Acid curing and agglomeration for heap leaching

Jianming Lu, David Dreisinger, Paul West-Sells

PII: S0304-386X(16)30241-9
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.10.019
Reference: HYDROM 4455

To appear in: Hydrometallurgy

Received date: 12 May 2016

Revised date: 10 October 2016
Accepted date: 21 October 2016

Please cite this article as: Lu, Jianming, Dreisinger, David, West-Sells,
Paul, Acid curing and agglomeration for heap leaching, Hydrometallurgy (2016),
doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.10.019

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Acid curing and agglomeration for heap leaching

Jianming Lua, David Dreisingera, Paul West-Sellsb

a
Department of Materials Engineering, University of British Columbia,
309-6350 Stores Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4

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b
Placer Dome Technical Services Ltd., 323 Alexander Street,
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6A 1C4

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ABSTRACT

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The impact of acid treatment in agglomeration/acid curing on copper extraction

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and acid consumption was investigated with respect to acid dosage and moisture.
Without the addition of water, no agglomeration occurred. At an acid dosage above 15
kg/t, the acid was not completely consumed during acid curing. With the addition of a
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suitable amount of water, the particles well agglomerated together. Copper, iron,
magnesium and manganese were dissolved as sulfates and concentrated in the fine
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fraction of the ore. The copper extraction and net acid consumption increased with
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increasing acid dosage. The copper extraction for acid curing with the addition of 6.2%
water was higher than that without the addition of water due to the improved
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permeability of a heap and the increase in the water-soluble copper. During acid curing,
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the reaction of sulfuric acid with muscovite, abite and nacrite mainly took place on the
surface of the particles while the reaction of sulfuric acid with clinochlore occurred not
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only on the surface but also through the particles. This work contributes a case study to
the body of knowledge on curing/agglomeration, which is currently relying essentially on
empirical trial-and-error adjustment of conditions in practice. Further investigation is
needed to develop fundamental understanding of acid curing and agglomeration for
better operating practice.

Key words: Acid curing  Agglomeration  Copper heap leaching

1. Introduction

Acid curing and agglomeration are generally used prior to heap leaching of copper
oxide and secondary sulfide ores to improve the copper extraction process.
Agglomeration is used to bind fine particles to coarse ones to increases the permeability
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of an ore heap while acid curing inhibits the dissolution of some silicates and accelerates
copper extraction.

Nearly all silicate structures can be classified as the following six groups: (1)

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independent tetrahedral structure (SiO44-), (2) double tetrahedral structure (Si2O76-), (3)
ring structure ((Si3O9)6-, (Si4O12)8- and (Si6O18)12-), (4) chain structure ((Si3O96-)n and

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(Si4O116-)n), (5) sheet structure (Si2O52-)n and (6) three dimensional network (SiO2)n. The

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action of acids on a silicate produces one of the following results (Terry, 1983a): (1)
complete breakdown of the silicate structure, resulting in the dissolution of metal cations

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and silica and the formation of silica gel due to polymerization of silica in aqueous
solution, (2) partial decomposition of the silicate structure, leading to the dissolution of
cations and leaving a siliceous residue, (3) no reaction. The first three structures are
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prone to acid decomposition and dissolve. The infinite structures (chain, sheet and
framework) are not easily broken down into smaller silicate units and generally partially
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dissolve leaving siliceous residue. If aluminum or ferric iron replaces silicon in the
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structure, the strength of the infinite structure weakens and leads to a greater
susceptibility to acid attack (Murata, 1943; Terry, 1983a). The equilibrium solubility of
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amorphous silica is very low. However, a supersaturated solution can be formed and the
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silica polymerizes to produce a silica gel. The formation of a silica gel can have serious
consequences in the subsequent processing of the leach liquor. In heap or dump leaching,
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a gelatinous precipitate may blind the ore particles and result in poorer leaching kinetics
and recoveries. Gel formation can also severely hinder subsequent solvent extraction, ion
exchange and electrolysis stages.

