A method of processing a pyrite-containing slurry including removing pyrite from the pyrite-containing slurry and forming (i) an inert stream and (ii) a pyrite-containing material. Using the pyrite-containing material in a downstream leach step in which pyrite in the pyrite-containing material generates acid and heat that facilitates leaching a metal, such as copper or nickel or zinc or cobalt, from a metal-containing material.

A metal furnace header gate system haying a recirculation port in the furnace, a hot gas generator, a gas blower, and a furnace door. The door has an embedded gas manifold and outlet ports that each connect the manifold to a directional nozzle. The blower draws exhaust from the recirculation port into the hot gas generator, which generates additional exhaust and mixes the exhaust gases together. The blower forces this exhaust mixture into the manifold, through the nozzles, and into the furnace. A computer controls the blower and the hot gas generator to regulate the system.

A method of separating grains of valuable minerals, precious metals, rare-earth metals, precious and semi-precious stones from natural ores in the aquatic environment by means of the phenomenon of adhesion, consecutively covering stages such as: initial separation consisting in sieving fractions up to 5000 μm from alluvial (rubble) ore or crushing primary (rock) ore to a fraction causing the separation of valuable minerals from gangue and where appropriate separating ferromagnetics from ores by means of a known method; forming the suspension by mixing the initially separated fraction of ore with liquid; adsorption of valuable minerals from the suspension on the adhesive coating and also recovering water from the process; and desorption of particles of valuable minerals from the adhesive coating; wherein lanolin or its mixtures with additives are used to form the adhesive coating in the separator, whereby, the content of lanolin in the mixture is not less than 80%.

A process of extracting copper from copper sulphide minerals which is enhanced at solution potentials exceeding 700 mV SHE, in the absence of any microorganism, by contacting the minerals in a pre-treatment phase using an acid solution at a high chloride content containing dissolved copper.

A reactor system has a number of stations arranged to recover mineral particles in a slurry. The system includes a hopper to receive the slurry and barren media having hydrophobic coating to attract the mineral particles. The hopper provides a mixture of barren media and slurry to a tumbler arranged to stir the mixture in order to increase the contact between the slurry and the barren media so as to allow the mineral particles to attach to the barren media to form mineral laden media. The mineral laden media are conveyed to a rinsing station where water jets are used to wash the gangue materials off the mineral laden media. The rinsed mineral laden media are mixed with a surfactant so that the mineral particles are released from the mineral laden media. High-pressure water and air jets are then used to remove remaining surfactant from the released media.

A reactor system has a number of stations arranged to recover mineral particles in a slurry. The system includes a hopper to receive the slurry and barren media having hydrophobic coating to attract the mineral particles. The hopper provides a mixture of barren media and slurry to a tumbler arranged to stir the mixture in order to increase the contact between the slurry and the barren media so as to allow the mineral particles to attach to the barren media to form mineral laden media. The mineral laden media are conveyed to a rinsing station where water jets are used to wash the gangue materials off the mineral laden media. The rinsed mineral laden media are mixed with a surfactant so that the mineral particles are released from the mineral laden media. High-pressure water and air jets are then used to remove remaining surfactant from the released media.

A system for separating mineral particles of interest from an ore features mineral processing operations/stages/circuits configured to receive an ore, or mineral particles or concentrates formed by processing the ore, and provide processed mineral particles or concentrates, or a waste stream, for further enhanced mineral separation downstream processing; an enhanced mineral separation processor having a collection apparatus located therein, the collection apparatus having a collection surface configured with a functionalized polymer including molecules having a functional group configured to attract the mineral particles of interest to the collection surface, the enhanced mineral separation processor receive the processed mineral particles or concentrates, or the waste stream, and provide further enhanced downstream processed mineral particles or concentrates, or a further enhanced downstream processed waste stream; and a high intensity conditioning operation, stage or circuit configured to apply a high intensity form of energy to the processed mineral particles or concentrates, or the waste stream, prior to further enhanced mineral separation downstream processing by the enhanced mineral separation processor.

Processing waste materials to recover valuable metals, such as copper, from the materials. Waste materials are further refined to concentrate the metallic material after the waste materials are initially processed. Processes include employing air separation and screening. Processes also include employing a dynamic sensor and a vacuum pressure separator to separate metals from other materials. A central processing facility may process metal concentrate from multiple concentration facilities.

Methods of reducing copper metal content of shredded scrap steel are provided. The method includes continuously separating a first scrap steel fraction from an amount of scrap steel concurrently with separating a second fraction from the amount of scrap steel; continuously separating the second fraction and providing a nonmagnetic fraction and, concurrently, a third scrap steel fraction; grinding the nonmagnetic fraction followed by magnetic separation to provide a fourth scrap steel fraction and, concurrently, an enriched nonmagnetic fraction; continuously combining the first scrap steel fraction, the third scrap steel fraction, and the fourth scrap steel fraction to obtain a combined scrap steel product comprising scrap steel with reduced copper metal content; and introducing the combined scrap steel product to an electric arc furnace. Systems of reducing copper metal content of shredded scrap steel are also provided.

This invention relates to a process for recovering value metals from sulphide ore, including steps of crushing ore in a primary crusher (14) to a size of about 40 cm and less, passing the crushed ore through one or more of the following pre-beneficiation processes such as bulk sorting (16) and screening (20) followed by coarse floatation (46/50), or gravity separation or magnetic separation. A waste stream (54) from the pre-beneficiation process/es with a particle size greater than 100 μm is stacked in a heap (26) and subjected to a heap leach. This integrated process utilises the pre-beneficiation techniques best suited to the characteristics of a particular orebody; and during the pre-beneficiation simultaneously creating a low grade stream that yields significantly higher recoveries than achievable by normal heap leaching of low grade run of mine ore.