“Uralelektromed” JSC, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia

V. N. Novokshanova, Head of a Sector of Research Center

Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
A. B. Lebed, Chief Specialist of Metallurgy Department
E. A. Vasilev, Head of a Secondary Raw Materials Processing Department

Ural Federal University named after the first president of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, Russia

S. S. Naboychenko, Head of a Chair of Heavy Non-ferrous Metals Metallurgy, e-mail: rectorat@ustu.ru

There was carried out the research of a heap leaching of copper from oxidized ore of Volkovskoe deposit with the height of a material layer of 2 and 4 m. There were defined the basic technological parameters of process with application of preliminary grinding stage. For 160 days of the process, there have been extracted 66.8% of copper from the material composition. With increasing of the layer height from 2 to 4 m without the preliminary granulation and decreasing of initial coarseness to –10+0 mm, there is observed the worsening of layer filtration ability. There is also proved the low application efficiency of ore granulation. For the purpose of copper release from the product leaching solutions, there are considered the methods of liquid extraction and cementation on the clinker of zinc production. After the extraction processing with application of extracting agent LIX 984N, the residual content of copper in solutions with sedimentation balance of 95–99%, was 3–5 mg/dm³. During the research of copper cementation sedimentation process, there was established the dependence of reagent waste from the coarseness of its grinding both on the initial clinker, and on the magnetic fraction after the dry separation. There was defined, that the usage of separated product makes it possible to obtain the sediments with bigger content of copper (to 18.7–19.4%). There were defined the parameters of clarification of suspension after the cementation sedimentation of copper with usage of flocculants, which make it possible to decrease the process durability to 10 minutes. The carried out testings have shown the adaptability of a heap leaching method to the processing of poor oxidized ores of Volkovskoe deposit, which makes it possible to increase the raw materials base of non-ferrous metallurgy and decrease the adverse environmental impact.

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