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Abstract: The leaching of copper ore using sulphuric acid under
atmospheric conditions was studied with a view to evaluating leaching
efficiency and kinetics also the effect of acid quantity on the recovery of
copper from chalcopyrite. The samples were ground and mixed with water
and sulphuric acid to form an acid soluble copper. The leaching was
carried in duration of 0-0.5 hours.The sulphuric acid was found to be
effective in recovering copper from chalcopyrite because an increase in
acid increased the temperature and decreased the pH.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 2
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Literature Review .................................................................................................................................... 4
Hydrometallurgy ............................................................................................................................... 4
Hydrometallurgy versus Pyrometallurgy ....................................................................................... 4
The basic principles of hydrometallugry ................................................................................... 4
The chemistry of hydrometallurgical processes ...................................................................... 5
Leaching .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Nature of leaching............................................................................................................................... 5
The degree of dissolution ................................................................................................................... 6
Selectivity of leaching ......................................................................................................................... 6
Cost of leach solutions ........................................................................................................................ 7
Capital cost of the leach equipment. .................................................................................................. 7
Typical sulphuric acid production ................................................................................................... 8
Copper production by hydrometallurgy ......................................................................................... 9
Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Results ................................................................................................................................................... 11
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Recommendation .................................................................................................................................. 13
References ............................................................................................................................................ 14
INTRODUCTION
The dissolution of metals or ores from solid form to liquid form occurs through a
process called leaching, which is induced by the concentration of reagents [1].
Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is the most common reagent used in leaching of metals [2].
Whereas other heavy metals are able to dissolve in sulphuric acid, copper (Cu)
dissolves quicker in this acid than metals such as zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co) and iron (Fe)
because it is higher up in the electrochemical series or more noble.

Factors that keeps leaching in control in order to optimize the usage of materials are:
the concentration of acid, particle distribution, temperature, pulverisation and leaching
duration including some of the factors that can be used. The concentration of the acid
determines the pH of the slurry to be leached. Increased level of acid can allow
unwanted metals to dissolve and may be leached along with the desired metal. The
particle distribution has the advantage of easy separation of the desired mineral from
gangue, easy exposure of the mineral to chemical reaction and producing the desired
surface area. A finer particle distribution produces a higher leach extraction [3].

There are two ways in which the concentration of solids can affect leaching and they
are: High concentration which can increase viscosity and cause blockage problems
and reduce copper extraction rate due to lack of fluidity [4]. Low concentration which
can increase the overall slurry overflow rate and this can
reduce the slurry residence time and hence reduce extraction rate [4]. The residence
time for the slurry in the leaching reactor determines the overall leaching time. It
depends on the flow rate and the concentration of solids in the slurry. Agitation
leaching is suitable for high grade ores (40-70 % solids) and increases percolation of
acid into solids at different agitation speeds [1, 5].

Buffle plates, in addition to agitators, may be used to maximize slurry mixing [6].
Compressed air leaching in pachuca tanks is the most common method for leaching
copper ore [7-9]. Non-oxidative leaching of copper in the absence of oxygen has been
studied elsewhere [10]. The temperature of the reaction has an effect on the rate of
leaching according to Arrhenius Law [3].

Since the leaching of copper is dependent on effective liberation of sulphide ore from
gangue, which includes carbonates of magnesium, calcium and other metals, the
presence of such carbonates results in parallel reactions [11], [12] taking place
simultaneously and hence introduces difficulty in the system for the acid reagent. The
shrinking core model has been used elsewhere [13].
The objective of the study was to evaluate the leaching of copper ore using dilute
sulphuric acid, determine the effects of pulverizing time, temperature and pH on the
leaching efficiency of the leaching process.
Literature Review

Hydrometallurgy

Hydrometallurgy will have an increasing role to play in the future regarding the
extraction of valuable metals from sulphide minerals. It is unique in its application to
low-grade ores, which cannot be beneficiated economically. It should be viewed as an
alternative technology having high chemical specificity. In the following section the
basic principles and fundamentals of hydrometallurgy are explained (Osseo-Asare &
Miller, 1982:6).

