A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING COPPER FROM

摘要

Method for recovering copper from sulphidic copper and iron bearing ores in which the copper is precipitated onto a cathode (6) in an electrochemical diaphragm cell (1) divided into a cathode chamber (8) and an anode chamber (9), and in which the iron is precipitated as an oxidized readily filtered precipitate. The invention is characterized by mixing the ore with an electrolyte containing an effective quantity of chloride-ions to form a suspension, whereafter the suspension is caused to flow over anode surfaces (15) present in the anode chamber (9) in order to ensure supply of suspension to the anode surfaces (15) and to increase the contact between suspension and anode surfaces (15). The anodic current density is selected as high as possible in dependence on the rate at which suspension is caused to flow over the anode surfaces (15) without liberating chlorine from the suspension. The invention also relates to an electrolytic cell for carrying out the method.