No abstract

Mineralogical examinations of Asheler copper mine flotation tailings have been carried out. Results show that the major metal sulphide minerals are pyrite and the main gangue constituents are quartz, chlorite-serpentine and muscovite. The main valuable metals are Cu, Zn and Ag. Basic mineral compositions of copper and zinc have been identified through chemical phase analysis. On the basis of mineralogical examinations, leaching test has been carried out in about 240g/l NaCl solution. The optimum conditions for leaching are found as follows: temperature at 86°C, pulp concentration is 24.19%wt, [Cu2+] =19.22g/l, [HCl] initial =0.17mol/L. Under these conditions, chloride leaching can extract 83.35%Cu, 92.10%Zn, and 85.26%Ag after 8 hours leaching.

Three commercial extractants LIX984N, LIX606N and LIX973N were chosen for the research on Cu2+extraction from the solutions bearing high concentration of sulfuric acid and iron. The ability of Cu2+extraction and Cu/Fe separation performance were totally compared among the three extractants. The results show that LIX606N and LIX973N both possess more powerful ability in Cu2+extraction as compared to LIX984N. But, LIX973N and LIX984N has better Cu/Fe separation performance than LIX606N. According to the performance of Cu2+extraction and Cu/Fe separation, LIX973N is more suitable for extracting Cu2+from the solution rich in sulfuric acid and Fe3+.Effects of sulfuric acid and Fe3+concentration on Cu2+extraction by 20%LIX973N-kerosene have been examined. When aqueous sulfuric acid concentration increases from 23.48g/L to 62.16g/L, Cu2+extraction recovery drops from 60.42% to 25.21%; When aqueous Fe3+concentration increases from 7.03g/L up to 42.94g/L, Fe3+concentration in organic phase increases from 0.26g/L to 0.82g/L.