Process for multiple stage direct electrowinning of copper

1. A method of recovering copper from a copper-bearing material, comprising the steps of:

providing a feed stream containing copper-containing material and acid;

subjecting the feed stream to pressure leaching at a temperature of from about 100° C. about 250° C. to yield a product slurry comprising a copper-bearing solution and a residue;

conditioning said product slurry through one or more chemical or physical conditioning steps to yield a copper-containing solution suitable for electrowinning;

electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said copper-containing solution in a first electrowinning stage to produce copper cathode and a first stage lean electrolyte stream, without subjecting the copper-containing solution to solvent/solution extraction;

electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream in a second electrowinning stage to produce copper cathode and a second stage lean electrolyte stream; and

recycling at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream to said pressure leaching step.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of providing a feed stream comprising a copper-bearing material comprises providing a feed stream comprising a copper-bearing sulfide ore, concentrate, or precipitate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of providing a feed stream comprising a copper-bearing material comprises providing a feed stream comprising at least one of chalcopyrite, chalcocite, bornite, covellite, digenite, and enargite, or mixtures or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of providing a feed stream comprising a copper-bearing material comprises providing a feed stream comprising a copper-bearing material and a solution stream comprising copper and acid.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of separating at least a portion of said copper-containing material from said acid in said feed stream to yield a copper-containing feed stream comprising a copper-bearing material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said separating step comprises reacting at least a portion of the copper in a copper-containing electrolyte stream to precipitate at least a portion of said copper in said copper-containing electrolyte stream as copper sulfide in said feed stream.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said separating step comprises reacting at least a portion of the copper in a copper-containing electrolyte stream in the presence of sulfur dioxide, whereby at least a portion of said copper in said copper-containing electrolyte stream precipitates as copper sulfide in said feed stream.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said leaching step comprises leaching at least a portion of said feed stream in a pressure leaching vessel at a temperature of from about 140° C. about 180° C. and at a total operating pressure of from about 100 psi to about 750 psi.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said leaching step comprises leaching at least a portion of said feed stream in a pressure leaching vessel at a temperature of from about 200° C. about 235° C. and at a total operating pressure of from about 100 psi to about 750 psi.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of pressure leaching said feed stream comprises pressure leaching said feed stream in the presence of a surfactant selected from the group consisting of lignin derivatives, orthophenylene diamine, alkyl sulfonates, and mixtures thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of pressure leaching said feed stream comprises pressure leaching said feed stream in the presence of a surfactant in an amount of from about 2 to about 20 kilograms per tonne of concentrate in the copper-containing feed stream.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said conditioning step further comprises blending at least a portion of said copper-containing solution with at least a portion of a copper-containing electrolyte stream to achieve a copper concentration of from about 15 to about 80 grams/liter in said copper-containing solution.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said conditioning step comprises subjecting at least a portion of said product slurry to solid-liquid separation, wherein at least a portion of said copper-bearing solution is separated from said residue.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said conditioning step further comprises blending at least a portion of said copper-bearing solution with at least a portion of one or more copper-bearing streams to achieve a desired copper concentration in said copper-bearing solution.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream in a second electrowinning stage comprises electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream without subjecting said first stage lean electrolyte stream to solvent/solution extraction.

16. The method of claim 5 , wherein said step of electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream in a second electrowinning stage comprises electrowinning copper from at least a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream without subjecting said first stage lean electrolyte stream to solvent/solution extraction.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of using a portion of said second stage lean electrolyte stream in a leaching operation.

18. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of recycling a portion of said second stage lean electrolyte stream to said separating step.

19. A method of recovering copper from a copper-bearing material, comprising the steps of:

providing a feed stream containing copper-containing material and acid;

subjecting the copper-containing feed stream to pressure leaching to yield a product slurry comprising a copper-bearing solution and a residue;

conditioning the product slurry through one or more chemical or physical conditioning steps to yield a copper-containing solution suitable for electrowinning;

electrowinning copper from the copper-containing solution in a first electrowinning stage to produce copper cathode and a first stage lean electrolyte stream, without subjecting the copper-containing solution to solvent/solution extraction;

recycling a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream to said pressure leaching step;

electrowinning copper from a portion of said first stage lean electrolyte stream in a second electrowinning stage to produce copper cathode and a second stage lean electrolyte stream;

recycling a portion of said second stage lean electrolyte stream to said pressure leaching step.