Novel Approach for the Leaching of Low-Grade Copper–Zinc Concentrate
Valiyev K. Yskak A. Melamud V. Bulaev A.
September 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
2025#15Issue 17
Featured Application: The results of this work may be used for the development of methods for processing complex mineral raw materials containing different valuable metals. The possibility of applying the complex hydrometallurgical approach, which includes stages of alkaline sulfide leaching (ASL) and ferric leaching, for copper and zinc extraction from substandard sulfide concentrates containing chalcopyrite, tennantite, sphalerite, and pyrite was studied. Ferric leaching was performed under different conditions (temperature, Fe3+ concentrations, pulp densities). It was shown that Cu and Zn extraction increased when temperature was increased from 50 to 90 °C, while increasing Fe3+ concentration from 5 to 20 g/L did not lead to an increase in metal extraction. Sulfide leaching pretreatment led to the destruction of tennantite and elimination of arsenic from the concentrates, which, in turn, allowed higher copper extraction to be achieved during the ferric leaching. Thus, it was shown that two-stage leaching including the stages of sulfide leaching and ferric leaching may be successfully used for copper and zinc extraction from substandard sulfide concentrates as sulfide leaching allows tennantite disruption and increased copper leaching. Thus, a novel combined approach based on known hydrometallurgical techniques was developed, and it may be used for the treatment of specific mineral raw materials (copper concentrates containing tennantite with high As and Zn contents).
alkaline sulfide leaching , arsenic , combined leaching , copper , copper–zinc concentrates , ferric sulfate leaching , zinc
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Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University, 47A Baitursynov str., Kostanay, 110000, Kazakhstan
Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 7/2 60-letiya Oktyabrya Ave., Moscow, 117312, Russian Federation
Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University
Research Center of Biotechnology
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