Projects

Projects

SOLVENT EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS BASE-METAL HYDROMETALLURGY

Peter ColeMintek 75 Conference – 4-5 June 2009

Projects

Acknowledgements

§ K.C Sole (2008) Solvent extraction in the hydrometallurgical processing and purification of metals. In Solvent Extraction and Liquid Membranes, eds. Aguilar and Cortina, 141-200. Florida: CRC Press.

§ K.C.Sole and P.M.Cole (2001) Purification of nickel by solvent extraction. In Ion Exchange and Solvent Extraction, vol. 15, eds. Marcus and SenGupta, 143-195. New York: Marcel Dekker

2

Projects

Presentation Content

§ Copper processing using Leach/SW/EW technology.

§ Selective Cobalt recovery over nickel.

§ Processing of Nickel laterites.

3

Projects

SX Applications - Historical

1950s SX first commercialized for uranium, South Africa

1968 First Cu SX plant – Bluebird, Arizona

1973 First large-scale Cu SX plant - Nchanga, Zambia

1974 First Co/Ni SX plant – RBMR, South Africa

4

Projects Copper Heap Leach - Morenci

5

0.35% Cu grade of oxide ore

23000 m3/h PLS

Treated in 4 SX trains

Projects

Cu/Co Agitation Leach – Ruashi, DRC

6

Leach: Oxide Ore:3.5% Cu, 0.8% Co

5 stage CCD

Fe/Mn Removal

Co(OH)2 ppt’n

Projects

Copper SX – Miami, Arizona

7

Back-to-back M/S

Projects Split Circuit Cu SX – Ruashi, DRC

8

Low Grade SX Circuit5-6 g/L Cu; 300 m3/h

High Grade SX Circuit10 g/L Cu; 500 m3/h

Projects Copper SX - Morenci, Arizona

9

Projects

Outotec VSF SX Technology

10

Dispersed Overflow Pumping Unit Spirok Helical Mixing Agitators

• Escondida Sulfide, Chile (2004); 2 by 5000 m3/h SX trains, 180000 tpa Cu• Sepon Copper, Laos (2004); 65000 tpa Cu• Milpillas, Mexico (2004); 65000 tpa Cu• Radomiro Tomic D Train, Chile (2000); expansion to 260000 tpa Cu

Projects

Copper SX – Milpillas, Mexico

11

500 m3/h SX train; Reverse-flow Mixer Settlers; 65000 tpa Cu

Projects

Sepon Copper SX/EW, Laos

12

65 000 tpa Cu; 2004

Projects Radomiro Tomic SX/EW, Chile

13

Expansion to 260 000 tpa Cu; (2000)

Projects Copper EW Cathode (>99.99%)

14

Projects

Milpillas Automated Copper EW

15

Projects

Separation of Cobalt and Nickel in Sulfate

16

Co2+

H2O

H2O H2O

H2OH2O

H2O

Ni2+

H2O

H2O H2O

H2OH2O

H2O

Projects

Organophosphorus Reagents

17

RO

P

O

RO OH

RO O R O

P P

OH OHRR

Phosphoric phosphonic phosphinic

D2EHPA Ionquest801PC-88AP507

CYANEX 272Ionquest 290LIX 272

Projects

Co and Ni Separation

18

phosphinic

phosphonicphosphoric

Projects

Cobalt and Nickel Separation

19

Co:Ni

D2EHPA RBMR, South Africa 10

PC-88A Nippon Mining, Japan 300

P507 Jinguan Nickel, China 300

CYANEX 272 40% of world Co 7000

Projects

Solvent Extraction in Laterite Processing

20

Projects

Goro – New Caledonia

21

ProjectsGoro –Ni&Co SX with CYANEX 301

22

Extra

ctio

n (%

)

0

20

40

60

80

100 ZnCu

Co

NiFe(lll)

Mn

Mg, Ca

5

Equilibrium pH0 1 2 3 4

R"

R" SH

P

S

Extra

ctio

n (%

)

0

20

40

60

80

100 ZnCu

Co

NiFe(lll)

Mn

Mg, Ca

5

Equilibrium pH0 1 2 3 4

R"

R" SH

P

S

ProjectsCo & Ni Separation in Chloride

23

Cu

0

20

40

60

80

100

Extra

ctio

n (%

)

0 2 4 6 8 10 Aqueous chloride concentration (M)

ZnFe(III)

Co Mn Fe

Ni

Cu

0

20

40

60

80

100

Extra

ctio

n (%

)

0 2 4 6 8 10 Aqueous chloride concentration (M)

ZnFe(III)

Co Mn Fe

Ni

Tertiary Amines (Alamine 308) -anionic extractant will extract CoCl42-

and not the neutral complex NiCl2

Projects

Ni SX – Cawse and QNI

24

Zn

Cu

Ni

0

20

40

Extra

ctio

n (%

)

60

80

100

Total ammonia (g/L)0 20 40 8060 120100 140

C9H19

OH NOH

CH3

LIX 84-I

Projects

Cawse Ni – Western Australia

25