Hydrometallurgy: Technology for low grade resources

Transcription

1 Hydrometallurgy: Technology for low grade resources

2

3 6 th International Seminar on Copper Hydrometallurgy 6 8 july 2011 Viña del Mar, Chile EDITORS Jesús M. Casas Cleve Lightfoot Gustavo Tapia

4 Copyright Copyright Gecamin Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from Gecamin Ltd. Cover design by Gecamin Ltd. Printed and bound in Santiago, Chile. Disclaimer Although all care is taken to ensure the integrity and quality of this publication and the information herein, no responsibility is assumed by the publisher or the authors for any damage to property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or the information contained herein. I.S.B.N Gecamin Paseo Bulnes 197, Piso 6 Santiago, Chile Postal Code: Telephone: The first edition of 400 copies was printed in June 2011 by Salesianos Impresores S.A., San Ignacio 1974, Santiago, Chile.

5 Table of contents xi xiii xv Organisers Committees Foreword xvii Preface xxi Acknowledgements xxiii Proceedings sponsor Chapter 1 Hydrometallurgical processing of ores and copper concentrates 2 An investigation into the leaching of enargite under atmospheric conditions Gabor Csicsovszki, Mark Gupta and John Peacey 4 Atmospheric leaching of enargite in acidic iron sulphate media in the presence of activated carbon Iman Ghanad and David Dixon 6 Bioleaching of a chalcopyritic ore in columns Fernando Torres, Adriana Tua, Miguel Mas, Olga Regalado and Blanca Escobar 8 An update on the NSC pressure oxidation of combined copper and molybdenum concentrates Corby Anderson, Todd Fayram and Larry Twidwell 10 Copper leach from black copper minerals María Cecilia Hernández, Óscar Benavente, Evelyn Melo, Damián Núñez and Yuri Zepeda 12 Unlocking value in copper arsenic sulphide resources with the copper-arsenic cesl technology Robert Bruce, Keith Mayhew, Robert Mean, Harald Kadereit, Adrian Nagy and Ole Wagner v

6 Chapter 2 Innovations in hydrometallurgy 16 The effects of pyrite inclusions, dissolved oxygen and ferric ions on chalcopyrite electrochemistry Daniel Majuste, André Leite, Maria Dantas, Virginia Ciminelli and Kwadwo Osseo-Asare 18 Transpassive electrochemical dissolution of CuFeS 2 Berny Rivera-Vásquez, David Dixon, Gonzalo Viramontes and Laura Ibarra 20 Copper extraction from electronic scraps by an oxidative acid leaching process Fábio dos Santos, Carlos de Souza, Rafael Peixoto and Priscila da Rocha 22 Extraction and characterisation of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) of mixed cultures of acidophilic bacteria Jaime Tapia, Jesús Muñoz, Felisa González, María Blázquez and Antonio Ballester 24 Synthesis of copper oxy-chloride and iron oxide pigments using leachate from the bioleaching of a copper sulphide minerals flotation concentrate Carlos de Souza, Luis Sobral, Débora de Oliveira, Paula do Nascimento and Gabriel Peixoto 26 Moving from single species to multispecies sorption: Insights from mining waste simulations Thomas Borrmann, Mathew Cairns, Martin Klimsa, Giancarlo Barassi, James Johnston, Fernando Valenzuela and Joachim Kinkel chapter 3 Leaching applications 30 The influence of a biological surface agent in the bio-extraction of copper from sulphide minerals Débora Oliveira, Luis Sobral, Carlos de Souza, Gabriel Peixoto and Eliana Sérvulo vi

7 32 Chalcopyrite heap leaching: An evaluation of its current status and potential future viability John Peacey, James Schaming and Gabor Csicsovszki 34 A rapid and simple method for detecting active acidophilic microorganisms in copper bioleaching processes Davor Cotoras and Pabla Viedma 36 Acid leaching of tailings from El Cobre plant Emilio Montejo 38 Copper and zinc recoveries and arsenic stabilisation from copper smelter flue dusts Alejandro Morales, Montserrat Cruells, Antonio Roca, Alba Sunyer and Joan Viñals chapter 4 Solvent extraction 42 Modelling of solvent extraction of copper from sulphate solutions with D2EHPA Clenilson Sousa Junior, Marisa Nascimento, Lídia Yokoyama and Osvaldo Caldas da Cunha 44 An evaluation of mixer efficiency and reagent consumption in copper solvent extraction operations Alexis Soto, Osvaldo Castro, Troy Bednarski and Matthew Soderstrom 46 ACORGA extraction reagents booster concept: A quick method to optimise existing organic inventories Edgar Ricce, Alexis Soto, Osvaldo Castro and Owen Tinkler 48 The effect of modifier properties on the performance of copper solvent extraction reagents Andrew Nisbett, Jack Bender and Gary Kordosky vii

