Department of Hydrometallurgy, Scientific and Production Association “RIVS”, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

B. S. Ivanov, Engineer of Department of Obtaining and Processing of Solutions
A. Ya. Boduen, Head of Department of Obtaining and Processing of Solutions

JSC “Uchaly Mining and Metallurgical Combine”, Uchaly, Russia:
Yu. R. Yagudina, Head of Research Laboratory

3 National Mineral Resources University (University of Mines), Saint Petersburg, Russia:
O. V. Cheremisina, Leading Scientific Expert

Nowadays, substandard concentrates with 15–20% of copper and considerable part of zinc and lead are mostly obtained in the time of concentration of copper-zinc sulphide ores. Introduction of modernized concentration methods provides only insignificant growth of extraction of non-ferrous metals. According to this, nowadays, efficient combined technologies, including hydrometallurgical operations, are developed in global production of non-ferrous metals. There was made a definition that autoclave hydrochemical processing allows to obtain high-quality copper concentrate with release of zinc product, suitable for processing at zinc plants. There are shown the results of chemical conditioning of low-grade copper concentrates of Uchaly Mining and Metallurgical Combine and JSC “Svyatogor”. There was considered the possibility of organization of single-stage process of autoclave conditioning of low-grade copper concentrate due to selective leaching of zinc from copper-zinc concentrates and intermediate products. There was made a conclusion, that use of autoclave hydrometallurgy methods allows to reach the significant increasing of copper concentrate quality, and release copper and zinc into various products.

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