Systems and methods for metal recovery
View Patent ↗Various embodiments provide a process roasting a metal bearing material under oxidizing conditions to produce an oxidized metal bearing material, roasting the oxidized metal bearing material under reducing conditions to produce a roasted metal bearing material, and leaching the roasted metal bearing material in a basic medium to yield a pregnant leach solution.
1. A process comprising:
roasting a metal bearing material comprising a copper carbonate under oxidizing conditions to produce an oxidized metal bearing material;
roasting the oxidized metal bearing material under reducing conditions, at a temperature of about 475° C. or greater, to produce a roasted metal bearing material; and
leaching the roasted metal bearing material in a basic medium to yield a pregnant leach solution.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the basic medium comprises at least one of ammonia, ammonium carbonate and ammonium sulfate.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the oxidizing conditions comprise an oxygen gas containing atmosphere.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reducing conditions comprise a hydrogen gas containing atmosphere.
5. The process of claim 1 , further comprising subjecting the pregnant leach solution to a solution extraction process to yield a loaded aqueous stream.
6. The process of claim 5 , wherein an extraction stage of the solution extraction yields a cobalt-bearing raffinate.
7. The process of claim 6 , further comprising precipitating cobalt from the cobalt-bearing raffinate.
8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the precipitating yields cobalt sulfide in a solid phase.
9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the cobalt sulfide is subjected to leaching.
10. The process of claim 5 , subjecting the loaded aqueous stream to electrowinning.
11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the copper carbonate comprises at least one of azurite and malachite.