8 50 A kinetic study of copper solvent extraction with LIX 984N using a Lewis cell Wensheng Zhang, Fuping Hao, Yoko Pranolo, Chu Yong Cheng and David Robinson chapter 5 Electrometallurgy 54 Use of real-time systems for producing optimalcathode quality in copper electrowinning Ari Rantala, Martti Larinkari and Tirso Meneses 56 Advances in the manufacturing of lead-based anodes for electrowinning Abbas Mirza, Timothy Ellis and Matt Burr 58 Equipment for determining the acid mist index in copper EW plants Alejandro Forner, Rodrigo Duarte and Claudio Acuña 60 Recovery of sulphuric acid from liquid effluents by electro dialysis Juan Patricio Ibáñez and Ana Vásquez 62 Performances of mechanical barriers in reducing acid mist Reza Al Shakarji, Yinghe He and Simon Gregory chapter 6 Industrial applications and case studies 66 Solutions to maintain production levels under low copper content conditions Igor Polski 68 Dynamic water balance in a hydrometallurgical plant Rudi Fester, Julio Rosales and Vanessa Yáñez viii

9 70 Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC) for high quality water as a strategic tool in the mining industry Luis Perera, Mathieu Vallart, Renato Loaiza and Joerg Haeusgen 72 Energy-efficient autoclave feeding at low wear Heinz Nägel 74 LateralFlow: A concept to control acid mist, organic removal, height of deposition and other benefits for electro-winning cells Fernando Penna, Cristián Villaseca and Rodrigo Villarroel 76 Mineral processing of oxidised low grade copper at Antucoya project, Chile Claudio Campos and José Aldana ix

10 Organisers The HYDROCOPPER 2011 Seminar was organised by Gecamin, Chile. Gecamin Advancing professional excellence in the mining industry for over 10 years. Founded in 1998, Gecamin organises highly technical, international seminars and conferences that focus on generating interdisciplinary collaboration within the mining industry. More than 12,000 professionals have attended Gecamin seminars and conferences in various areas of importance to the mining industry, including geology and mining, sustainability and environmental issues, mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, maintenance, automation, and human resources. These seminars and conferences allow for the exchange of best practices, innovative experiences and new technologies applied to the mining industry. Through its events, Gecamin provides a space where professionals from mining companies, suppliers, research centres and universities can meet and interact, fostering an international network of knowledge and exchange. Each seminar and conference organised by Gecamin features a great diversity of technical presentations comprised of case studies, theoretical research and scientific findings shared by prominent industry experts and academics. These presentations are documented by the proceedings, which contain carefully selected, peer-reviewed articles. The joint effort between the contributing authors and Gecamin is what ensures the high technical standards of each event. Learn more by visiting We are ISO 9001:2008 certified. xi

11 Committees Organising Committee chair Gustavo Tapia Regional Manager of Metallurgy and Processes Barrick South America, Chile co-chair Cleve Lightfoot Global Practice Leader Technology BHP Billiton, Chile executive director Carlos Barahona General Manager Gecamin, Chile event coordinator Fabiola Bustamante Gecamin, Chile technical coordinator Jesús M. Casas Universidad de Chile directing members Andrés Reghezza Metallurgical Consultant, Chile Percy Mayta Metallurgy and Capital Projects Manager Minera Gold Fields Perú S.A., Peru Marcelo Jo General Manager of Technical Support Joint Venture Division in South America, Xstrata Copper, Chile Sergio Parada General Manager Mantos Blancos Division, Anglo American, Chile Advisory Committee Gunther Ahlborn Independent Consultant Hydrometallurg y, Chile Douglas Alexander Anglo Research, South Africa Sergio Almazán Cámara Minera, Mexico Corby Anderson Colorado School of Mines, USA Francisco Carranza Universidad de Sevilla, Spain Virginia Ciminelli Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil xiii