Dehydration of polymeric silica results in precipitation of amorphous silica to prevent

the formation of silica gel by (1) starving the solution of water, (2) employing strong acid
solution at or above boiling point, (3) precipitation procedures at high pressure and
temperature (Terry, 1983b). Acid curing is a pretreatment in which concentrated sulfuric
acid is added to a crushed ore to start reactions with acid soluble metals and gangue
minerals to inhibit the formation of silica gel by dehydration.
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Although acid curing and agglomeration are used in commercial heap leaching of
copper, there is very little systematic information available. The practice of acid curing
and agglomeration seems to fall largely in the realm of experience and practice. The

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optimized conditions of acid curing and agglomeration (acid requirement, crushed ore
particle size, curing requirement-weak or strong curing, and moisture) are dependent on

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the size distribution of gangue and copper minerals and the overall mineralogy (Baum,
1999). Mineralogy analysis provides data to set conditions for acid curing and

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agglomeration.

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From the literature, the moisture content of the ore for agglomeration is in the range
from 5 to 10% while the time for acid curing is generally one to five days (Alvarez et al.,
1996; Cruz et al., 1980, Lindsay, 1994; Pazour, 1981). Acid curing caused dehydration
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of some silicate minerals (Reaction 1), inhibiting the silicate dissolution (Iler, 1979). The
absence of the hydroxyl group renders the surface hydrophobic and virtually insoluble in
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aqueous solution. Under the conditions of acid curing and agglomeration, the copper
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extraction rate is improved by the sulfation of copper ore, there is an enhanced

permeability of the ore and a reduction of competition for acid by passivating the acid-
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consuming gangue.
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(1)

At the Zaldivar mine site in Chile, 150,000 tons per year of copper is recovered by
heap leach – SX/EW process (Zaldivar, 2016). The crushed ore is treated by
agglomeration and acid curing prior to heap leaching.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of acid curing/agglomeration
of the Zaldivar ore on copper extraction and acid consumption,

2. Experimental
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The agglomeration was conducted in a 25-L plastic bottle, which was placed on a 20-
inclined bottle roller. The ore was first placed into the bottle and then fed with a required
amount of water during tumbling. Concentrated sulfuric acid (98%) was successively

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added after 15 seconds at four acid dosages of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg/t respectively. After 5
minutes of tumbling, the ore was transferred into a sealed bucket for 2 weeks of acid

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curing.

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The acid-cured ore was placed in a column holding 5 kg of ore. After flushing the
loaded column using argon to remove oxygen, the feed solution was pumped through the

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column from its bottom to top using a peristaltic pump, and then the over-flow was
collected in a sealed bucket. The flow rate was adjusted to 14.2 L/hr/m2 and it took 9
days to pass 25-L feed solution through the column.
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The column was made of ABS plastic material. The inside diameter and height of the
column were 10.2 and 59 cm respectively. A perforated disk was placed near the bottom
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to support the ore. The distance between the disk and the column bottom was 2 cm. Glass
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fiber was placed on the perforated disk to prevent the fine particle from falling and
blocking the flow. A perforated disk was also placed on the top of the ore and there was a
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layer of glass fiber between the perforated disk and the ore so that the fine particles were
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blocked by the glass fiber to prevent any elutriation of fines out of the ore bed.

The particle size distribution of the Zaldivar ore sample received from Placer Dome
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(now Barrick Gold) is given in Table 1. The free water content was 0.3%. The chemical
composition is summarized in Table 2.

Table 1 - Particle size distribution of the Zaldivar ore

Size (mm) < 0.3 0.3–0.85 0.85–2.0 2.0–3.35 3.35–6.3 6.3–9.5 9.5-12.5 >12.5
Distribution (%) 10.0 9.66 5.76 7.32 18.63 17.04 13.17 18.42

Table 2 - Contents of the main elements (%) in the ore

Elements Cu Fe Ca Zn Mg Mn S2- S(SO42-)
Feed bulk 1.19 2.88 0.49 0.032 0.56 0.022 - -

