Hydrometallurgical extn. esp. of zinc from complex sulphide - by combined leaching and flotation using same soln. and gas

摘要

In a hydrometallurgical extraction process comprising (i) leaching in the presence of a gas which reacts with the solid material being leached or with the leaching medium and (ii) flotation to separate the leached cpds., the leaching medium is used as the flotation liq. and the same gas is used in flotation as is used in leaching. Pref. leaching and flotation are effected simultaneously under a reactive gas pressure of at least 1 (pref. 2-8) bar. The reactive gas is pref. oxygen. The process is used esp. for extraction of zinc and sulphur from complex sulphide minerals. High Zn recoveries are obtd., together with simultaneous regeneration of the leaching medium and separation of iron from the leach soln.