Pretratamiento de lixiviación a minerales sulfurados de cobre en medios oxidantes

Resumen

Copper production in Chile is developed by hydrometallurgical and concentration; copper concentrates are traditionally treated by the pyrometallurgical route. According to Cochilco, copper produced in 2019 by hydrometallurgical process represent a 27.3% of Chilean total copper production. However, this contribution is estimated to decrease to 11.6% by 2029, due to the depletion of copper oxides and the appearance of copper sulphides, mainly chalcopyrite, being this mineral refractory to conventional leaching conditions. An alternative to improve leaching efficiency is pretreatment prior to leaching, especially the effect of curing time. This variable can increases the kinetics of copper extraction, especially in sulphides ores, however, there is limited research about it. Studies on pretreatment evaluate the effect on leaching efficiency but not previous leaching. Furthermore, the reactions that govern this phenomenon have not been clearly identified. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is the evaluation of the effect of acid curing on the copper extraction from sulphides minerals in oxidizing media and in presence of chloride. A pure sample of chalcopyrite, chalcocite and a mine ore were used. Tests evaluating the effect of curing time, KNO3, NaCl and H2SO4 concentration have been carried out. The chalcopyrite sample effect was evaluated by ANOVA. The product generated in the pretreatment (agglomerates) has been characterized using different characterization techniques, such as: X-Ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Reflection Optical Microscopy. Furthermore, the effect of pretreatment has been evaluated on the leaching efficiency at different temperatures, leaching residues have also been characterized. In the pretreatment of the chalcopyrite sample and mine ore, under the conditions of 15 kg/t of H2SO4, 25 kg/t of NaCl and 15 days of curing time, the following products were identified: CuSO4, NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6, Cu2Cl(OH) and S0. Regarding the chalcocite sample, under the conditions of with 30 kg/t of H2SO4, 40 kg/t of NaCl and 7 days of curing time, the following products were identified: Cu1.75S, Cu(OH)Cl, Na2SO4 and CuSO4. Finally, copper sulphides ore pretreatment improved leaching efficiency, between 4 and 6%, reaching a copper dissolution of 94% from chalcopyrite at 90 °C, strengthening the hydrometallurgy as an alternative treatment for copper sulphides ores.