This feed solution was prepared using deionized water, technical grade aluminum and
magnesium sulfates, reagent grade sodium chloride, manganese sulfate and sulfuric acid.
The solution pH was adjusted to 1.5 by adding a 2M sulfuric acid solution. Finally 10 ml
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of 2% thymol solution was added as bactericide. The feed solution composition was 20
g/L Al, 18 g/L Mg, 1.2 g/L Mn and 1.3 g/L Cl, which was a typical solution composition
after the copper solvent extraction at the Zaldivar plant site. The leached ore was filtered

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and washed with deionized water using Whatman No. 42 filtration paper. The samples
were analyzed by ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma)

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3. Results and discussion

3.1. Agglomeration and acid curing without the addition of water

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Without the addition of water, very little agglomeration occurred after acid curing for
two weeks. This suggests that a minimum moisture level is necessary for effective
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agglomeration. Without the addition of water, such a small amount of sulfuric acid could
not be uniformly distributed in the ore since the ore was only partially wetted by sulfuric
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acid. Some particles were not contacted with sulfuric acid. No gelatinous silica was
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produced or the surfaces of the particles were not activated to chemically cement
particles for agglomeration.
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At an acid dosage of 15 kg/t, the concentrations of copper, iron, calcium and zinc in
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the over-flow reached their maximum values in the first day and then decreased while the
concentration of silicon was around 16 mg/L and it practically did not change with time
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(Figure 1). Most of water-soluble copper, iron, calcium and zinc were dissolved and
flushed from the column in the first day. Similar results were obtained at acid dosages of
5, 10 and 20 kg/t. A higher acid dosage resulted in generation of more water-soluble
copper, iron, calcium and zinc in the leachate. The concentration of silicon did not
change significantly with acid dosage.

The solution pH vs. time is shown in Figure 2. At 5 kg/t of sulfuric acid, the pH first
increased to a maximum value (1.57) and then decreased. After 3 days, the pH stabilized
at approximately 1.54, which was only higher than the feed solution pH by 0.04. At 10
kg/t of sulfuric acid, the pH increased by 0.04 in the first day and then stabilized at 1.53.
At 15 kg/t of sulfuric acid, the pH decreased to 1.44, then increased slowly and finally
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stabilized around 1.52 after 6 days. At 20 kg/t of sulfuric acid, the pH decreased from
1.49 to 1.35 in the first day and then gradually increased to 1.51. The decrease in the pH
indicates that at a sulfuric acid dosage above 15 kg/t, the sulfuric acid added was not

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completely consumed.

As shown in Figure 3, the extraction rate of copper decreased with increasing time

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since the less water-soluble copper was available for extraction. With increasing acid

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dosage, the extraction of copper increased with increasing acid dosage due to the increase
in the water-soluble copper. The similar extraction trends were observed for iron and

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zinc. The silicon dissolution rate practically did not change with increasing acid dosage
from 5 to 20 Kg/t, indicating that in that acid dosage range, some silicate surfaces were
not altered to such a condition that their dissolution was suppressed.
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It was difficult to accurately analyze the concentrations of aluminum, magnesium,
manganese and sodium dissolved from the ore with the large background concentrations
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of these elements in the feed solution. The extraction behavior of these elements is not
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discussed.
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Figure 1 Concentrations of copper, iron, calcium, zinc and silicon as a function of time at
a sulfuric acid dosage of 15 kg/t.
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Figure 2 pH vs. time after acid curing without the addition of water.
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Figure 3 Copper extraction vs. time after acid curing without the addition of water.
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With increasing acid dosage from 5 to 20 kg/t, the extractions of copper and iron
increased from 14.9 to 22.9% and from 2.3 to 6.0 % respectively (Table 3). The acid
consumption in column leaching decreased from 2.7 to –0.5 kg/t. A negative acid

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consumption in leaching means that the acid concentration in the leachate (overflow) was
larger than that in the initial feed solution. The acid added in agglomeration was likely

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not completely consumed in acid curing. The leachate was not collected in an inert

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environment and thus the ferrous iron in the leachate was oxidized to some extent by air,
resulting in a slightly higher acid consumption. The net acid consumption increased with

