Abrégé

This invention relates to a hydrometallurgical process for the recovery and separation of valuable precious, base or rare elements such as platinum group metals (PGMs), gold or silver, and other valuable base and rare metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, rare earth elements (REE), yttrium and scandium, as well as uranium, thorium, manganese, zinc, cadmium, molybdenum, titanium, tin, and other minor elements such as vanadium, germanium and gallium from a feed material comprising ores, concentrates and other materials. In particular, the process comprises quantitative removal of additional base, rare and gangue elements for increased efficiency of further treatment of the solids for valuable metals recovery and/or recycling and/or separation of valuable metals from pressure leach residue and may be integrated into one or more existing valuable element extraction processes.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 3/20 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation
• C22B 3/10 - Acide chlorhydrique
• C22B 3/44 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation par des procédés chimiques
• C22B 3/08 - Acide sulfurique
• C22B 3/12 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés par lixiviation dans des solutions inorganiques alcalines

Abrégé

This invention provides a hydrometallurgical process for extracting one or more saleable products from a sulphate or chloride pregnant leach solution (PLS), or both. The products may be any one or more of the products selected from the group consisting of: precious metals including platinum group metals (PGMs), gold and silver, base metals, and rare metal elements, and metal cathodes, powders, salts or precipitates thereof; sulphur; hydrochloric acid (HCl); calcium; and silica.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 3/20 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation
• C01B 7/07 - Purification
• C01B 17/027 - Récupération du soufre à partir de produits contenant du soufre élémentaire, p. ex. de masses d'épuration du gaz d'éclairagePurification
• C01B 33/12 - SiliceSes hydrates, p. ex. acide silicique lépidoïque
• C22B 3/08 - Acide sulfurique
• C22B 3/10 - Acide chlorhydrique
• C22B 26/20 - Obtention des métaux alcalino-terreux ou du magnésium
• C22B 59/00 - Obtention des métaux des terres rares
• C22B 3/04 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés par lixiviation
• C22B 3/44 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation par des procédés chimiques

Abrégé

This invention describes a hydrometallurgical process for the recovery and separation of valuable elements, in particular gold and silver, from a feed material comprising a refractory, intractable or otherwise poorly responding to conventional treatment routes ores, concentrates and other materials. In particular, the process is a process integrated into one or more existing value element extraction processes.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 3/08 - Acide sulfurique
• C22B 3/20 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation
• C22B 11/06 - Obtention des métaux nobles chloruration
• C01B 7/07 - Purification
• C22B 3/10 - Acide chlorhydrique
• C22B 15/00 - Obtention du cuivre
• C25C 1/20 - Production, récupération ou affinage électrolytique des métaux par électrolyse de solutions des métaux nobles

Abrégé

This invention relates to a hydrometallurgical process for extracting platinum group metals (PGMs), gold, silver and base metals from a flotation concentrate (10) containing sulphide minerals such as pentlandite and chalcopyrite, along with pyrite and pyrrohotite. The process includes a modified pressure oxidation step (12) to selectively separate base metals into sulphate medium (14), from the PGMs. The modified pressure oxidation step (12) partially or completely oxidizes sulphide minerals to produce a product slurry (14) containing base metal sulphates in solution and a solid residue containing PGMs along with sulphate and elemental sulphur. The solid residue is subjected to a thermal treatment (18) to remove sulphate and elemental sulphur from the solid residue, and to condition the PGMs to be soluble in chloride medium. The treated solid residue is the subjected to PGM recovery by leaching in chloride leaching medium (20) to recover the PGMs.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 3/08 - Acide sulfurique
• C22B 3/10 - Acide chlorhydrique
• C22B 3/22 - Traitement ou purification de solutions, p. ex. de solutions obtenues par lixiviation par des procédés physiques, p. ex. par filtration, par des moyens magnétiques
• C22B 11/00 - Obtention des métaux nobles
• C22B 1/02 - Procédés de grillage
• C21B 15/00 - Autres procédés pour la fabrication de fer à partir de composés de fer
• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 11/06 - Obtention des métaux nobles chloruration

Abrégé

This invention relates to a hydrometallurgical process for extracting platinum group metals (PGMs), gold, silver and base metals from a flotation concentrate (10) containing sulphide minerals such as pentlandite and chalcopyrite, along with pyrite and pyrrhotite. The process includes a modified pressure oxidation step (12) to selectively separate base metals into sulphate medium (14), from the PGMs. The modified pressure oxidation step (12) partially or completely oxidizes sulphide minerals to produce a product slurry (14) containing base metal sulphates in solution and a solid residue containing PGMs along with sulphate and elemental sulphur. The solid residue is subjected to a thermal treatment (18) to remove sulphate and elemental sulphur from the solid residue, and to condition the PGMs to be soluble in chloride medium. The treated solid residue is the subjected to PGM recovery by leaching in chloride leaching medium (20) to recover the PGMs.

Classes IPC  ?

• C22B 1/02 - Procédés de grillage
• C22B 3/00 - Extraction de composés métalliques par voie humide à partir de minerais ou de concentrés
• C22B 11/06 - Obtention des métaux nobles chloruration