US3929598A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Recovery of copper and zinc from low-grade non-ferrous materials
Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Co
•
Filing: 1974-08-08
•
Granted: 1975-12-30
•
Expires: 1994-08-08
Abstract
Abstract Copper and zinc are separately recovered in the form of substantially pure marketable products from low grade materials, such as metallic copper and brass scrap (e.g., junked automobile radiators) and oxidized residues (e.g., smelter flue dusts) which contain relatively large proportions of copper and zinc and relatively small proportions of other non-ferrous elements, by an improved ammoniacal leaching procedure. The low grade material is leached with an aqueous ammoniacal solution (ammonium sulfate or ammonium carbonate solution), dissolving the copper and zinc and leaving an insoluble residue. The copper-zinc solution is treated with a liquid ion exchanger to produce a raffinate containing a zinc ammonium complex in solution which is substantially completely free of copper. The liquid ion exchanger then is treated with an aqueous acid solution to form an eluant solution containing copper and substantially completely free of zinc and other metals. Substantially pure copper is recovered from the eluant solution; and the raffinate solution is treated to form a substantially pure zinc product. The copper and zinc depleted residual ammoniacal solution is recycled for re-use in the leaching operation.
Inventors
- 👤 William R Stern
- 👤 Malcolm L Jansen
- 👤 Bess L Vance
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 02:28
CPC Classifications
C; C01; C01G; C01G3/00; C01G3/003; C22; C22B; C22B3/00; C22B3/20; C22B3/26; C22B3/30; C22B15/00; C22B15/0063; C22B15/0065; C22B15/0078; C22B19/00; C22B19/20; C22B19/24; C22B7/00; C22B7/006; C22B7/008; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
IN A METHOD FOR SEPARATING AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING COPPER AND ZINC FROM LOW GRADE METALLIC SCRAP CONTAINING RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTIONS OF COPPER AND ZINC IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVELY SMALL PORTIONS OF OTHER ELEMENTS WHICH COMPRISES LEACHING THE SCRAP WITH AMMONIUM CARBONATE SOLUTION IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN TO FORM A LEACH SOLUTION CONTAINING COPPER AMMONIUM CARBONATE AND ZINC AMMONIUM CARBONATE, AND SEPARATING THE RESULTING LEACH SOLUTION FROM THE UNDISSOLVED RESIDUE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A. SELECTIVELY REMOVING THE COPPER FROM THE LEACH SOLUTION BY TREATMENT WITH A LIQUID ON EXCHANGER, THEREBY PRODUCING AS A RAFFINATE AN AQUEOUS AMMONIUM CARBONATE SOLUTION CONTAINING ZINC IN SOLUTION AS ZINC AMMONIUM CARBONATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FREE OF COPPER, B. SUBSQUENTLY TREATING THE AIQUID ION EXCHANGER WITH AN AQUEOUS ACID SOLUTION TO FORM A AQUEOUS ACID ELUANT SOLUTION CONTAINING COPPER AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETLY FREE OF ZINC, C. TREATING THE ELUANT SOLUTION TO ELECTROWIN SUBSTANTIALLY PURE COPPER THEREFROM, D. INTRODUCING CARBON DIOXIDE INTO THE RAFFINATE SOLUTION WHILE MAINTAINING SUCH SOLUTION UNDER A SUBSTANTIAL SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, THEREBY PRECIPITATING A SUBSTANTIALLY PURE ZINC CARBONATE PRODUCT,
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
177 words
IN A METHOD FOR SEPARATING AND SEPARATELY RECOVERING COPPER AND ZINC FROM LOW GRADE METALLIC SCRAP CONTAINING RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTIONS OF COPPER AND ZINC IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVELY SMALL PORTIONS OF OTHER ELEMENTS WHICH COMPRISES LEACHING THE SCRAP WITH AMMONIUM CARBONATE SOLUTION IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN TO FORM A LEACH SOLUTION CONTAINING COPPER AMMONIUM CARBONATE AND ZINC AMMONIUM CARBONATE, AND SEPARATING THE RESULTING LEACH SOLUTION FROM THE UNDISSOLVED RESIDUE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A. SELECTIVELY REMOVING THE COPPER FROM THE LEACH SOLUTION BY TREATMENT WITH A LIQUID ON EXCHANGER, THEREBY PRODUCING AS A RAFFINATE AN AQUEOUS AMMONIUM CARBONATE SOLUTION CONTAINING ZINC IN SOLUTION AS ZINC AMMONIUM CARBONATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FREE OF COPPER, B. SUBSQUENTLY TREATING THE AIQUID ION EXCHANGER WITH AN AQUEOUS ACID SOLUTION TO FORM A AQUEOUS ACID ELUANT SOLUTION CONTAINING COPPER AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETLY FREE OF ZINC, C. TREATING THE ELUANT SOLUTION TO ELECTROWIN SUBSTANTIALLY PURE COPPER THEREFROM, D. INTRODUCING CARBON DIOXIDE INTO THE RAFFINATE SOLUTION WHILE MAINTAINING SUCH SOLUTION UNDER A SUBSTANTIAL SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, THEREBY PRECIPITATING A SUBSTANTIALLY PURE ZINC CARBONATE PRODUCT,
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
102 words
In the method according to claim 1 wherein the metallic scrap being leached contains at least one additional metal of the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and silver which dissolves in the leach solution, the improvement which comprises selectively removing the copper from the leach solution by treatment with the liquid ion exchanger, treating the raffinate from the liquid ion exchange operation to precipitate said additional metal and to form a purified aqueous raffinate solution containing zinc and substantially completely free of copper and said further metal, and treating said purified raffinate solution to precipitate a high purity zinc carbonate product therefrom.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 2, wherein the additional metal is precipitated by treatment of the raffinate from the liquid ion exchange operation with metallic zinc.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 3 wherein the raffinate is agitated with metallic zinc in a finely divided form.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the undissolved residue of the leaching operation contains a substantial proportion of lead and tin and said residue is heated to a temperature in the range from 250*C. to 400*C. to liquate a lead-tin solder which is separated from the unfused remainder of the residue.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the zinc carbonate precipitate is calcined to form carbon dioxide and substantially pure zinc oxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the raffinate solution is maintained under a pressure in the range from 5 to 25 psi during treatment thereof with carbon dioxide to precipitate the zinc carbonate product.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein from 25 to 75% of the raffinate solution is treated with carbon dioxide to precipitate zinc carbonate and the remainder of said solution is recycled directly for re-use in leaching a further portion of scrap.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