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increasing acid dosage as more acid reacted with gangue minerals.
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Table 3 - Effect of acid dosage on extractions of copper and iron, and acid consumption
(kg sulfuric acid per tonne of ore) in the case of acid curing without the addition of water
Acid Copper Iron Acid consumption Acid credit Final net acid
dosage Extraction Extraction in leaching (kg/t)* consumption
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( kg/t) (%) (%) (kg/t) (kg/t)

5 14.9 2.3 2.7 2.8 4.9
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10 17.6 4.1 1.9 3.2 8.7

15 22.9 6.0 1.2 3.8 12.4
20 25.7 8.0 -0.5 4.3 15.2
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* Acid credit is calculated based on the acid predicted to be generated in copper solvent
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extraction based on the copper concentration of the leachate.

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3.2 Agglomeration and acid curing with the addition of 6.2% moisture

The agglomeration and acid curing were conducted with the addition of 6.2% water at
acid dosages of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg/t respectively. The amount of water added was
recommended by Zaldivar metallurgists. After acid curing for two weeks, agglomeration
occurred for all four acid dosages. With the addition of water, the gelatinous silica was
probably formed and bonded the particles together as reported by Murat (1943). The
other particle binding mechanisms (such as adhesion and cohesion forces, mobile liquid
binding, attraction forces between solids, and mechanical interlocking) probably also
occurred during agglomeration as reviewed by Moats and Janwong (2008).
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The concentrations of copper, iron, calcium and zinc reached their maximum values in
the first day and then decreased while the concentration of silicon was maintained
constant (Figure 4). The extractions of these four elements increased with increasing acid

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dosage.

The solution pH first increased, then decreased and finally stabilized (Figure 5). The

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acid was consumed relatively quickly in the initial three days. The acid added during

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agglomeration was completely consumed with pH always higher than the pH of the feed
solution. This phenomenon was quite different from that without the addition of water

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(Figure 2).

As shown in Figure 6, in the first two days, copper was dissolved quickly while after
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two or three days, only a small amount of copper was extracted. The extraction of copper
increased with increasing acid dosage. Similar extraction behavior was observed for iron
and zinc. The calcium extraction was not sensitive to the acid dosage as the calcium
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concentration is determined by gypsum solubility. With increasing acid dosage from 5 to

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10 kg/t, the silicon dissolution was suppressed in the first day while after two days, the
silicon dissolution rate at an acid dosage of 5 kg/t was close to that at an acid dosage of
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10 kg/t. With further increasing acid dosage, the silicon dissolution was not sensitive to
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the acid dosage. The silicon concentration was around 25 mg/L.

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Figure 4 Concentrations of copper, iron, calcium, zinc and silicon as a function of time
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with the addition of 15 kg/t sulfuric acid and 6.2% water

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Figure 5 - pH vs. time after acid curing with the addition of 6.2% water
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Figure 6 - Copper extraction vs. time after acid curing with the addition of 6.2% water
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The extractions of copper and iron, and acid consumptions are summarized in Table
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4. With increasing acid dosage from 5 to 20 kg/t, the extractions of copper and iron
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increased from 23.5 to 31.6% and from 2.5 to 10.2% respectively.

The acid consumption in leaching decreased from 4.5 to 3.6 kg/t, which was higher
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than that for acid curing without the addition of water. The leachate was not collected in
an inert environment. The analysis of the total and ferrous iron indicated that 5-15% of
iron existed as ferric ions. The ferric iron was probably partially from the ferrous
oxidation by air and partially from the dissolution from the ore. The ferrous oxidation by
air resulted in a higher acid consumption. The net acid consumption increased with
increasing acid dosage.
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Table 4 - Effect of acid dosage on extractions of copper and iron, and acid consumption
(kg sulfuric acid per tonne of ore) in the case of acid curing with the addition of 6.2%
water
Acid Copper Iron Acid consumption Acid credit Final net acid
dosage Extraction Extraction in leaching (kg/t)* consumption

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( kg/t) (%) (%) (kg/t) (kg/t)
5 23.5 2.5 4.5 3.6 5.9
10 26.8 5.1 4.3 4.2 10.1

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15 29.4 7.4 4.1 4.6 14.5
20 31.6 10.2 3.6 5.0 18.6

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* Acid credit is calculated based on the acid generated in copper solvent extraction.

