Obtaining metallic copper from the leaching of mining tailings originating in the state of zacatecas
Abstract
The mineralogical characterization during the evaluation of the potential generator of acid drainage for a sample of mining tailings originating from Sombrerete Zacatecas showed that the pyrite is occluded in the silicates, thus reducing the risk of dissolution of potentially toxic metals. Therefore, the quantification of the concentration of base metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) together with the sequential extraction revealed the presence of approximately 6kg of Cu/ton of mining tailings. In addition, 80% of copper is in the form of carbonates, oxides and sulfides, so a hydrometallurgical process was proposed using a 0.2M sulfuric acid leaching solution, followed by copper enrichment through solvent extraction. and its metallic obtaining via electrodeposition, respectively. This process demonstrated that mining tailings are mining residues that can be considered value-added materials and secondary sources for metal recovery.
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References
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