure No. 1. To carry out these mineralogical analyses, Tescan electron microscopy was used, along with identification of the copper content via XRF. The sequential chemical analyses involved etching with sulfuric acid, cyanide, and triacids for the sequential determination of acid-soluble copper, cyanide-soluble copper, and insoluble copper. The results were read using atomic absorption spectroscopy, and in the case of the concentrates, volumetric analysis was primarily used. According to the results, it was observed that 98.7% of the copper in mineral sample M-2 was in the form of chalcopyrite, making this sample the most refractory of those analyzed in the present invention. On the other hand, sample M-6 was the weakest, as only 11.7% of the copper was in the form of chalcopyrite, and therefore, it presented less difficulty in extracting copper from this mineral. Likewise, it was determined that in the concentrate, 73% of the copper was in the form of chalcopyrite, and 17% in the form of bornite. Example No. 2. Effect of particle size and temperature during the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process. With the objective of determining the effect of the mineral particle size and temperature to optimize the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure, five micro-column leaching tests were carried out with five samples of the mineral Ml that was analyzed in Figure No. 1. Each of the samples of the mineral Ml, represents each of the different maximum sizes of the mineral, which were W',1 / 2, 1, and IVz. All tests were carried out in columns 30 cm high and 5 cm in diameter, using an acid-chloride solution comprising seawater, sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t, and sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t, with a final moisture content of 10%. Each test consisted of 7 cycles, where each cycle corresponds to a stage b) of dry autocatalytic transformation and a stage c) of washing and re-wetting with an acid-chloride raffinate solution at a concentration of 120 gpl of chloride ion, with a 30-day resting period between each cycle. To analyze the effect of temperature, each of the tests mentioned above was performed at two different temperatures, one at 20 °C and the other at 40 °C, as shown in Figure No. 2. Additionally, it is recommended that to determine the appropriate particle size for the process, an economic evaluation be conducted considering the marginal operating and investment costs of reducing the ore size versus the marginal benefit of increased copper extraction resulting from this size reduction. This balance should also consider the number of irrigation and drying cycles required to reach the optimum and the time needed for this purpose, which implies having a leach pad of a size consistent with the time required to keep the ore stacked for an additional irrigation / resting cycle. Based on the results obtained, it was determined that the developed procedure allowed the solubilization of copper in all the tested granulometries, achieving a copper solubilization percentage of between 60% and 85%. Therefore, the researchers determined that the tested conditions allowed copper to be solubilized from minerals with different particle sizes. Example No. 3. Effect of controlled drying with air and water vapor during the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process. With the objective of determining the effect of controlled drying to optimize the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure, tests were carried out using different controlled drying techniques of the mineral bed, as shown in Figure No. 3. Next, stage b) of dry autocatalytic transformation was carried out over a period of 60 days, in which three different heat application conditions were evaluated at a temperature of 40 °C. The conditions analyzed were: injection of dry hot air, injection of humid air (i.e., hot air with water vapor), and direct application of heat without an airflow (i.e., through a jacket of the leaching column with a heating blanket). Subsequently, stage c) of washing and re-wetting was carried out, using an acid-chloride refining solution at a concentration of between 120 gpl of chloride ion, leaving a resting period of 30 days between each cycle. Finally, the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting were repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for seven cycles, with a rest period of 30 days for each cycle. Based on the results obtained, it was determined that the injection of dry air has a detrimental effect on the solubilization of the metal of interest, as it causes absolute dryness to be reached too quickly, as shown in Figure 3, resulting in the reaction stopping. In contrast, by injecting humid air into the mineral bed, it is possible to keep the reactions of interest active until all available reactants are used in each cycle, thus achieving a solubilization of the metal of interest close to 90% in a smaller number of reactants. These results demonstrate that optimizing the operational conditions of the procedure is fundamental to achieving better solubilization percentages of the metal to be extracted. Example No. 4. Effect of temperature on the dry autocatalytic transformation stage, during the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process. With the objective of determining the effect of temperature during stage b) controlled dry autocatalytic transformation to optimize the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure, tests were carried out using different temperatures, namely, 20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C respectively, as shown in Figure No. 4. To carry out this analysis, 5 micro-column leaching tests were performed using minerals from sample Ml. In the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process, stage b) of activation was carried out using an acid-chloride solution containing seawater, sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t, and sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t, and a final moisture content of 10%. Then, stage b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation was carried out, where different temperatures were evaluated: 20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C. Subsequently, stage c) of washing and re-wetting was carried out, using an acid-chloride refining solution at a concentration of between 120 gpl of chloride ion. Finally, the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting were repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for seven cycles, with a rest period of 45 days for each cycle. As can be seen in Figure 4, the effect of the temperature applied during stage b) of dry autocatalytic transformation generates striking differences in metal solubilization. For example, in the first cycle, the copper solubilization percentage at 20 °C is 45%, while at a temperature between 50 °C and 60 °C, it is 80%. Furthermore, it can be observed that by performing between 2 and 5 cycles, it is possible to increase this solubilization percentage to 90%. In contrast, applying temperatures between 20 °C and 40 °C only achieves an 85% solubilization percentage in the fifth cycle. A decrease in the number of cycles implies a shorter total operating time by reducing the required plant area, resulting in substantial capital savings.Likewise, a smaller number of cycles also facilitates the operation of an industrial plant due to the simplification of the processes involved. Therefore, based on the results obtained, it was determined that the optimal temperature during stage b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation is 50 °C, as it allows increasing the copper solubilization to 90%, without the need to require more than 3 irrigation / rest cycles to achieve this objective. Example No. 5. Effect of temperature on different mineralogical compositions during the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process. With the aim of determining the effect of temperature on different mineralogical compositions, in order to optimize the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure, three different temperatures were evaluated, namely, 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C, for each of the different mineral compositions analyzed, as shown in Figure No. 5. The different mineral compositions analyzed correspond to the different species of primary and secondary copper sulfides, from the most refractory (chalcopyrite) to the weakest (chalcocite), as shown in Figure No. 1. In the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process, the activation stage a) was carried out using an acid-chloride solution containing seawater, sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t, and sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t, and a final moisture content of 10%. Next, a cycle was performed where stage b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation was evaluated in the presence of three different temperatures, namely 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C. Then, stage c) of washing and re-wetting was carried out using an acid chloride refining solution at room temperature at a concentration of between 120 gpl of chloride ion, leaving a resting period of 45 days between each cycle. Finally, the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting were repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for five cycles, with a rest period of 45 days for each cycle. Subsequently, stage c) of washing and re-wetting was carried out using an acid-chloride raffinate solution at a concentration of 180 gpl of chloride ion in an agitated leaching tank using a solid:liquid ratio of 1:5 for a period of 1 hr. Then, the pulp was filtered until reaching a final moisture content of 15%. Finally, the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting were repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for six cycles, with a rest period of 30 days for each cycle. The results achieved after 5 irrigation / rest cycles showed the copper extraction levels reached for each of the analyzed temperatures, as shown in Figure No. 6. Based on the results obtained, it can be observed that copper concentrates require between 4 and 6 cycles to achieve a solubilization of between 75% and 98%, at a temperature between 45°C and 55°C, regardless of their mineralogical composition. Therefore, considering that there is no significant difference in copper solubilization at temperatures between 45°C and 55°C, it was determined that the optimal temperature is 50°C in order to maintain the same operating conditions used for all sulfide minerals. In this way, the great advantage of the Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical procedure of the present invention is demonstrated, since it allows the processing of minerals and concentrates using the same operational parameters to achieve a copper solubilization of more than 75%.

