1. Insights into ferric leaching of low grade metal sulfide-containing ores in an unsaturated ore bed using X-ray computed tomography
- Author
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Jan J. Cilliers, Qingyang Lin, Susan T.L. Harrison, Peter D. Lee, Stephen J. Neethling, Marijke A. Fagan-Endres, Katherine J. Dobson, Áine Ní Bhreasail, Technological Resources PTY Ltd, and Royal Academy Of Engineering
- Subjects
Sulfide ,X-ray tomography ,leaching ,chalcopyrite ,DRAINAGE ,TN ,Mineralogy ,chemistry.chemical_element ,02 engineering and technology ,020501 mining & metallurgy ,020401 chemical engineering ,medicine ,PARTICLES ,QD ,MICROORGANISMS ,Leachate ,0204 chemical engineering ,Mining & Mineral Processing ,KINETICS ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Science & Technology ,Chalcopyrite ,Chemistry ,ACQUISITION ,Metallurgy ,Geology ,Particulates ,PERFORMANCE ,Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology ,Copper ,0205 materials engineering ,visual_art ,Volume fraction ,Physical Sciences ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Leaching ,Ferric ,MICROTOMOGRAPHY ,REACTORS ,Leaching (metallurgy) ,medicine.drug ,COPPER SULFIDES - Abstract
The distribution of the metal-bearing mineral grains within a particulate ore prepared for leaching, and the impact of this spatial heterogeneity on overall extraction efficiency is of key importance to a mining industry that must continuously target ever-reducing grades and more complex ore bodies. If accessibility and recovery of the target minerals is to be improved, a more detailed understanding of the behaviour of the system must be developed. We present an in situ analysis using X-ray computed tomography to quantify the rates of volume reduction of sulfide mineral grains in low grade agglomerated copper bearing ores during a miniature laboratory scale column leaching experiment. The data shows the scale of the heterogeneity in the leaching behaviour, with an overall reduction of sulphide mineral grains of 50%, but that this value masks significant mm3 to cm3 scale variability in reduction. On the scale of individual ore fragments, leaching efficiency ranged from 22% to 99%. We use novel quantitative methods to determine the volume fraction of the sulfide that is accessible to the leachate solution.
- Published
- 2017
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