Research and Development Centre “Gidrometallurgia”

Ya. M. Shneerson, General Director, e-mail: ims@gidrometall.ru

S. S. Naboychenko, President, Ural Federal University

The paper outlines the current trends in the development of autoclave processes in metallurgy of nickel, cobalt, copper, gold, molybdenum and other nonferrous and precious metals. In recent decade, a number of new autoclave plants were put into operation and are about to be implemented. Various methods to lower the leaching parameters are being intensively developed. The pressure leaching has been successfully employed for decades to liberate bauxites (in alumina production via Bayer process), uranium-bearing ores, nickel-cobalt concentrates and mattes. Noteworthy is a successful progress in the pressure hydrometallurgy regarding solution treatment (precipitation of Me sulfides, hydroxides and basic salts) and production of metals as powder. Horizontal multi-chamber large volume autoclaves are used for this application as in case with those for processing other varieties of raw materials containing heavy nonferrous metals. Nowadays, more than 50 autoclave systems are operating in the world. Recently, a large number of works on leaching of copper sulphide concentrates, as well as tungsten and molybdenum concentrates, have been carried out.

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