12 Fathi Habashi University of Laval, Canada Rubén Inostroza Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi, Chile Gary Kordosky International Consultant, USA David Dreisinger University of British Columbia, Canada Óscar Ferrada Minera Escondida Ltda., Chile Teófilo Graber Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile Rinaldo Mancin IBRAM, Brazil Jorge Menacho De Re Metallica Ingeniería Ltda., Chile John Monhemius Imperial College, England Kwadwo Osseo-Asare Pennsylvania State University, USA Enrique Román BioSigma S.A., Chile Juan Carlos Salas Antofagasta Minerals, Chile Gino Slanzi Andina Division, Codelco, Chile Luis Sobral Centre for Mineral Technolog y (CETEM/MCT), Brazil Helen Watling A.J. Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurg y, CSIRO, Australia Petrus van Staden Mintek, South Africa Joan Viñals Universidat de Barcelona, Spain Technical Committee Francisco Arriagada Arcadis-Idesol, Chile Antonio Ballester Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Luis Cisternas Universidad de Antofagasta/ CICITEM, Chile Dick Celmer Fluor, Chile Alberto Cruz Codelco Norte Division, Codelco, Chile Verónica Escobar Jacobs, Chile xiv

13 Rudi Fester AMEC International, Chile Enrique Gajardo Compañía Minera Cerro Dominador, Chile Ricardo Godoy Anglo American Sur, Chile Manuel Guzmán Molymet S.A., Chile Hans Hein International Consultant, Chile Nélida Heresi JRI Ingeniería, Chile Miguel Herrera Centro de Investigación Minera y Metalúrgica (CIMM), Chile Juan Patricio Ibáñez Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile Jorge Ipinza JRI Ingeniería, Chile Renata Lima Centre for Mineral Technolog y (CETEM), Brazil Luis Moreno Royal Institute of Technolog y, Sweden Manuel Olivares ARA WorleyParsons S.A., Chile Sergio Rivera El Salvador Division, Codelco, Chile Verónica Rueda SNC-Lavalin, Chile Juan Francisco Schwarze Bechtel, Chile María Elisa Taboada Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile Fernando Valenzuela Universidad de Chile Guillermo Velarde Cerro Verde, Peru Diego Verdejo Minera El Tesoro, Chile Jacques Wiertz Universidad de Chile Eduardo Zavala Bechtel, Chile Tirso Meneses Outotec Chile Ltda., Chile xv

14 Editorial Committee Jesús M. Casas Universidad de Chile Cleve Lightfoot BHP Billiton, Chile Gustavo Tapia Barrick South America, Chile Technical Reviewers Corby Anderson Colorado School of Mines, USA Douglas Alexander Anglo Research, South Africa Francisco Arriagada Arcadis-Idesol, Chile Antonio Ballester Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Dick Celmer Fluor, Chile Virginia Ciminelli Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil Alberto Cruz Codelco Norte Division, Codelco, Chile Blanca Escobar Universidad de Chile Óscar Ferrada Minera Escondida Ltda., Chile Rudi Fester AMEC International, Chile Manuel Guzmán Molymet S.A., Chile Carlos García G&G, Chile Ricardo Godoy Anglo American Sur, Chile Fathi Habashi University of Laval, Canada Marcelo Jo Xstrata Copper, Chile Gary Kordosky International Consultant, USA Renata Lima Centre for Mineral Technolog y (CETEM), Brazil Jorge Menacho De Re Metallica Ingeniería Ltda., Chile Tirso Meneses Outotec Chile Ltda., Chile John Monhemius Imperial College, England Eduardo Patiño BHP Billiton, Chile xvi

15 Andrés Reghezza Metallurgical Consultant, Chile Verónica Rueda SNC-Lavalin, Chile Juan Francisco Schwarze Bechtel, Chile Juan José Segura Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A.-SQM, Chile Gino Slanzi Andina Division, Codelco, Chile María Elisa Taboada Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile Guillermo Velarde Cerro Verde, Peru Petrus van Staden Mintek, South Africa Diego Verdejo Minera El Tesoro, Chile Helen Watling A.J. Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurg y, CSIRO, Australia Luis Sobral Centre for Mineral Technolog y (CETEM/MCT), Brazil xvii

16 Foreword The last two years have been a good and prosperous time to be in the copper mining industry. Despite the recession of 2009 and the instability of the markets, metal prices particularly copper have maintained high levels unimaginable a few years ago. Society as a whole is evolving, and issues that were not relevant a decade ago are now of utmost importance for the average person and the mining industry. Corporate social responsibility and the efficient use of resources, particularly water and energy, are some of the areas in which the mining industry needs to focus its attention to be on par with some of the other industries. In this scenario, the trend in all mines around the world is to lower the cut-off and averages grades, while at the same time experiencing strong pressure to reduce costs. Efficiency in the use of geological resources, which are limited and non-renewable, is also the responsibility of the professional that works in the mining industry. Copper hydrometallurgy has demonstrated that it is a mature technology which can economically process lower-grade ores compared to other technologies, and do so with lower water consumption. The heap leaching of oxide and mixed ore (oxide/sulphide) is a consolidated technology and several companies have been successful in their operations. Secondary sulphide leaching has also been applied but is less common. The leaching of the primary sulphide ores, although possible at very low kinetics, is still a challenge. However, there are several operations where run-of-mine material is placed on pads and subjected to leaching for long periods of time as a complement to the processing of the highgrade ore through milling and flotation. In these cases, part of the waste material from the mine that still has some copper content is acid leached, providing additional copper production for the company. This is a means to achieve an integral utilisation of the geological resource while adding value to the business. The economic leaching of the chalcopyrite at ambient temperature and pressure, the holy grail of hydrometallurgy, is still undiscovered. There are several efforts along these lines, but still with very modest recoveries and long leach times. There are several predictions which estimate that high metal prices will remain at the same levels. These prices allow for profitable processing of low-grade ore bodies that, with lower prices, are not economical. Veterans in the mining industry, however, know that we have to enjoy the good times but be prepared for the hard times that always follow. xix