Hydrometallurgy versus Pyrometallurgy

Whether a metal is extracted in a water environment or at high temperatures 1s, in

principle, immaterial. Each extractive situation must be assessed on its own merits by
the consideration of such factors as capital and operating costs and the environmental
impact of the two different options that are available (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:213).
The more general characteristics of hydrometallurgy, which differ from pyrometallurgy
are parameters such as low operating temperatures, low reaction rates, more
environmental friendly, larger plant size for a given throughput of material, low unit
costs and selective chemical reactions (Hayes, 1993:227). According to Bautista
(1984:v) the hydrometallurgical route for the recovery of a metal, where dissolution
(leaching), separation, concentration and reduction to the metal is carried out at near
ambient temperature, is becoming more competitive with the conventional high
temperature processes used in the smelting of metals.

The basic principles of hydrometallugry

When the chemical processing of metals is conducted in an aqueous environment, the

technology employed is termed hydrometallurgy, which involves three distinct stages
(Woollacott & Eric, 1994:321):

The metal of interest must first be transferred from the solid feed material (ores,
concentrates, etc.) into an aqueous solution.
The condition of this metal-bearing solution (or solutions formed from it) must
then be concentrated and purified.
The metal must then be recovered from the purified solution in the solid state.

The transfer of the targeted metal from the solid feed material into an aqueous solution
is accomplished by leaching. The dissolution of the solid material is more selective
than the conventional smelting process, and the metal-bearing components dissolve,
while the other components do not. A subsequent separation of the solution from the
unaffected solids will then result in a separation of the metal from the unwanted
components in the feed material.

The solution from a leaching process invariably contains impurities that need to be
removed or reduced to as low as possible levels. In some cases, the concentration of
the metal of interest is too low, and some form of concentration needs to be applied
before the metal can be extracted economically. The concentration and/or purifying
process of a metal-bearing solution can be accomplished in one of three ways.

The chemistry of hydrometallurgical processes

Hydrometallurgy is based on the chemistry of an aqueous solution. At first it may seem

that this would severely restrict the range of processing options that can be exploited,
however, this is misleading because a host of chemical reactions and processing
possibilities become available if a metal can be taken up in an aqueous solution
(Woollacott & Eric, 1994:322).
The difficulty of finding leaching reactions that will achieve, at reasonable cost, the
rapid
transfer ofa metal from a mineral into an aqueous solution is, in fact, the greatest factor
limiting the more widespread utilization of hydrometallurgical techniques. However, if
suitable leaching reactions can be found, a wide range of water-based reactions can
subsequently be exploited, and flexible processing options become available. The
chemical environment in the solution can be accurately controlled to the extent that
even
only slight differences in the properties of similar metals can be exploited to effect their
separation (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:322).

Sulphuric acid
1. Introduction
More sulphuric acid is produced than any other chemical in the world. The output of
sulphuric acid at base metal smelters today represents about 20% of all acid production.
Most of its uses are actually indirect in that the sulphuric acid is used as a reagent rather
than an ingredient. The largest single sulphuric acid consumer by far is the fertiliser
industry. Sulphuric acid is used with phosphate rock in the manufacture of phosphate
fertilisers. Smaller amounts are used in the production of ammonium and potassium
sulphate. Substantial quantities are used as an acidic dehydrating agent in organic chemical
and petrochemical processes, as well as in oil refining. In the metal processing industry,
sulphuric acid is used for pickling and descaling steel; for the extraction of copper, uranium
and vanadium from ores; and in non-ferrous metal purification and plating. In the inorganic
chemical industry, it is used most notably in the production of titanium dioxide.