Claims

1. - An optimized, redox-independent Solid-Liquid-Solid hydrometallurgical process for increasing the solubilization of metals from minerals and / or concentrates, characterized in that said process comprises the following steps: a) an initial Activation step comprising a curing and agglomeration process, which can be carried out by: a) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 60 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 100 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 6% and 12%, for copper sulfide minerals of primary and / or secondary origin; or a.2) the addition of sodium chloride at a rate of between 100 kg / t and 250 kg / t, sulfuric acid at a rate of between 10 kg / t and 30 kg / t, and water or an acid-chloride solution at a rate of between 60 kg / t and 120 kg / t, at ambient temperature, and achieving a final moisture content of between 8% and 15%, for the copper concentrates. b) a second stage called Dry Autocatalytic Transformation, comprising a drying and supersaturation process of the chloride salts, for a period of between 30 and 90 days in each cycle, at a temperature of between 40 °C and 60 °C. c) a third stage called Washing and re-wetting, which comprises irrigation with an acid-chloride solution or industrial refining, using an irrigation rate of at least 5 L / h / m2, and a pH between 0.1 and 5. where the stages b) of dry auto-catalytic transformation and c) of washing and re-wetting are repeated alternately and repeatedly, for 3 to 8 cycles.

2. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that it can be carried out with minerals with a granulometry of less than 40 mm.

3. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that it can be carried out with minerals of a granulometry of less than 25 mm.

4. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the acid chloride solutions can be prepared with water and / or industrial refining solutions, both containing chloride ion.

5. The process according to claim 4, characterized in that the acid chloride solutions comprise seawater.

6. The process according to claim 5, characterized in that in step a1), the acid-chloride solutions comprise seawater at a rate of 80 kg / t.

7. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in step a1), the acid-chloride solutions comprise sulfuric acid at a rate of 20 kg / t.

8. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in step a1), the addition of chloride ion is through sodium chloride salts at a rate of 30 kg / t.

9. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that in step a1), a final humidity of 10% is achieved.

10. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that step b) comprises the injection of cold or hot humid air, from a mixture of air and water vapor, through the base of the industrial leaching pile, to enhance and accelerate drying during the drying cycles.

11. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that in step b), the drying is carried out for a period of 45 days per cycle.

12. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that in step b), the drying is carried out at a temperature of 50 °C.

13. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that step c), for copper concentrates, is carried out in a stirred reactor with a solid / liquid ratio of between 1:5 and 1:10, and concluding with a filtration that allows a final moisture content of no more than 15%.

14. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that in step c), the washing and re-wetting is carried out with an acid-chloride refining solution at a concentration of between 80 and 200 gpl of chloride ion.

15. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that step c) comprises washing with the acid-chloride refining solution at a temperature above 25 °C.

16. The procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that steps b) and c) can be repeated alternately, intentionally and repeatedly, for between 3 and 8 cycles.

17. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the metals to be extracted are selected from the group which includes copper, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt and lead.

18. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the solubilization of the metal to be extracted can be carried out from sulfide minerals with arsenical contents and / or concentrates of arsenical sulfide minerals containing it.

19. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the solubilization of the metal to be extracted can be carried out from copper minerals and / or concentrates, containing chalcopyrite, enargite, bornite, covellite, chalcocite and tennantite.