17 HYDROCOPPER 2011 aspires to meet the needs of the specialist and to show the progress of hydrometallurgy for treating increasingly lower and lower-grade ores. This is a challenge that invites us to invest our best efforts to meet the needs of our industry. Thank you for your participation and welcome to this new version of HYDROCOPPER, where we invite you to share your experiences with enthusiasm. Gustavo Tapia HYDROCOPPER 2011 Chair 6 th International Seminar on Copper Hydrometallurgy xx

18 Preface HYDROCOPPER 2011, held on 6-8 July 2011 in Viña del Mar, Chile, is the sixth of a series of international seminars on copper hydrometallurgy initiated in 2002 by Gecamin and the Mining Engineering Department of Universidad de Chile. HYDROCOPPER 2011 has been designed to provide an international forum where hydrometallurgical professionals can analyse and discuss recent innovations and developments related to the wet processing of copper ores. It is a prestigious seminar considering the excellent paper submission response and the wide variety of topics, companies and countries represented by the authors. The main objectives of the HYDROCOPPER seminar are to: Promote the exchange of knowledge and experience in the design, planning and operations of copper hydrometallurgical plants Discuss emerging developments and identifying the best practices and methodologies in copper hydrometallurgy Analyse criteria for design and evaluation of industrial plant projects Develop an interdisciplinary, international network for technical collaboration among professionals in hydrometallurgy. These proceedings contain 33 papers submitted by authors from 13 different countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Finland, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa and USA. The papers have been organised into the following areas of interest: Hydrometallurgical Processing of Ores and Copper Concentrates (6); Innovations in Hydrometallurgy (6); Leaching Applications (5); Solvent Extraction (5); Electrometallurgy (5); and Industrial Applications and Case Studies (6) Jesús M. Casas HYDROCOPPER 2011 Technical Coordinator 6 th International Seminar on Copper Hydrometallurgy xxi

19 Acknowledgements The Organising Committee acknowledges with gratitude the efforts of the authors for their contribution of high quality, detailed and innovative papers to the technical programme. We would also like to thank the technical reviewers, the Universidad de Antofagasta, the employees of Gecamin, the session chairs and all those involved in the creation of these proceedings. The support of the Organising, Advisory and Technical Committees has been greatly appreciated, as has been the collaboration of the HYDROCOPPER 2011 Chair, Gustavo Tapia. The Organising Committee also wishes to thank the following sponsors* for their generous support: Gold Sponsors: ABB, Cognis-BASF, Gea Westfalia, ICL Cátodos, Metalex and Minera Escondida Silver Sponsors: Cytec, Desert King Chile, Fastpack, Felluwa, Mogas and Quemetco Proceedings Sponsor: Barrick Chile Social Sponsor: Arcadis Official Material Sponsors: Barrick Chile and Outotec Institutional Sponsors: The Brazilian Mining Association (IBRAM); Centro de Estudios del Cobre y la Minería (CESCO), Chile; Centro de Investigación Minera y Metalúrgica (CIMM), Chile; Colegio de Ingenieros de Chile; Consejo Minero, Chile; InnovaChile Corfo; Sociedad Nacional de Minería (SONAMI), Chile; and Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile Official National Media Sponsor: Minería Chilena Media Partners: Ecoamérica, Chile; and Minergía, Chile Finally, we would like to thank all the delegates who attended the seminar exchanging their valuable knowledge and expertise, thus contributing to the great success of this 6 th version of the International Seminar on Copper Hydrometallurgy. We are looking forward to seeing you all again during the next edition of HYDROCOPPER, in the year Executive Organising Committee HYDROCOPPER th International Seminar on Copper Hydrometallurgy * Sponsors confirmed as of 27 June 2011 in alphabetical order xxiii