232 words
In a method for separating and separately recovering copper and zinc from low-grade metallic and oxidized materials containing relatively large proportions of copper and zinc in association with relatively small proportions of other elements which comprises leaching such materials with an aqueous ammoniacal solution selected from the group consisting of aqueous ammonium carbonate solutions and aqueous ammonium sulfate solution to form a leach solution containing copper ammonium complex and zinc ammonium complex, and separating the resulting leach solution from the undissolved residue, the improvement which comprises a. selectively removing the copper from the leach solution by treatment with a liquid ion exchanger, thereby producing as a raffinate an aqueous ammoniacal solution containIng zinc in solution as a zinc ammonium complex and substantially completely free of copper, b. subsequently treating the liquid ion exchanger with an aqueous acid solution to form an aqueous acid eluant solution containing copper and substantially completely free of zinc, c. treating the eluant solution to recover substantially pure copper therefrom, d. introducing carbon dioxide into the raffinate solution while maintaining such solution under a substantial super-atmospheric pressure, thereby precipitating a substantially pure zinc carbonate product, e. separating the zinc carbonate precipitate from the residual ammonium carbonate solution and recovering zinc therefrom in the form of a substantially pure product, and f. recycling said residual ammoniacal solution for re-use in leaching a further quantity of the low grade material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
232 words
In a method for separating and separately recovering copper and zinc from low-grade metallic and oxidized materials containing relatively large proportions of copper and zinc in association with relatively small proportions of other elements which comprises leaching such materials with an aqueous ammoniacal solution selected from the group consisting of aqueous ammonium carbonate solutions and aqueous ammonium sulfate solution to form a leach solution containing copper ammonium complex and zinc ammonium complex, and separating the resulting leach solution from the undissolved residue, the improvement which comprises a. selectively removing the copper from the leach solution by treatment with a liquid ion exchanger, thereby producing as a raffinate an aqueous ammoniacal solution containIng zinc in solution as a zinc ammonium complex and substantially completely free of copper, b. subsequently treating the liquid ion exchanger with an aqueous acid solution to form an aqueous acid eluant solution containing copper and substantially completely free of zinc, c. treating the eluant solution to recover substantially pure copper therefrom, d. introducing carbon dioxide into the raffinate solution while maintaining such solution under a substantial super-atmospheric pressure, thereby precipitating a substantially pure zinc carbonate product, e. separating the zinc carbonate precipitate from the residual ammonium carbonate solution and recovering zinc therefrom in the form of a substantially pure product, and f. recycling said residual ammoniacal solution for re-use in leaching a further quantity of the low grade material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
94 words
In a method according to claim 9 wherein the low grade material being leached contains at least one further metal which dissolves in the leach solution, the improvement which comprises selectively removing the copper from the leach solution by treatment with the liquid ion exchanger, treating the raffinate from the liquid ion exchange operation to precipitate said additional metal and to form a purified aqueous raffinate solution containing zinc and substantially completely free of copper and said further metal, and treating said purified raffinate solution to recover therefrom a zinc product of high purity.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 10 wherein the further metal is electronegative with respect to zinc and is precipitated by treatment of the raffinate from the liquid ion exchange operation with metallic zinc.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein the raffinate is agitated with metallic zinc in finely divided form.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein the liquid ion exchanger is a kerosene solution of a hydroxy oxime.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein the leach solution upon withdrawal from the leaching operation is filtered, the filtrate is passed to treatment with the liquid ion exchanger, and the filter residue is returned to the leaching operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein the copper is recovered by electrowinning from the eluant solution.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein the eluant solution is treated with sulfur dioxide to precipitate copper sulfite and the sulfite precipitate is subsequently decomposed to copper metal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-12-29 | 1979-06-30 | 1979-12-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-12-29 | 1983-06-30 | 1983-12-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-12-29 | 1987-06-30 | 1987-12-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |