This invention relates to a process for recovering valuable metals from ore with significantly reduced water consumption through the discrete treatment and storage of coarse tailings. Ore is ground to produce a coarse particulate ore. The coarse particulate ore is treated in a coarse flotation stage to produce a low grade concentrate fraction and a coarse tailings fraction. The low grade concentrate fraction is treated to produce fine tailings and a saleable concentrate. The coarse tailings are treated separately from the fine tailings and water is recovered from the coarse tailings by hydraulically stacking; filtering or screening, whereafter the coarse tailings are dry stacked, without being recombined with the fine tailings.

This invention relates to a process for recovering valuable metals from ore with significantly reduced water consumption through the discrete treatment and storage of coarse tailings. Ore is ground to produce a coarse particulate ore. The coarse particulate ore is treated in a coarse flotation stage to produce a low grade concentrate fraction and a coarse tailings fraction. The low grade concentrate fraction is treated to produce fine tailings and a saleable concentrate. The coarse tailings are treated separately from the fine tailings and water is recovered from the coarse tailings by hydraulically stacking; filtering or screening, whereafter the coarse tailings are dry stacked, without being recombined with the fine tailings.

The present disclosure discloses a method for refining an iron oxide that is a by-product of a zinc smelting process, the method including a roasting process of roasting the iron oxide, a washing process of washing a roasted iron oxide cake with a washing water, and a filtering process of filtering the washed iron oxide cake, thereby providing refined iron oxide.

The present disclosure provides a method for removing chlorine from a process solution in zinc hydrometallurgy, the method comprising: a step for preparing the process solution from a leaching process of leaching a zinc calcine; a step for introducing the process solution to a reactor and introducing a lead concentrate into the reactor while blowing-in oxygen; a step for solid-liquid separating of a slurry in a filtration tank, the slurry being produced in the reactor; and a step for post-processing a filtrate and a lead concentrate residue separated in the step for solid-liquid separating, wherein chlorine ions in the process solution and silver contained in the lead concentrate react with each other in the reactor to precipitate a silver chloride.

The present disclosure provides a method for removing chlorine from a process solution in zinc hydrometallurgy, the method comprising: a step for preparing the process solution from a leaching process of leaching a zinc calcine; a step for introducing the process solution to a reactor and introducing a lead concentrate into the reactor while blowing-in oxygen; a step for solid-liquid separating of a slurry in a filtration tank, the slurry being produced in the reactor; and a step for post-processing a filtrate and a lead concentrate residue separated in the step for solid-liquid separating, wherein chlorine ions in the process solution and silver contained in the lead concentrate react with each other in the reactor to precipitate a silver chloride.

This invention refers to a process for the production of products in the form of commercial zinc oxide and iron ecosinter, which are important raw materials for the production of SHG zinc (a special quality product) and pig iron, with subsequent obtaining steel. The process for producing zinc oxide concentrate and iron ecosinter uses as raw material zinc ferrite residues, steelmaking co-products such as light mud, heavy mud, iron scale, pre-lime and yard cleaning materials rich in iron and, mainly, steel mill dust (class I) mixed with carbon sources, whose mixture is homogenized and pelletized, followed by reduction in a pot furnace fed by insufflated air in ascending flow with temperature ranging from 850 C. to 1,300 C.; being the volatilized metals and the gases generated sent to a cyclone and bag filter where the zinc oxide is retained; the iron ecosinter is poured from the pot at the end of the process.

A zinc production method includes a reaction step such as a leaching step (101) of bringing electric arc furnace dust (1) containing zinc oxide or the like into contact with a chlorine gas (8) to obtain a zinc oxide component in the electric arc furnace dust (1) or the like as crude zinc chloride (3), a purification step (102) of heating the crude zinc chloride (3) obtained at the reaction step to produce zinc chloride vapor, and cooling and condensing the zinc chloride vapor, thereby obtaining purified zinc chloride (6), and an electrolysis step (103) of electrolyzing the purified zinc chloride (6) obtained at the purification step (102) in a molten state to obtain a zinc melt (9) and the chlorine gas (8).

A zinc production method includes a reaction step such as a leaching step (101) of bringing electric arc furnace dust (1) containing zinc oxide or the like into contact with a chlorine gas (8) to obtain a zinc oxide component in the electric arc furnace dust (1) or the like as crude zinc chloride (3), a purification step (102) of heating the crude zinc chloride (3) obtained at the reaction step to produce zinc chloride vapor, and cooling and condensing the zinc chloride vapor, thereby obtaining purified zinc chloride (6), and an electrolysis step (103) of electrolyzing the purified zinc chloride (6) obtained at the purification step (102) in a molten state to obtain a zinc melt (9) and the chlorine gas (8).

A process is described for recovering a non-ferrous metal from a first solid residue comprising iron. In this process, the first solid residue is mixed with a second solid residue including sulphur, thereby obtaining a particulate mixture. The particulate mixture is subjected to a roasting step at a temperature of at least 650 C. to obtain a roasted mixture, and the roasted mixture is subjected to leaching in a liquid at a pH of at least 5.5 to obtain a solution enriched with the non-ferrous metal.

A process is described for recovering a non-ferrous metal from a first solid residue comprising iron. In this process, the first solid residue is mixed with a second solid residue including sulphur, thereby obtaining a particulate mixture. The particulate mixture is subjected to a roasting step at a temperature of at least 650 C. to obtain a roasted mixture, and the roasted mixture is subjected to leaching in a liquid at a pH of at least 5.5 to obtain a solution enriched with the non-ferrous metal.