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3.3. X-Ray diffraction analyses

After acid curing, the phase change in the bulk ore was so small that it was difficult to
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detect by X-ray diffraction. The phase change was larger for small particles since most of
the acid reacted with finer particles. A fine fraction of the ore sample (with a particle size
of less than 0.3mm) was taken using a sieve for X-ray analyses. The fine ore contained:
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quartz, muscovite, clinochlore, albite, gypsum, nacrite and pyrite (Figure 7). Albite
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belongs to the plagioclase group of the tektosilicate subclass. Muscovite, clinochlore and
nacrite (a type of kaolinite) belong to the phyllosilicate subclass. After acid curing, some
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peaks disappeared or were suppressed and several new peaks appeared due to the
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formation of new minerals.

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With the addition of 6.2% water, the clinochlore peak at 2 = 6.2 (Peak 1) became
broader and another peak around 2 = 25 (Peak 7) was depressed due to the reaction of
clinochore with sulfuric acid. Five new peaks (Peaks 2 to 6) appeared. Four peaks
(Peaks 3, 4, 5, 6) best matched MgSO4(H2O)6. Peaks 2 and 5 probably resulted from
FeSO4(H2O)5. The main peaks of CuSO4(H2O)5 were located at the places of Peaks 2
and 6 and 2 = 18.7. Probably FeSO4(H2O)5, MgSO4(H2O)6 and CuSO4(H2O)5 all
existed. The magnesium sulfate and part of the iron sulfate were produced from the
reaction of clinochlore with sulfuric acid while the copper sulfate was probably produced
by the reaction of copper oxide with sulfuric acid. After leaching and washing, the six
new peaks and the peaks belonging to gypsum disappeared, indicating these three species
dissolved in the solution.
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Without the addition of water, the clinochlore peak (2 = 6.2) shifted by 0.4 to Peak
1. Two clinochlore peaks (Peaks 6 and 7 at 2 = 18.6 and 24.6 respectively)
disappeared. Two peaks at 2 = 11.8 and 29.1 for gypsum (CaSO4(H2O)2) disappeared.

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Three new peaks (2 = 15.6, 16.0 and 18.2) appeared. CaSO4 and Ca(HSO4)2, were
possibly be produced from the reaction of gypsum with pure sulfuric acid. The main

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peaks of CaSO4 and Ca(HSO4)2 overlapped with those for quartz, muscovite, albite and

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nacrite.

Three new peaks (Peaks 3 to 5) best matched FeSO4(H2O)5 or MgSO4 (H2O)4 (the

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main peaks of these two species overlapped). The peak at 2 = 6.7 (Peak 1) was either
due to altered clinochlore or the product from the reaction of clinochlore with sulfuric
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acid. After leaching and washing, these four peaks disappeared.
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Q A- Abite N – Nacrite
M Q
C- Clinochlore P – Pyrite
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G - Gypsum Q - Quartz
Q M – Muscovite
Q
N Q
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C M C C
C A A C M Q
A P M N QQ Q
Intensity

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G M A M M C M
AA C A G M C A M P P A
1 Untreated
4 7 89 10
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2 5
3 6

1 Cured without addition of water

6 7
2 45 8
3

Cured with addition of 6.2% water

3 10 20 30 40 50 60

2 / 
2-Theta - Scale
Figure 7 - X-ray diffraction patterns of feed fine fraction untreated, acid-cured without
addition of water, and acid-cured with addition of 6.2% water
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3.4. SEM and EDX analysis

Most of particles consisted of O, Si, Al, Mg, K and Na. A few particles consisted of
O, S, Cu and Fe. Some particles with a Fe/S mole ratio of 1:2 and a Cu/S molar ratio of

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2:1 were detected. These particles were possibly pyrite and chalcocite.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, after acid treatment without addition of water, the

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particle morphology was different from that without acid treatment. After acid treatment

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with the addition of 6.2% water, the morphology changed significantly (Figure 10).
Small particles were well bonded to large ones.

