The Synergistic Copper Process concept

ABSTRACT

A new process concept is proposed, one that combines the inherent advantages of conventional hydro- and pyro-metallurgical processes to provide opportunities for significant increases in resource utilisation and smelter productivity. The process involves first leaching copper minerals in aqueous solution, separation of undesirable impurity elements from the solution using conventional hydrometallurgical technologies, and then preparation of a precipitated solid copper compound product. The product can then be used directly as a high-copper, low-iron feedstock in the smelting and/or converting stages of pyrometallurgical copper production. The solid precipitated copper product can be transported to the smelter and used as a separate feed, or can be used to enhance copper concentrations in sulphide concentrate blends. This new tradeable copper product provides an effective way of increasing copper concentrate grades, and the opportunity to more efficiently utilise the excess enthalpy available from the sulphide mineral oxidation reactions in current copper matte smelting and converting process technologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Copper
• hydrometallurgy
• precipitation
• pyrometallurgy
• synergistic
• energy

Acknowledgements

The Synergistic Copper concept was developed by The University of Queensland research team and formally presented to Xstrata Copper at its Toowong, Brisbane office. In the research project agreement, Xstrata Copper assigned all intellectual property to The University of Queensland. Subsequently, UniQuest, the commercial arm of The University of Queensland, applied for Australian and international patents covering the process concept.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

William Hawker http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6985-8561

James Vaughan http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9861-9500

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the financial support for this project from Australian Research Council Linkage program (LP110100550) and the industry partner Xstrata Copper.