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.

A method for recovering valuables, which can suppress the loss of valuables in recovering the valuables is provided. The method for recovering valuables of the disclosure comprises: a preparation step of preparing a treatment object including a valuables-containing member that contains valuables on or above a surface of a base material; an immersion step of immersing the treatment object in a liquid such that the valuables-containing member of the treatment object is disposed in the liquid; a collection step of irradiating the valuables-containing member of the treatment object immersed in the liquid with laser light through the liquid so as to remove the valuables-containing member from the treatment object, thereby collecting removed matter of the valuables-containing member into the liquid; and a recovery step of recovering the removed matter of the valuables-containing member from the liquid.

Methods of recovering precious metals from unconventional feed water sources. In approaches, the methods use a combination of one or more of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and/or reverse osmosis membranes. The unconventional feed water source may be salt lake brines, coal-fired plant flue-gas scrubber blowdown water, high salinity brines, concentrated brine from desalination of seawater and the like sources. The recovered precious metals may include gold tetrachloride, gold sulfate, silver tetrachloride, silver sulfate, rare earth elements, or mixtures thereof.

Methods of recovering precious metals from unconventional feed water sources. In approaches, the methods use a combination of one or more of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and/or reverse osmosis membranes. The unconventional feed water source may be salt lake brines, coal-fired plant flue-gas scrubber blowdown water, high salinity brines, concentrated brine from desalination of seawater and the like sources. The recovered precious metals may include gold tetrachloride, gold sulfate, silver tetrachloride, silver sulfate, rare earth elements, or mixtures thereof.

The present invention relates to a process for dissolving metals in perhalide containing ionic liquids, and to the extraction of metals from mineral ores; the remediation of materials contaminated with heavy, toxic or radioactive metals; and to the removal of heavy and toxic metals from hydrocarbon streams.

Disclosed are leaching aids and methods of using the leaching aids. The leaching aids can include one or a combination of compounds. The methods of using the leaching aids can include a process of recovering metal from ore, for example, a process involving leaching, concentration and purification unit operations.

The invention relates to a method for multi-metal products recovery from pyrolytic waste integrated circuit boards. The method mainly comprises the steps of smelting and blending, atomization, acidolysis and filtration, noble metal recycling, copper extraction and back extraction, nickel extraction and back extraction. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that smoke pollution and the smelting slag treatment in the process of preparing a black copper ingot through multi-metal collaborative smelting are reduced, and the problems of low anode efficiency of the black copper electrolysis process are solved. Meanwhile, the high-temperature high-oxygen atomized gas generated in the atomizing process provides a heat source and an oxygen source for subsequent acidolysis, so that the energy consumption is further reduced. The method has the advantages such as short process, remarkable energy conservation and emission reduction.

A process for recovering a precious metal from a precious metal containing article or composition is disclosed. The process comprises treating the precious metal containing article or composition with an oxidant composition under conditions to oxidise the precious metal in the precious metal containing article or composition to obtain a precious metal salt composition. The precious metal salt composition is then contacted with a sorbent under conditions to adsorb at least some of the precious metal salt to the sorbent to obtain a laden sorbent. At least some of the precious metal is then recovered from the laden sorbent. Alternatively, the precious metal is recovered from the precious metal salt composition by chemical reduction, electrochemical reduction and/or chemical precipitation.

A recycling process that facilitates separation of materials from metallic substrates by cryogenically cooling the recyclable items to induce embrittlement of the metals. Embrittled metals may be shattered more efficiently and with a higher yield of materials bound to the metallic substrates. Metal embrittlement may be induced by mixing the source stream with liquid nitrogen, and cooling the stream to approximately minus 200° F. Multiple recovery stages may be employed to maximize the yield of the target materials. Embodiments may enable recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from catalytic converters with metallic foil substrates. Yield of PGMs may be enhanced by employing a primary recovery stage and a secondary recovery stage, by cryogenically cooling input materials for each stage, by mixing the pulverized material in secondary recovery with an aqueous solution to dissipate attractive charges, and by wet screening the pulverized material slurry to obtain the PGM particles.

PGM converting process and jacketed rotary converter. The process can include low- or no-flux converting; partial pre-oxidation of PGM collector alloy; using a refractory protectant in the converter; magnetic separation of slag; recycling part of the slag to the converter; smelting catalyst material in a primary furnace to produce the collector alloy; and/or smelting the converter slag in a secondary furnace with slag from the primary furnace. The converter can include an inclined converter pot mounted for rotation; a refractory lining; an opening in a top of the pot to introduce converter feed; a lance for injecting oxygen-containing gas into the alloy pool; a heat transfer jacket adjacent the refractory lining; and a coolant system to circulate a heat transfer medium through the jacket to remove heat from the alloy pool in thermal communication with the refractory lining.