![Sample our Physical Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110819/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Physical-Sciences.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
The authors attempted to investigate the copper recovery possibilities from low-grade mixed sulfide-oxide ore in the present paper. The randomized leaching experimental results in sulfuric acid solution are further used to develop a statistical model for predicting the copper recovery. Identifying the factors that control the dissolution process is critical for enhancing the rate of copper recovery from this low-grade ore, and this article is completely focused on that aspect. Herein, Box-Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology with three factors at three levels is applied to predict the optimum copper recovery value. The regression analysis (R2 = 99.9%) result suggested that the predicted values are highly consistent with experimental values. The F-test and ANOVA results indicated that time, temperature factor, and particle size affected the copper recovery significantly. So, a maximum of 87% copper can be recovered at the selected condition of leaching time: 120 minutes, temperature: 90°C, particle size: 63 µm, stirring speed: 400 rpm, solid-liquid ratio: 1:5 (gm/ml), and acid concentration: 1 M, which is close to the value of 88.07% predicted by the statistical design model. Therefore, the copper recovery values obtained from the model are well in agreement with the experimental values.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to show gratitude to the Fuel Minerals and Metallurgical (FMME) Dept. and Central Research Facility (CRF), IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, for their support extended in carrying out this investigation. The authors are thankful to the reviewers for their valuable comments to improve the quality of the manuscript.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.