All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Mineral Resources Named after N. M. Fedorovsky, Moscow, Russia:

E. G. Likhnikevich, Lead Researcher at the Process Department, Candidate of Technical Sciences
A. V. Kurkov, Principal Researcher – Adviser to the General Director for Process, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, e-mail: kurkov@vims-geo.ru
S. I. Anufrieva, Head of the Process Department, Candidate of Chemical Sciences
A. A. Rogozhin, First Deputy General Director Responsible for Core Operations, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

This paper examines advanced hydrometallurgical processes applicable to different types of minerals. Use of selective reagents/solvents for leaching of goldantimony arsenic-bearing concentrates ensures a high recovery of antimony in the solution (>95 %). During alkaline-glycerate leaching, almost all of the harmful impurity – arsenic – concentrates in the cake, and 70% of it remains in the cake during ferro-chloride leaching. The leach reagent can be recovered. The use of nitric acid pressure leaching to process lateritic scandium-cobaltnickel ores ensures the production of solutions with low concentrations of iron and chromium. The recovery of chromium in the solution does not exceed 22%. Following thermohydrolysis all the iron remains in the cake. Purification of the solution with a calcium carbonate suspension results in a scandium deposit and a solution for separation of cobalt and nickel compounds. Alkaline leaching of spodumene concentrates helps omit the conventional operation of high-temperature (1,100 ^oC) pre-roasting, which will boost the process efficiency and ensure a better environmental protection. A high-efficiency method for processing manganese carbonate ores includes a calcium-chloride (salt) method, which stands for pressure leaching of manganese, recovery of manganese from the solution by limewater precipitation, heat treatment of the precipitate to produce a high-quality manganese concentrate, and the possibility to recover the leach reagent (i.e. calcium chloride).

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