Hydrometallurgy
Introduction
Lean ores – too much gangue
Processing of such ores by pyro-metallurgical routes causes wastage of energy and problems of slag
disposal
Hydrometallurgy :
Offer greater control over every step in processing of ores resulting in a recovery of valuable by-
products
Handling of material is also easier
Reducing environmental pollution
Metals may be obtained directly in a pure form from the leach solution
High-purity metals may be recovered from impure leach solutio
Hydrometallurgy
Hydrometallurgy can be divided into two distinct processes:
Getting the desired mineral or processed mineral from the ore or from other metallurgical products into solution,
i.e leaching
Getting the desired metals out of the solution
Leaching
Leaching is the process of extracting a soluble constituent from a solid by means of solvent
Dissolving a certain mineral from an ore to make it more concentrated
E.g: leaching of tungsten flotation concentrate with hydrochloric acid to dissolve awa calcite and apatite.
Ore be finely ground to liberate leachable mineral
Leaching Agents
Chemical and physical character of the material to be leached
Cost of the reagent
Corroding action of the reagent and consequently the material of construction
Selectivity of the desired constituent to be leached
Ability to be regenerated e.g., in the leaching ZnO by H₂SO₄ the acid is regenerated during electrolysis
Selectivity of a leaching toward a particular mineral in an ore depends on
Concentration of the leaching agent
Temperature
Contact time
Innovation in finding successful leaching agent may cause a revolution in hydro-metallurgy
Leaching Agents
Commonly used leaching agents
Water
Aqueous salt solutions
Chlorine water
Acids
Bases
Rate of leaching process
Rate of leaching increase with decreasing particle size of ore
If a leaching process is diffusion-controlled then it will be greatly influenced by the speed of agitation. Whereas,
chemically-controlled leaching process will not be affected by agitation.
Leaching rate increases with increasing temperature. However, this increase is much less remarkable for a
diffusion-controlled process than that for a chemically-controlled process
Rate of leaching increase with increasing concentration of the leaching agent
Rate of leaching increases with decreasing pulp density, i.e, when a large volume of leaching agent is added to a
small volume of solids
If an insoluble reaction product is formed during leaching, then the rate will depend on the nature of this
product. If it forms a nonporous layer, then the rate of leaching will greatly decreases. If, however, the solid
product is porous, it will not affect the rate.
Leaching of Metals
Gold and Silver
Platinum
Copper and Nickel
Selenium
Price of Gold ????????
Methods and Equipment
The grade of ore and the ease with which the mineral values are dissolved in a particular reagent are
the controlling factors in determining the choice of the leaching method
i. Leaching in place
ii. Heap or dump leaching
iii. Percolation or vat leaching
iv. Pulp leaching with agitation
v. Hot digestion
vi. Acid curing
vii. Leaching under pressure
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Leaching Process
