Increase in Zinc Recovery from a Silicate Concentrate …
251
Fig. 2 Overall recovery of silicate leaching steps comprising pre-neutralization
entirely leached under the pre-neutralization process conditions. This fact can be
illustrated below (Fig. 2).
By scaling up this process, a high level of automation is needed in order to guarantee process stabilization once the leaching conditions are quite sensible to parameters
such as: attack solution flow, temperature, pulp flow and flow of repulped cake for
pre-neutralizing the under flow slurry.
Conclusion
The pre-neutralization step applied to the silicate circuit in Três Marias’ industrial
zinc facility was studied. A simple modification in the silicate leaching process
showed a higher zinc recovery which figured at 0.64% on average compared to the
current process conditions. This was decisively achieved using the same inlet to the
leaching process as the neutralizing agent. Finally, these modifications did not require
any other process parameter modification such as extra neutralizing consumption in
the subsequent steps.
References
1. Abkhoshk E et al (2014) Review of hydrometallurgical processing of non-sulfide zinc ores.
Hydrometallurgy 149
2. Cun-Xiong L et al (2009) Pressure leaching of zinc silicate ore in sulfuric acid medium. Trans
Nonferrous Met Soc China 20
251
Fig. 2 Overall recovery of silicate leaching steps comprising pre-neutralization
entirely leached under the pre-neutralization process conditions. This fact can be
illustrated below (Fig. 2).
By scaling up this process, a high level of automation is needed in order to guarantee process stabilization once the leaching conditions are quite sensible to parameters
such as: attack solution flow, temperature, pulp flow and flow of repulped cake for
pre-neutralizing the under flow slurry.
Conclusion
The pre-neutralization step applied to the silicate circuit in Três Marias’ industrial
zinc facility was studied. A simple modification in the silicate leaching process
showed a higher zinc recovery which figured at 0.64% on average compared to the
current process conditions. This was decisively achieved using the same inlet to the
leaching process as the neutralizing agent. Finally, these modifications did not require
any other process parameter modification such as extra neutralizing consumption in
the subsequent steps.
References
1. Abkhoshk E et al (2014) Review of hydrometallurgical processing of non-sulfide zinc ores.
Hydrometallurgy 149
2. Cun-Xiong L et al (2009) Pressure leaching of zinc silicate ore in sulfuric acid medium. Trans
Nonferrous Met Soc China 20