Leaching
The theory and practice of leaching, the removal of materials by dissolving them away
from solids, is well developed and will be discussed in more detail in the following
section.

Nature of leaching
Leaching is a primary extractive operation in hydrometallurgical processing, by which
a
metal of interest is transferred from naturally occurring minerals into an aqueous
solution. In essence, it involves the selective dissolution of valuable minerals, where
the
ore, concentrate or matte is brought into contact with an active chemical solution
known
as a leach solution (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:329).
The transfer of a metal from the ore to the leach solution constitutes a transfer from a
solid to a liquid phase. Because the dissolution is selective, most of the unwanted
components in the ore are unaffected by the leaching process and remain in the solid
state. Consequently, the metal is separated when the solids are separated from the
solution after the leaching process has been completed, and the solution that is
produced
is termed a pregnant solution or leach liquor. The solid product is termed the residue
or
tailings (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:329). Furthermore, it is important that in the
solution
the waste minerals and compounds being rejected by the leaching reaction should
have a
solubility low enough to yield an acceptable separation of valuable and waste minerals
during the leach, and to obtain a leach solution of acceptable purity for subsequent
metal
recovery (Weiss, 1985:13).
For the efficient leaching of metal from the metal-bearing species in an ore, use has to
be
made of an appropriate water-based chemical reaction that will yield a water-soluble
metallic species. The thermodynamic characteristics of the reaction system will
indicate
the maximum possible extent to which the value-bearing mineral can be converted to
a
soluble species, as well as the solubility of that species in the aqueous solution. The
degree to which such a transfer can be achieved is determined by the rate at which the
reaction proceeds

In a leaching process, attention is focused on the chemical reactions that result in the
dissolution of the metallic species. The following three important factors influence the
viability of a leaching operation:
~ The degree of dissolution that can be achieved.
~ The selectivity of the leaching reactions.
~ The cost of the leach solution.
~ The capital cost of the leach equipment
The degree of dissolution.
For a high degree of metal extraction from an ore, the
dissolution of the value metals must be as complete as possible, which is the primary
consideration in the implementation of any leaching operation. Any valuable metal
that
remains unreacted in the ore, after leaching, constitutes a loss of the metal (Woollacott
&
Eric, 1994:329).
Selectivity of leaching.
The second factor that affects the viability of leaching is the
selectivity of the dissolution reactions. This factor is important because all ores
contain a
variety of minerals, other than those in which the metal of interest occurs. Inevitably,
some of these will be attacked by the leach solution with the result that unwanted
species
are taken up in the leach liquor. The selectivity of the leaching reactions determines
the
degree to which this happens and, consequently, the purity of the metal-bearing
solution
that is produced by the leach (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:329).
Cost of leach solutions.
The cost of the leaching process is determined by the unit costs
of the various reagents and the quantities used (Woollacott & Eric, 1994:329).
Capital cost of the leach equipment.
The capital cost of leaching equipment can vary
significantly, especially when considering the materials of construction which is
dependant on the required operating conditions.
Typical sulphuric acid production
Copper production by hydrometallurgy
Methodology
Contents of our smaples in a table
Results
Conclusion
Recommendation
References

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[4] E. J. Pryor, Mineral Processing. Elsevier: Amsterdam, 1965.
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step in mineral processing plant optimisation, In: Proceedings, XIX International
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[7] H. Warren, A study of the acid pressure leaching of chalcopyrite, chalcocite, and
covellite, Australian Journal of Applied Sciences, vol. 9, pp. 36-51, 1958.
[8] D. Fuerstenau, Froth flotation. 2nd ed. American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical
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[9] E. M. Rodriquez, A. H. E. Castillejos and F. A. G. Acosta, Experimental and
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1. Mineral and Metal Extraction: An Overview

L. C. Woollacott, R. H. Eric
South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 1994 - Electrometallurgy
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atmospheric pressure using SO2/O2 mixtures. Proceedings of the Australasian Institute of
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