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Figure 8 SEM image of the Zaldivar ore without any treatment before leaching
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Figure 9 SEM image of the Zaldivar ore treated with 20 kg/t H2SO4 and without the
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addition of water before leaching

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Figure 10 SEM image of the ore treated at 20 kg/t H2SO4 and with the addition of 6.2%
water before leaching.
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3.5. Chemical Analysis

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The sulfur species and the main metal elements were analyzed (Table 5). Before
curing, the contents of copper, iron and zinc in the fine fraction of the sample were nearly

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twice those in the bulk feed while the contents of magnesium and manganese in the fine

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fraction were close to those in the bulk. The aluminum content was around 8.8% in both
bulk and fine fraction. The content of elemental sulfur in all the samples was below

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0.01%.

After treatment with 20 kg/t H2SO4 and no water, the contents of metals and sulfide
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species did not change much. The differences between these assay values were due to
sampling and the analytical error. The content of sulfur as sulfate increased from 0.15 to
2.16% due to the addition of sulfuric acid. If the sulfuric acid was uniformly distributed
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in the sample, the content of S as sulfate should be 0.65%. Therefore the sulfuric acid
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was enriched in the fine fraction of the sample. After leaching and washing, the contents
of copper, iron, calcium and zinc, magnesium and manganese in the fine fraction
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decreased much more than those in the bulk. The sulfide content decreased very slightly,
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indicating that copper and iron were probably not extracted from their sulfides. After
leaching and washing, the content of S as sulfate decreased from 2.16 to 0.01%. Nearly
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all sulfate species were extracted into the solution. If copper, iron, calcium and zinc and
magnesium were extracted only from their sulfate compounds (produced during the acid-
treatment), the dissolution of these metal sulfates accounted for over 90% of the total
sulfate dissolution and undissolved gypsum likely accounted for the rest of 10%. During
acid curing, the sulfides of these metals were nearly not attacked and some other
compounds of these metals were converted to their sulfate compounds.
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Table 5 - Contents of the main elements (%) in the ore under different conditions*
Elements Cu Fe Ca Zn Mg Mn S2- S(SO42-)
Feed bulk 1.19 2.88 0.49 0.032 0.56 0.022 - -
Feed fine 2.61 4.25 0.48 0.053 0.55 0.025 3.16 0.15

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Agglomeration and curing condition: 20 kg/t H2SO4 and no addition of water
Feed fine cured 2.83 4.34 0.48 0.052 0.54 0.023 3.05 2.16
Residue fine 1.72 3.75 0.31 0.038 0.33 0.013 3.08 0.01

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Residue bulk 0.89 2.71 0.43 0.026 0.53 0.019 - -
Agglomeration and curing condition: 20 kg/t H2SO4 and addition of 6.2% water

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Feed fine cured 4.54 6.33 0.40 0.094 1.16 0.043 2.47 4.22
Residue fine 1.94 4.21 0.30 0.036 0.37 0.013 3.78 0.04
Residue bulk 0.85 2.56 0.41 0.024 0.46 0.017 - -

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* Feed fine: fine fraction of a bulk sample (particle size below 0.3 mm). Residue fine:
fine fraction of a bulk
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After the treatment with 20 kg/t H2SO4 and 6.2% water, the contents of copper, zinc,
magnesium and manganese in the fine fraction were almost doubled while the iron
content increased from 4.25 to 6.33%. Copper, iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese
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were dissolved as their sulfates and enriched in the fine fraction. The calcium content in
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the fine fraction after curing was smaller than that before since the formation of metal
sulfate hydrates (CuSO4(H2O)5, FeSO4(H2O)5, MgSO4(H2O)6 and etc.) increased the
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mass of the fine fraction by ~15%. The content of the sulfide decreased from 3.16 to
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2.47% mainly due to the mass increase and possibly due to the oxidation of sulfides to
some extent. The content of S as sulfate increased from 0.15 to 4.22% due to the
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accumulation of metal sulfates in the fine fraction.

