Sustainable Mining - Solving the Problem of Chalcopyrite Treatment/Processing - Leaching, Solvent Extraction & Flotation
type: CreativeWork
description: Chalcopyrite ore forms the significant fraction of copper deposits in the earth crust. However, it is also the most difficult to treat using conventional ferric leaching methods. Smelting and electro-refining are currently the methods used in treating chalcopyrite concentrate obtained from froth flotation. Due to the ever increasing environmental requirements on smelters by the Environmental Protection Agency, new smelters are scarce in the United States. The scarcity of smelters has led to the urgent need to find a novel leaching method for the abundant chalcopyrite deposits in the USA and the rest of the world. This chapter(one) of the dissertation, therefore, investigated the leaching of chalcopyrite ore at pH 2 using a newly discovered oxidant (peroxodisulfate). Our results show that chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate follows a surface reaction shrinking core model. The activation energy of chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate ion was calculated as 41.1 kJ mol⁻¹. We also report that the leaching of chalcopyrite ore is affected by particle size and that stirring hurts leaching of chalcopyrite. Additionally, we found that peroxodisulfate can produce from sulfuric ions electrochemically. Hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, peroxodisulfate and ferric ions are all strong oxidants that have been researched in production pregnant leach solution (PLS) from chalcopyrite ore leaching. Because, solvent extraction is the next step in the recovery of copper from pregnant leach solutions (PLS). The questions, therefore, arises as to the fate of the organic extractant used in solvent extraction coming in contact with strong oxidant residual in the PLS. In chapter two of the dissertation, we studied the effect of strong oxidant residual in PLS on the degradation of organic extractants during solvent extraction of copper. Exposed organic extractants were analyzed using interfacial tension(IFT), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and CG LS. The results ob…
abstract: Chalcopyrite ore forms the significant fraction of copper deposits in the earth crust. However, it is also the most difficult to treat using conventional ferric leaching methods. Smelting and electro-refining are currently the methods used in treating chalcopyrite concentrate obtained from froth flotation. Due to the ever increasing environmental requirements on smelters by the Environmental Protection Agency, new smelters are scarce in the United States. The scarcity of smelters has led to the urgent need to find a novel leaching method for the abundant chalcopyrite deposits in the USA and the rest of the world. This chapter(one) of the dissertation, therefore, investigated the leaching of chalcopyrite ore at pH 2 using a newly discovered oxidant (peroxodisulfate). Our results show that chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate follows a surface reaction shrinking core model. The activation energy of chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate ion was calculated as 41.1 kJ mol⁻¹. We also report that the leaching of chalcopyrite ore is affected by particle size and that stirring hurts leaching of chalcopyrite. Additionally, we found that peroxodisulfate can produce from sulfuric ions electrochemically. Hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, peroxodisulfate and ferric ions are all strong oxidants that have been researched in production pregnant leach solution (PLS) from chalcopyrite ore leaching. Because, solvent extraction is the next step in the recovery of copper from pregnant leach solutions (PLS). The questions, therefore, arises as to the fate of the organic extractant used in solvent extraction coming in contact with strong oxidant residual in the PLS. In chapter two of the dissertation, we studied the effect of strong oxidant residual in PLS on the degradation of organic extractants during solvent extraction of copper. Exposed organic extractants were analyzed using interfacial tension(IFT), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and CG LS. The results ob…
author: Dakubo, Francis
language: en_US
keywords: flotation, leaching, Organic extractant, peroxodisulfate, solvent extraction, Mining Geological & Geophysical Engineering, contact angle
date published: 2016
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:55:10Z
provider: University of Arizona
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Arizona.

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/604862