Copper tailings, as the residual fine sand waste after ore processing, contain a large amount of underrecovered copper resources. Direct discharge or accumulation of such tailings is not only a waste of valuable land resources, but also likely to cause serious environmental pollution problems, such as heavy metal pollution of water and soil. Therefore, the efficient and environmentally friendly treatment and recycling of copper tailings has become a key link in the sustainable development of mining industry.

Heap leaching pretreatment

First of all, the heap leaching process is used to spray dilute sulfuric acid or other suitable acidic solution uniformly on the copper tailings pile, and the copper and other metal elements in the tailings are dissolved in the solution through chemical reaction to form a copper-rich leaching solution. This process is the basic step in the conversion of copper from solid to liquid, providing the necessary raw materials for the subsequent extraction process.

Combined extraction centrifuge extraction

Then enter the extraction stage, the core of this link is to use the unique advantages of the combined extraction centrifugal extractor. With its high efficiency centrifugal separation technology and the ability to accurately control the extractant, the combined extraction centrifugal extractor can selectively extract copper ions from the leaching solution based on the significant differences in the solubility of each component in the solution. Under the action of strong centrifugal force, copper ions are effectively enriched in the extractant to form an organic phase, while most of the impurities are retained in the water phase, which realizes the efficient separation and preliminary purification of copper.

Stripping operation

As the reverse step of the extraction process, the reverse extraction is also carried out by the combined extraction centrifugal extractor. By adjusting the operating conditions, the copper in the extractant enriched with copper ions was transferred to the aqueous phase or other solvents, and the copper electrolyte suitable for electrodeposition was prepared. This process further increases the concentration of copper and lays the foundation for subsequent purification treatment.

Electrodeposition refining

Finally, using the electrodeposition process, the insoluble anode and cathode are used as electrodes in the electrodeposition tank, through direct current, and the copper ions in the electrolyte are reduced to metal copper and deposited on the cathode by electrolytic principle. The efficient performance of the combined extraction centrifugal extractor in the early extraction and reverse extraction process ensures that the electrodeposition process can obtain high quality and high purity copper electrolyte, so as to achieve the final extraction and purification of copper, and produce pure copper products.

The combined extraction centrifugal extractor plays an important role in the process of extracting copper from copper tailings. Its characteristics of high efficiency, energy saving and corrosion resistance, as well as the precise control of extraction and reverse extraction process, significantly improve the recovery and purity of copper, promote the effective development and utilization of copper resources in low-grade copper ore and refractory oxidation ore, and contribute to the sustainable development of the mining industry.