Electrolytic copper producing process

Abstract

Abstract A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING METALLIC COPPER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) LEACHING A COPPER-CONTAINING ORE WITH A LEACHING SOLUTION UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE CONDITIONS, THE LEACHING SOLUTION COMPRISING CURIC CHLORIDE AND A SOLUBILIZING AGENT FOR CUPROUS CHLORIDE, THE LEACHING BEING FOR A TIME AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO CHEMICALLY CONVERT AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE COPPER IN THE ORE TO A REACTION PRODUCT OF THE COPPER AND THE AGENT, WHICH PRODUCT IS SOLUBLE IN THE RESULTING SOLUTION: (2) SEPARATING THE REMAINING SOLIDS FROM THE RESULTING SOLUTION SUBSEQUENT TO THE LEACHING STEP, WHILE MAINTAINING THE SUBSTANTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE CONDITIONS; (3) ELECTROLYTICALLY (A) REDUCING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING SOLUTION TO PRECIPITATE COPPER METAL FROM THE REDUCED SOLUTION AND (B) OXIDIZING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING SOLUTION TO PRODUCE A SOLUTION COMPRISING CUPRIC CHLORIDE; THE ELECTROLYTIC REDUCTION AND OXIDATION BEING CARRIED OUT UNDER CONDITIONS WHEREBY THE REDUCED SOLUTION IS OF LESSER SPECFIC GRAVITY THAN THE RESULTING SOLUTION, AND WHEREBY THE OXIDIZED SOLUTION IS OF GREATER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN THE RESULTING SOLUTION, WHILE MAINTAINING THE SUBSTANTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE CONDITIONS; (4) COMBINING: (A) THE REDUCED SOLUTION OF THE REDUCTION STEP WITH (B) THE OXIDIZED SOLUTION OF THE OXIDATION STEP; WHILE MAINTAINING THE SUBSTANTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE CONDITIONS, AND THEREBY FORMING THE AQUEOUS LEACHING SOLUTION, AND , (5) RECOVERING THE PRECIPIATED METALLIC COPPER.

Inventors

• 👤 Wayne L Chambers
• 👤 Ronald W Chambers

Bibliographic Details