Copper Leaching from Chalcopyrite: Mechanochemical Approach

Abstract

In the presented work, possibilities of intensification of copper leaching from chalcopyrite CuFeS2 induced by mechanical activation was studied. In this article, the influence of mechanical activation time on copper leaching efficiency is compared. This study also shows how mechanical activation time influences selectivity of copper and iron leaching. For mechanical activation, planetary mill Fritsch Pulverisette 6 at 400 rpm and room temperature was used. Grinding chamber (250 cm3 in volume) and 50 balls (10 mm in diameter) made of tungsten carbide were used. Specifically, the effect of mechanical activation time (4, 20, 30 minutes), the effect of temperature (40, 60, 80°C) on the copper recovery by leaching and the effect of the leaching atmosphere (air, argon) were examined. The results showed that the highest possible recovery of copper from chalcopyrite was obtained after 20 minutes of milling and leached in hydrochloric acid at 80°C, with air atmosphere without any oxidizing reagents.