Suggestions On Developing Hydrometallurgy Of Low Grade Copper Oxide Ore In China

The analysis of hydrometallurgy of copper oxide ore at home and abroad is not difficult to see: although China’s experimental research on the comprehensive utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore is relatively early, due to various reasons, the development is relatively slow. According to the situation of China’s copper resources, we believe that the development of hydrometallurgy of low-grade copper oxide ore in China is promising. The key now is to attract the attention of all parties, to transform the ready-made scientific research results into productivity as soon as possible, so that China’s copper industry has a big development. To this end, it is recommended that:

(1) The concept of copper resources should be changed. China’s current determination of the mineral product’s cut-off grade, the lowest industrial grade and the gray stone removal thickness and other industrial indicators, the industrial indicators are the mine, not the waste rock. For example, Jiangxi Copper Company Dexing Copper Mine contains 0.25% of copper in the mining process. It is about 2 billion tons of copper and contains more than 1.8 million tons of copper. If the heap leaching-extraction-electrowinning process is used, it can recover more than 300,000 tons of copper from a conservative value of about 20%, with a value of 7.5 billion yuan. If the national copper resources contain 5 million tons of oxidized ore, they are all measured by this concept, which will give the country a huge fortune. One-third of the copper in the United States comes from the development and utilization of copper-poor mines. If China can reach one-fifth, it will be quite new. It is far-reaching.

(2) Do a good job in the medium and long-term planning for the development and utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore. According to the statistics of 235 medium-sized copper mines in China, about 5 million tons of copper oxide ore (referred to as metal content) has not been utilized. This data does not include off-balance mines, tailings, mined areas and waste. The stone pile contains copper. If you add up these parts, the number of copper-poor mines that can be used is much larger. At present, Jiangxi Copper Company’s various off-balance minerals, oxidized ore, tailings, mined-out areas and waste rock piles, copper content is generally 0.12% to 1.2%, containing more than 4.6 million tons of copper metal. The company’s Wushan Copper Mine has built an 80t copper extraction-electro-accumulation plant. The Dexing Copper Mine’s 2000t copper heap leaching-extraction-electro-accumulation plant has broken ground. Several other mines are also expected to be During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, hydrometallurgical technology was used to comprehensively recover copper from copper-poor ore. Relevant parties should make medium- and long-term plans for the development and utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore and other copper-poor mines, so that this country can continue to develop its work.

(3) The state should give certain preferential policies to foster and encourage the development and utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore. Treatment of low-grade copper oxide ore by leaching-extraction-electrowinning wet technology should enjoy the policies of the national environmental protection project for three wastes and comprehensive utilization of products. First, we must ensure the investment in the development and utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore. Secondly, appropriately reduce or exempt some taxes, or adopt low interest rates, interest subsidies or even interest-free loans to stimulate enthusiasm and accelerate the development and utilization of low-grade copper oxide ore. Companies that do well in this work, including research institutes and producers, are rewarded to increase their enthusiasm for using low-grade copper oxide ore.

(4) Guarantee the supply of raw materials for wet copper smelting. The main raw materials for wet copper smelting are sulfuric acid, electricity and extractants. In order not to compete with agricultural fertilizers for sulfuric acid, relevant enterprises should pay close attention to the recovery of smelting flue gas and the transformation of acid-making system, and increase the utilization rate of sulfur to over 90%. In this way, the increased sulfuric acid can not only ensure the need for wet copper smelting, but also contribute to environmental protection. The extractant can be obtained by mass production of the proppant extractant factory. It can also import some foreign high-quality extractants and gradually improve the quality of the extractant in China through digestion and absorption to promote the development of the domestic extractant industry and meet the wet method. Long-term supply of copper smelting extractants.

(5) Optimize the surrounding environment of the mine and promote the development of hydrometallurgy of copper oxide ore. Oxidized ore exists in different mines in China, and many of them have become mineral processing problems. The use of wet technology is an effective way to make full use of copper resources and increase copper production. But now there are farmers around the mine who are engaged in sponge copper and compete with the mine for copper leaching. This problem is not solved, the mine engages in wet leaching of copper oxide ore, and there is no enthusiasm. To this end, the state is required to support the wet technology of mines to treat copper oxide ore and increase copper production. The production of sponge copper by copper leaching liquid from surrounding self-employed households and mines shall be stopped as the mining and mining of tungsten, tin and other mines, and truly create a stable environment for the mine to make full use of copper resources and promote the hydrometallurgical development of copper oxide ore. .

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