“Gipronickel Institute” LLC, Saint Petersburg, Russia

T. V. Vergizova, Senior Researcher, e-mail: TVVer@nickel.spb.ru

M. A. Lastochkina, Senior Researcher

“Uralelectromed” JSC, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia

S. A. Mastyugin, Chief Technologist of Engineering Department

Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company-Holding, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia

N. A. Volkova, Head of the Department of Environmental Impact Statement

Development of hydrometallurgical diagram of copper electrolytic slimes processing is an urgent necessity, it is aimed at reducing of end product cost and environmental effect of production process, one of directions of concentrated slimes treatment is selective and stepwise oxidizing of raw material components with chlorates in sulfuric medium and subsequent processing of resulted solutions and cakes. Conducted tests allowed to work out a hydrochlorination diagram, according to which stage-by-stage separation of zinc and precious metals may be reached. Extended laboratory tests of the diagram including two-stage oxidation leaching with potassium chlorate and leaching cake metallization confirmed the results of laboratory tests: At the first stage of oxidation leaching ~82% of selenium and minimum quantities of platinum group metals and gold are extracted into the solution; At the second stage of the process >95% of gold, ~60% of platinum, 80% of palladium, and residual selenium are extracted; Two concentrates (gold (Au > 95%) and platinum-palladium (sum of Pd and Pt ~10%)) are successively extracted out of the solution of II stage; Flotation of metalized cake of the II chlorination stage gave silver concentrate containing ~80% Ag, 0.09% Au, 5% Pb, and 3% Sb. Gold and silver concentrates are suitable for production of affinated metals using the current technology of JSC “Uralelectromed”. Tails of metallization cake flotation contains 1.1% of silver and 0.27% of gold and may be applied for initial slimes pressure leaching aimed at organizing the channel of metal impurities output to lead production. Therefore, the developed technology allows fulfilling efficient processing the concentrates of flotation cakes of copper slimes pressure leaching without pyrometallurgical processes application.

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