Abstract 1. A METHOD FOR RECOVERING COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN THE LEACHED ORE TAILINGS OF AN AMMONIACAL LEACHING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) TREATING A SLURRY CONTAINING A SOLID PHASE COMPRISING THE SOLIDS FRACTION OF SAID LEACHED ORE TAILINGS CONTAINING ABOUT 0.02 TO 0.15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT COBLAT AND ABOUT 0.1 TO 0.6 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND A LIQUID PHASE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7, WITH SULFITE IONS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO SOLUBILIZED COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN SAID SOLID PHASE INTO SAID AMMONIACAL SOLUTION; (B) BLENDING THE TREATED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP 8A) WITH ADDITIONAL AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7 TO THEREBY DILUTE SAID SLURRY; (C) SEPARATING THE DILUTED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP (B) INTO A FIRST STREAM DEPLETED IN SOLIDS AND A SECOND STREAM ENRICHED IN SOLIDS; (D) TREATING SAID FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY RESIDUAL SULFITE IONS PRESENT IN SAID FIRST STREAM; (E) SEPARATING THE SOLID PHASE OF THE FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) FROM THE LIQUID PHASE OF SAID FIRST STREAM; (F) TREATING THE SOLIDS DEPLETED, GAS-TREATED LIQUID PHASE FROM STEP (E) WITH A SULFIDING AGENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PRECIPITATE SOLUBLIZED COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES CONTAINED IN SAID LIQUID PHASE AS A MIXED PRECIPITATE OF COBALT SULFIDE AND NICKEL SULFIDE HAVING A NICKEL TO COBALT WEIGHT RATIO OF ABOUT 0.5 TO 2; (G) SEPARATING THE SLURRY OF SAID LIQUID PHASE AND COBALT SULFIDE-NICKEL SULFIDE PRECIPITATE PREPARED IN STEP (F), AFTER THE PRECIPITATION OF STEP (F) IS COMPLETED, INTO A FIRST STREAM DEPLETED IN SOLIDS AND A SECOND STREAM ENRICHED IS SOLIDS, AND WITHDRAWING SAID SECOND STREAM CONTAINING THE DESIRED COBALT VALUES AS COBALT SULFIDE FROM THE PROCESS; (H) TREATING THE SOLIDS DEPLETED FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (G) WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY RESIDUAL SULFIDE IONS PRESENT IN SAID FIRST STREAM; (I) ADDING MAPE-UP WATER TO SAID FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (G), WHEN REQUIRED AND MIXING SAID FIRST STREAM WITH THE SECOND STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) TO THEREBY DILUTE SAID SECOND STREAM; (J) SEPARATING THE DILUTED STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (I) INTO A FIRST STREAM DEPLETED IN SOLIDS AND A SECOND STREAM ENRICHED IN SOLIDS, SAID SECOND STREAM CONSTITUTING THE TAILINGS OF SAID METHOD; AND (K) RETURNING THE FIRST STREAM PRODUCED IN STEP (J) FOR BLENDING WITH THE TREATED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP (A), SAID RETURNED STREAM SERVING AS SAID ADDITIONAL AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION OF STEP (B).
A METHOD FOR RECOVERING COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN THE LEACHED ORE TAILINGS OF AN AMMONIACAL LEACHING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) TREATING A SLURRY CONTAINING A SOLID PHASE COMPRISING THE SOLIDS FRACTION OF SAID LEACHED ORE TAILINGS CONTAINING ABOUT 0.02 TO 0.15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT COBLAT AND ABOUT 0.1 TO 0.6 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND A LIQUID PHASE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7, WITH SULFITE IONS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO SOLUBILIZED COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN SAID SOLID PHASE INTO SAID AMMONIACAL SOLUTION; (B) BLENDING THE TREATED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP 8A) WITH ADDITIONAL AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7 TO THEREBY DILUTE SAID SLURRY; (C) SEPARATING THE DILUTED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP (B) INTO A FIRST STREAM DEPLETED IN SOLIDS AND A SECOND STREAM ENRICHED IN SOLIDS; (D) TREATING SAID FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY RESIDUAL SULFITE IONS PRESENT IN SAID FIRST STREAM; (E) SEPARATING THE SOLID PHASE OF THE FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) FROM THE LIQUID PHASE OF SAID FIRST STREAM; (F) TREATING THE SOLIDS DEPLETED, GAS-TREATED LIQUID PHASE FROM STEP (E) WITH A SULFIDING AGENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PRECIPITATE SOLUBLIZED COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES CONTAINED IN SAID LIQUID PHASE AS A MIXED PRECIPITATE OF COBALT SULFIDE AND NICKEL SULFIDE HAVING A NICKEL TO COBALT WEIGHT RATIO OF ABOUT 0.5 TO 2;
Claim 2
Independent Claim
235 words
A METHOD FOR RECOVERING COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN THE LEACHED ORE TAILINGS OF AN AMMONIACAL LEACHING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) TREATING A SLURRY CONTAINING A SOLID PHASE COMPRISING THE SOLIDS FRACTION OF SAID LEACHED ORE TAILINGS CONTAINING ABOUT 0.02 TO 0.15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT COBLAT AND ABOUT 0.1 TO 0.6 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND A LIQUID PHASE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7, WITH SULFITE IONS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO SOLUBILIZED COBALT VALUES PRESENT IN SAID SOLID PHASE INTO SAID AMMONIACAL SOLUTION; (B) BLENDING THE TREATED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP 8A) WITH ADDITIONAL AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL SOLUTION HAVING A PH ABOVE 7 TO THEREBY DILUTE SAID SLURRY; (C) SEPARATING THE DILUTED SLURRY PREPARED IN STEP (B) INTO A FIRST STREAM DEPLETED IN SOLIDS AND A SECOND STREAM ENRICHED IN SOLIDS; (D) TREATING SAID FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY RESIDUAL SULFITE IONS PRESENT IN SAID FIRST STREAM; (E) SEPARATING THE SOLID PHASE OF THE FIRST STREAM PREPARED IN STEP (C) FROM THE LIQUID PHASE OF SAID FIRST STREAM; (F) TREATING THE SOLIDS DEPLETED, GAS-TREATED LIQUID PHASE FROM STEP (E) WITH A SULFIDING AGENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PRECIPITATE SOLUBLIZED COBALT AND NICKEL VALUES CONTAINED IN SAID LIQUID PHASE AS A MIXED PRECIPITATE OF COBALT SULFIDE AND NICKEL SULFIDE HAVING A NICKEL TO COBALT WEIGHT RATIO OF ABOUT 0.5 TO 2;