Abstract

Although the importance of black copper ores is well established, many topics remain to be studied. This manuscript describes the efforts to improve copper recovery from refractory ores on a pilot scale. Preliminary tests provided the water dose to form a stable and compact agglomerate of 89 L per ton of ore and an acid dosage of 40 kg per ton of ore. The column leaching method resulted in an effluent with 1.63 g/L Cu, a pH of 1.04, and a redox potential of 675 mV (average). Despite the similarities observed in the results, reductant agents were essential to dissolve the MnO4 present in the black copper ore. Thus, the best Mn extraction results were 67.7% using the MnO2:FeSO4 ratio of 1:3. Additionally, the kinetics of leaching are slower than in an industrial operation. The copper ore under study required more than 65 days of leaching to reach the maximum copper recovery. Finally, the total recovery of copper (including washing and resting time) indicates that the maximum value was reached for ore pretreated with NaCl, H2SO4, and FeSO4, concluding that the use of agents favored leaching.