US 12,215,407 B2
Process for the recovery of metals from oxidic ores
Michel Daniels, Olen (BE); Jean Scoyer, Herentals (BE); Michael Baltes, Olen (BE); Margot Neven, Olen (BE); and Jan Leyssen, Olen (BE)
Assigned to UMICORE, Brussels (BE)
Appl. No. 17/633,342
Filed by UMICORE, Brussels (BE)
PCT Filed Jul. 27, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/071079
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 7, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/028201, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19190915 (EP), filed on Aug. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0290273 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. C22B 47/00 (2006.01); C22B 3/00 (2006.01); C22B 3/08 (2006.01); C22B 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC C22B 47/0063 (2013.01) [C22B 3/08 (2013.01); C22B 15/0071 (2013.01); C22B 23/043 (2013.01); C22B 23/0484 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for the recovery of Cu, Co, Ni, Fe and Mn from oxidic ores, comprising the steps of:
dissolving the oxidic ores (P1) in acidic conditions using H2SO4 and SO2, thereby obtaining a Cu, Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing first solution (S1) and a first residue (R1);
Solid/Liquid (S/L) separation of the first solution and of the first residue;
recovering Cu (P2) by:
precipitation as a sulfide by addition of a sulfide-bearing compound, or as a metal by addition of a metal more easily oxidized than Cu, thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing acidic second solution (S2) and a Cu-bearing second residue (R2) and S/L separation of the second solution and of the second residue;
or by:
extraction by electrowinning or solvent extraction (SX), thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing acidic second solution (S2) and a Cu-bearing stream;
neutralizing (P3) the second solution (S2) to pH 2 to 5 by addition of first acid-consuming compounds, thereby obtaining a Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn-bearing neutralized third solution (S3);
precipitating Co and Ni (P4) by adding a sulfide-bearing compound to the third solution, thereby obtaining an Fe and Mn-bearing fourth solution (S4) and a Co and Ni-bearing fourth residue (R4);
S/L separation of the fourth solution and of the fourth residue;
crystallizing Mn and Fe (P5) as sulfates from the fourth solution, thereby obtaining a fifth solution containing a minor part of the Mn (S5), and a fifth residue containing the major part of the Mn and of the Fe (R5); and
S/L separation of the fifth solution and of the fifth residue.