After leaching and washing, the contents of copper, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium
and manganese significantly decreased. The dissolution of these metal sulfate hydrates
(CuSO4(H2O)5, FeSO4(H2O)5, MgSO4(H2O)6 and etc.) resulted in ~35% mass decrease.
The content of sulfide increased from 2.47 to 3.78% since the mass decreased, and the
sulfides were not oxidized during leaching. The sulfates were almost completely
extracted into the solution. From the calculation based on the changes in the contents of
copper, iron and magnesium, and the mass, the dissolution of CuSO4(H2O)5,
FeSO4(H2O)5, and MgSO4(H2O)6 accounted for close to 100% sulfate extraction.
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Clinochlore is often written as (Mg, Fe, Al)6(Si, Al)4O10(OH)8. The octahedral

sheets in the mineral are occupied by mainly Mg and others (Al, Fe3+, Fe2+, Mn, Cr, Ni
and Zn) while the tetrahedral sheets are filled by mainly Si, Al (up to 50%) and

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sometimes Fe3+. The X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that the clinochlore in the
Zaldivar ore is best written as (Mg2.96Fe(III)1.55Fe(II)0.136Al1.275)(Si2.622Al1.376)O10(OH)8.

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The octahedral sheets are occupied by Mg, Fe2+, Fe3+ and Al, and the tetrahedral sheets
by Si and Al. During acid curing, the reaction of sulfuric acid with muscovite, nacrite and

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albite probably occurred mainly on their surfaces. The reaction of sulfuric acid with
clinochlore not only took place on the surface, but also throughout the clinochlore

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particles so that the structure of clinochlore was destroyed or altered. This is evident
from the fact that no clinochlore remained detectable in the residue after curing.
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Magnesium, iron and aluminum sulfates, water and silica were produced successively.
Copper and iron oxides also reacted with sulfuric acid to form copper and iron sulfates.
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4. CONCLUSIONS

The acid treatment or the Zaldivar ore without the addition of water resulted in very
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limited agglomeration. At an acid dosage above 15 kg/t, the sulfuric acid was not
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completely consumed during the agglomeration process. With increasing acid dosage, the
copper extraction increased due to the increase in the water-soluble copper. The net acid
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consumption increased with increasing acid dosage. The silicon dissolution was not
sensitive to acid dosage in the range from 5 to 20 kg/t.

With the addition of 6.2% water, the acid treatment resulted in agglomeration.
Magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and etc. were dissolved as sulfates and enriched in the fine
fraction of the ore. With increasing acid dosage, the copper extraction increased while
the acid consumption in leaching decreased. The net acid consumption increased with
increasing acid dosage. The silicon dissolution was not sensitive to the acid dosage in
range from 5 to 20 kg/t. A higher acid dosage resulted in production of more water-
soluble copper, iron and zinc. The extraction of copper with the addition of 6.2% water
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was higher than those without addition of water due to the improved permeability of a
heap and the increase in the water-soluble copper.

During acid curing, the reaction of sulfuric acid with muscovite, albite and nacrite

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probably took place on the surface of the particles while the reaction of sulfuric acid with
clinochlore occurred not only on the surface but also throughout the particles. The

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reaction products were magnesium, iron and aluminum sulfates. Copper and iron oxides

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reacted with sulfuric acid to form copper and iron sulfates. These metal sulfates were
dissolved and enriched in the fine fraction of ore. During the column leaching, the metal

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sulfates were flushed out.

Agglomeration/curing is currently being practiced empirically. This work contributes

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a case study to the body of knowledge on curing/agglomeration. It is recommended that
further research needs to understand them using different techniques and then predict the
optimal conditions for agglomeration and acid conditions
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Acknowledgements
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The authors would like to thank Placer Dome (now Barrick Gold) for funding this project
and allowing for publication.
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References

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Iler, R., K., 1979, The Chemistry of silica solubility, polymerization, colloid and surface
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Agglomeration occurred with the addition of suitable amounts of water and acid
Copper extraction was significantly improved after the acid curing.
Cu, Fe, and etc. were dissolved and enriched in the fine fraction of the ore during acid
curing.
Each mineral behaved differently during acid, which was dependent on its own property.

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