HYDROPROCESS 2012

Elimination of copper
from molybdenite
concentrates by
sulphidation-leaching
process

Rafael Padilla
Hugo Letelier
Mara Cristina Ruiz
Universidad de
Concepcin, Chile



Ore and concentrate leaching, studies, operations and processes CHAPTER 3

Differential flotation is the preferred method to separate the

molybdenum from bulk copper-molybdenum concentrates.
However, complete removal of copper sulphides by flotation is
very difficult, thus, molybdenum concentrates produced by this
route requires a further step of chemical purification in order
to reduce the copper content to a level suitable for marketing.
Refractory chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is the major copper impurity in
the molybdenite concentrates; therefore, the elimination of copper
by leaching requires highly aggressive solutions. In this work
experimental results are presented on a novel process for chemical
purification of molybdenite concentrates, especially formulated for
concentrates containing chalcopyrite as the main copper impurity.
The process consists of a sulphidation step to transform the
chalcopyrite into covellite, followed by a leaching using sulfuric acid-
sodium chloride solution with oxygen as the oxidizing agent. The
results showed that temperature and sodium chloride concentrations
are the variables that have the largest effect on the copper dissolution
rate. Leaching the sulfidized concentrate for 90 min at 100C, with
a solution containing 58 g/L sulphuric acid and 35 g/L sodium
chloride allowed to obtain a residue of molybdenite with a copper
content lower than 0.2% and null molybdenum dissolution.




  


  
                                                        
 

  

                                  
                 
        

 

                              
       
   
             


 

       
          
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