Zinc recovery process
First Claim
1. A process for the recovery of zinc metal from a zinc mineral which may have iron therein, comprising the steps of:
- (i) leaching the zinc mineral wherein the zinc leaching step consists of a single stage using a solution including a halide species formed from two or more different halides, to leach the zinc into the solution(ii) passing the solution from (i) to an aeration stage in which air is introduced to oxidize and precipitate iron present in the mineral;
(iii) electrolysing the zinc-bearing solution from (ii) to yield zinc metal and to generate the halide species; and
(iv) returning the electrolysed solution including the halide species to the leaching step.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process for the recovery of zinc metal from a zinc mineral includes the steps of leaching the zinc mineral in a solution including a halide species formed from two or more different halides, to leach the zinc into the solution. The zinc-bearing solution is then electrolyzed to yield zinc metal and to generate the halide species. The electrolyzed solution including the halide species is then returned to the leaching step. A portion of the electrolyzed solution can be removed as a bleed stream from a cathode compartment of an electrolytic cell of the electrolysis process and processed to remove manganese as manganese dioxide precipitate by adding thereto limestone, and the halide species from an anode compartment of the electrolysis process. In this regard, the pH and Eh of the solution can regulated in a manner that favors the formation of the manganese dioxide precipitate over the formation of a precipitate of zinc.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A process for the recovery of zinc metal from a zinc mineral which may have iron therein, comprising the steps of:
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(i) leaching the zinc mineral wherein the zinc leaching step consists of a single stage using a solution including a halide species formed from two or more different halides, to leach the zinc into the solution (ii) passing the solution from (i) to an aeration stage in which air is introduced to oxidize and precipitate iron present in the mineral; (iii) electrolysing the zinc-bearing solution from (ii) to yield zinc metal and to generate the halide species; and (iv) returning the electrolysed solution including the halide species to the leaching step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification