Ali Zeeshan, Wilkes Nicholas, Raza Nadeem, Omar Muhammad
Department of Soil and Environmental Science MNS-University of Agriculture Multan, 60000 Multan, Pakistan.
Kamanjab 72 Limited REG # 14167772 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU, England, United Kingdom.
ACS Omega. 2025 Apr 8;10(15):14826-14834. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c09656. eCollection 2025 Apr 22.
This study describes a novel hydrometallurgical approach for efficient copper recovery from low-grade ores. Improvement in the copper extraction efficiency was explored by employing blends of acids (sulfuric acid and nitric acid) and an oxidizing agent along with exposure to microwave and ultraviolet radiation. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and optical microscopy (OM) were used to characterize the ores' elemental composition, morphology, and mineralogy, revealing the presence of wroewolfeite, chalcopyrite, and other mineral phases. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) investigated the thermal stability of the ore samples. Under optimal leaching conditions (liquid-solid ratio of 15:1 mL g, copper ore particle size of 55-65 μm, and stirring for 30 min at 300 rpm), the method demonstrated an outstanding copper leaching efficiency of 96.8%. Solvent extraction was performed efficiently with the pregnant leach solution, further enhancing copper extraction to 97.9% within less than a minute of loading time. These results underscore the effectiveness of the modified hydrometallurgical approach for extracting copper from low-grade ores and hint at its potential for extracting other metals. Such versatility of this approach makes a significant contribution to the field of hydrometallurgy.
本研究描述了一种从低品位矿石中高效回收铜的新型湿法冶金方法。通过使用酸（硫酸和硝酸）和氧化剂的混合物，并结合微波和紫外线辐射，探索提高铜提取效率的方法。利用扫描电子显微镜-能量色散X射线光谱仪（SEM-EDX）、X射线衍射仪（XRD）和光学显微镜（OM）对矿石的元素组成、形态和矿物学进行表征，揭示了羟砷铜铅矿、黄铜矿和其他矿物相的存在。热重分析（TGA）研究了矿石样品的热稳定性。在最佳浸出条件下（液固比为15:1 mL/g，铜矿石粒径为55-65μm，在300 rpm下搅拌30分钟），该方法表现出96.8%的出色铜浸出效率。用富浸出液有效地进行了溶剂萃取，在不到一分钟的加载时间内将铜提取率进一步提高到97.9%。这些结果强调了改进的湿法冶金方法从低品位矿石中提取铜的有效性，并暗示了其提取其他金属的潜力。这种方法的多功能性对湿法冶金领域做出了重大贡献。
