METHOD FOR LEACHING OF ORE CONTAINING COPPER AND COBALT

摘要

The invention relates to a method for leaching an ore containing copper and cobalt in a reactor, where the copper and cobalt minerals of the ore are mainly oxidic and partially sulphidic. The copper and cobalt of the ground ore are leached at ambient pressure by means of a solution containing sulphuric acid, the pH of which has been regulated to the region of 0.8 - 3. The temperature has been adjusted at the start or at some stage of leaching to be above 5O0C and a maximum of the boiling point of the solution in order to leach the oxidic and sulphidic part of the ore. Oxygen-containing gas may be used as an aid to leaching.