An integrated pressure leaching, heap leaching process for recovering copper from sulphidic feed containing iron, arsenic, and copper. Aqueous feed slurry of the sulphidic feed is pressure oxidized to form a liquid phase containing free sulphuric acid and aqueous copper sulphate, and to precipitate arsenic as solid iron arsenic compounds. Treated slurry is withdrawn from the pressure vessel and the liquid phase is separated from the solids. Copper is recovered from the separated liquid phase and generates a solution enriched in acid and depleted in copper. At least a portion of this solution is neutralized in a copper heap leach to produce a PLS containing copper and reduced in acid. At least a portion of the heap leach PLS is neutralized to produce a solution further reduced in acid, and solids containing copper precipitates, followed by a liquid solid separation. The solution further reduced in acid is recycled as process solution for the pressure leach, while the solids containing copper precipitates are recycled to combine with either the treated slurry from the pressure leach, or the liquid phase from liquid solid separation, to re-dissolve copper and other metal values. The solids from the latter step are separated and the liquid phase is fed to copper recovery.

An integrated pressure leaching, heap leaching process for recovering copper from sulphidic feed containing iron, arsenic, and copper. Aqueous feed slurry of the sulphidic feed is pressure oxidized to form a liquid phase containing free sulphuric acid and aqueous copper sulphate, and to precipitate arsenic as solid iron arsenic compounds. Treated slurry is withdrawn from the pressure vessel and the liquid phase is separated from the solids. Copper is recovered from the separated liquid phase and generates a solution enriched in acid and depleted in copper. At least a portion of this solution is neutralized in a copper heap leach to produce a PLS containing copper and reduced in acid. At least a portion of the heap leach PLS is neutralized to produce a solution further reduced in acid, and solids containing copper precipitates, followed by a liquid solid separation. The solution further reduced in acid is recycled as process solution for the pressure leach, while the solids containing copper precipitates are recycled to combine with either the treated slurry from the pressure leach, or the liquid phase from liquid solid separation, to re-dissolve copper and other metal values. The solids from the latter step are separated and the liquid phase is fed to copper recovery.

The present invention relates to the recovery of metals from raw ores or concentrates, and more specifically, to the recovery of rare earth elements, or oxides or salts thereof, from ores containing bastnaesite carbonatite, and/or monazite. The ore is processed by a method that may include one or more of the following steps: (i) mechanically processing the ore; (ii) calcination and/or roasting of the ore to form a calcinated material and/or roasting of the ore to form a roasted material; (iii) leaching of the calcinated material or roasted material in an aqueous solution; (iv) solid/liquid separation to remove a solid residue from the aqueous solution to recover a rare earth element solution; and (v) precipitation of the rare earth element solution to isolate a rare earth element, or oxide or salt thereof.

A process for treating a material, such as by calcination or reduction processes, is disclosed. The process comprises reacting hydrogen and oxygen in a reaction chamber and producing heat and steam, discharging steam from the reaction chamber, using the heat to treat the material and produce a treated material, and returning at least some of the steam discharged from the reaction chamber to the process. An apparatus is also disclosed.

A process for recovering value metals from ore comprising rock, including the steps of preselection of a grade of ore to be microwaved to form an ore stream; subjecting the ore stream to microwave energy to partially fracture rocks in the stream and form a partially fractured ore stream; crushing the partially fractured ore stream to preferentially fracture the pre-weakened ore, to form a crushed ore stream; and Screening the crushed ore stream to form a fines fraction ore stream for further processing; and a gangue fraction that may justify further processing.

An improved method for recovering metals from spent catalysts, particularly from spent slurry catalysts, is disclosed. The method and associated processes comprising the method are useful to recover spent catalyst metals used in the petroleum and chemical processing industries. The method generally involves a combination of a pyrometallurgical and a hydrometallurgical method and includes forming a potassium carbonate calcine of a KOH leach residue of the spent catalyst containing an insoluble Group VIIIB/Group VIB/Group VB metal compound combined with potassium carbonate, and extracting and recovering soluble Group VIB metal and soluble Group VB metal compounds from the potassium carbonate calcine.

An improved method for recovering metals from spent catalysts, particularly from spent slurry catalysts, is disclosed. The method and associated processes comprising the method are useful to recover spent catalyst metals used in the petroleum and chemical processing industries. The method generally involves a combination of a pyrometallurgical and a hydrometallurgical method and includes forming a potassium carbonate calcine of a KOH leach residue of the spent catalyst containing an insoluble Group VIIIB/Group VIB/Group VB metal compound combined with potassium carbonate, and extracting and recovering soluble Group VIB metal and soluble Group VB metal compounds from the potassium carbonate calcine.

A method of making black mass from lithium containing batterie includes the steps of closing a chamber enclosing lithium-containing batteries and injecting nitrogen into the chamber to create an atmosphere sufficiently low in oxygen to prevent explosions and burning of the lithium-containing batteries. The lithium-containing batteries are shredded in the nitrogen atmosphere to produce shredded batteries. The shredded batteries are heated in the nitrogen atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to vaporize electrolyte and plastics from the batteries and produce pyrolyzed fragments. Lithium is present in a water-soluble nitrate form within the pyrolyzed fragments. The pyrolyzed fragments are classified to produce a black mass and a remaining metals fraction. The remaining metals fraction can be further classified to recover ferrous metals, light metals, and heavy metals.

A method of making black mass from lithium containing batterie includes the steps of closing a chamber enclosing lithium-containing batteries and injecting nitrogen into the chamber to create an atmosphere sufficiently low in oxygen to prevent explosions and burning of the lithium-containing batteries. The lithium-containing batteries are shredded in the nitrogen atmosphere to produce shredded batteries. The shredded batteries are heated in the nitrogen atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to vaporize electrolyte and plastics from the batteries and produce pyrolyzed fragments. Lithium is present in a water-soluble nitrate form within the pyrolyzed fragments. The pyrolyzed fragments are classified to produce a black mass and a remaining metals fraction. The remaining metals fraction can be further classified to recover ferrous metals, light metals, and heavy metals.

Provided is a method for recovering valuable metals contained in waste batteries, wherein valuable metals can be efficiently recovered while suppressing a reduction in recovery rate. The method according to the present invention for recovering valuable metals from waste batteries comprises: a roasting step S1 for roasting a waste battery; a crushing step S2 for inserting an obtained roasted material into a crushing container, and crushing the roasted material using a chain mill; and a sieving step S3 for sieving an obtained crushed material and separating the crushed material into sieve upper material and sieve lower material. A chain mill equipment that is used in the crushing process is provided with: a rotating axial rod vertically erected with respect to a bottom surface of a crushing container; and a chain attached to a side surface of the rotating axial rod.