Leaching tests for copper ore oxide parameters determination

Ana Rosa Rabelo de Lima Student, Faculdade de Engenharia de Materiais FEMA Universidade Federal do Par - UFPA ABSTRACT The copper (Cu) is one of the most used metals of the planet, due to its excellent physical characteristics as electric and thermal conductivity, resistance to the corrosion and ductility. Two main routes of copper production exist starting from their several ores, the pyrometallurgical process, which corresponds about 80% of the copper-from-ore production, and the hydrometallurgical process, that corresponds about 20% of the copper-from-ore production. These two process ways exists due to the peculiar characteristics of the copper minerals found in the nature, the sulphide minerals, in their great majority, are processed by the pyrometallurgical route, because it allows to concentrate by flotation, reaching tenors that make possible to treat them in ovens. Whereas, the copper ore oxide, cannot be concentrate easily by flotation or any other concentration process, but they tend to be treated in the way that is found in the nature, with tenors from 0,5 to 2%. It is in this context the best option is the hydrometallurgical process, which makes possible technique and economically the improvement of copper ore oxide low grade. The mineralogical province of Carajs, located in northern Brazil, has been highlighted by the growth of their operations, increasing the necessity of research about this region and its ore. In this context, the VALE mining companys Sossego Copper Mine produces concentrated copper from their copper sulphate reservations of about 225Mt with 0,98% grade of Cu. Whereas, its copper ore oxide is currently only stocked. To take advantage of this ore, it will have to be processed through hydrometallurgical rout, and for such, it is important to determine and to optimize the parameters for the heap leach of these minerals. Seeking it, this Sossego Mines copper ore oxide was studied in the laboratory of Hydro and Eletrometallurgy at Universidade Federal do Par UFPA. The studies began with the initial amount of copper in the ore analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry according to the particle sizes range of 200#, 150 #, 100 #, 80 #, 60 # 35 # and ", obtaining the graph that shows grades between 1.024 and 0.735%. After it, the first leaching test started during one hour for each of the followed sulfuric acids concentrations: 1%, 3%, 5%, 8%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 20% and 25%, showing 8% sulfuric acid as the best acid concentration. This concentration was used for the next test, the volume ratio liquid / solid was studied from 2, increasing 0.5 until 5 liters of acid per liter of solid; showing 2.5 as the rest ratio. As used 100g of ore per test and the ores density is 2.5 g/mL, this ration means 100mL of sulfuric acid 8%. This volume and acid concentration was also used to determinate the copper concentration in the liquor according to the time, ten points were studied, from 15 minutes until two and a half hours, always with 15 minutes difference between the points, founding two hours as the best testing duration. All the results were obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry analysis of the resulted liquor, with these parameters another leaching test was made to develop an isothermal curve, to verify the excellent behavior of the Sossego Mine's copper ore oxide parameters and to determine the initial dimensions of the equipments and inputs to be employees for the lixiviation in columns, next step for the final determination of the parameters for the heap leach. Key-words: leaching - copper - hydrometallurgical