Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Selective Extraction of Cobalt and Copper From Cobalt-Rich Copper Sulfide Ores

  • Original Research Article
  • Published:
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cobalt, as a key element of LiNixCoyMnzO2 cathode materials, is becoming progressively crucial. The cobalt-rich copper sulfide ores in Africa are one of the most important cobalt resources in the world. However, few literatures aimed at cobalt-rich copper sulfide ores were reported. In this study, the process of activation roasting followed by sulfuric acid leaching was proposed to attain phase transformation and efficient leaching of cobalt and copper. First, the systematic investigation of the mineralogical characterization was performed. The main compositions were carrollite and gangue minerals represented by quartz and talc. The ore could be considered as typical cobalt-rich copper sulfide ores. Subsequently, the feasibility of the process was verified by thermodynamic calculation and by conducting a series of experiments. Under optimal conditions, the extraction of cobalt and copper reached 86.2 and 95.9 pct, respectively. Then, the phase transformation of main minerals during the activation roasting was studied. The original metal sulfides were transformed into products dominated by metal oxides and metal sulfates, which were consistent with the thermodynamic analysis. Finally, preliminary industrial production study and economic accounting proved the industrial feasibility of the process, which can achieve efficient and selective extraction of cobalt and copper from cobalt-rich copper sulfide ores.

Graphical Abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. O.E. Jegede, N. Haque, A.M. Mullis, and R.F. Cochrane: J. Alloys Compd., 2021, vol. 883, p. 160823.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. M. Seddon: Appl. Earth Sci., 2013, vol. 110, pp. 71–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. R. Danzeisen, D. Weight, M. Blakeney, and D. Boyle: Regul. Toxicol. Pharm., 2022, vol. 130, p. 105125.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. S.A.J. Forsik, A.O. Polar Rosas, T. Wang, G.A. Colombo, N. Zhou, S.J. Kernion, and M.E. Epler: Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 2018, vol. 49A, pp. 4058–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. G. Harper, R. Sommerville, E. Kendrick, L. Driscoll, P. Slater, R. Stolkin, A. Walton, P. Christensen, O. Heidrich, S. Lambert, A. Abbott, K. Ryder, L. Gaines, and P. Anderson: Nature, 2019, vol. 575, pp. 75–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Q. Dehaine, L.O. Filippov, I.V. Filippova, L.T. Tijsseling, and H.J. Glass: Miner. Eng., 2021, vol. 161, p. 106710.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. J.L.H. Cailteux, A.B. Kampunzu, C. Lerouge, A.K. Kaputo, and J.P. Milesi: J. Afr. Earth. Sci., 2005, vol. 42, pp. 134–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. C.G. Smith: Appl. Earth Sci., 2013, vol. 110, pp. 75–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. D. Zhao, B. Ma, B. Shi, Z. Zhou, P. Xing, and C. Wang: J. Sustain. Metall., 2020, vol. 6, pp. 491–503, 491.

  10. F.K. Crundwell, N.B. du Preez, and B.D.H. Knights: Miner. Eng., 2020, vol. 156, p. 106450.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. X. Sun, Q. Shi, and X. Hao: Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 2022, vol. 179, p. 106035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Q. Dehaine, L.T. Tijsseling, H.J. Glass, T. Törmänen, and A.R. Butcher: Miner. Eng., 2021, vol. 160, p. 106656.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. G.S. Seck, E. Hache, and C. Barnet: Resour. Policy, 2022, vol. 75, p. 102516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. S. Ghosh: Thin Solid Films, 2019, vol. 669, pp. 641–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. C. Zhang, W. Lv, G. Zhou, Z. Huang, Y. Zhang, R. Lyu, H. Wu, Q. Yun, F. Kang, and Q.-H. Yang: Adv. Energy Mater., 2018, vol. 8, p. 1703404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. S. Wang, R. Ma, C. Wang, S. Li, and H. Wang: Mater. Lett., 2017, vol. 202, pp. 36–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. A.I. Khdair and A. Ibrahim: Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 2022, vol. 29, pp. 161–67.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. B. Ma, X. Li, B. Liu, P. Xing, W. Zhang, C. Wang, and Y. Chen: ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., 2020, vol. 8, pp. 3026–37.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. F. Gao, L. Zhu, Y. Wang, H. Xie, and J. Li: Mater. Lett., 2016, vol. 183, pp. 425–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. G. Nkulu, S. Gaydardzhiev, E. Mwema, and P. Compere: Miner. Eng., 2015, vol. 75, pp. 70–76.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. H. Yang, W. Liu, G. Chen, Y. Liu, L. Tong, Z. Jin, and Z. Liu: Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 2015, vol. 25, pp. 2718–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. W. Liu, H. Yang, Y. Song, and L. Tong: Hydrometallurgy, 2015, vol. 152, pp. 69–75.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Y. Liao, J. Zhou, F. Huang, and Y. Wang: Sep. Purif. Technol., 2015, vol. 149, pp. 190–96.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. L.L. Godirilwe, R.S. Magwaneng, R. Sagami, K. Haga, A. Batnasan, S. Aoki, T. Kawasaki, H. Matsuoka, K. Mitsuhashi, M. Kawata, and A. Shibayama: Miner. Eng., 2021, vol. 173, p. 107181.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. R. Schmuhl, J.T. Smit, and J.H. Marsh: Hydrometallurgy, 2011, vol. 108, pp. 157–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. F. Cui, W. Mu, S. Wang, H. Xin, Q. Xu, Y. Zhai, and S. Luo: Miner. Eng., 2018, vol. 123, pp. 104–16.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. G. Li, H. Cheng, S. Chen, X. Lu, Q. Xu, and C. Lu: Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 2018, vol. 49B, pp. 1136–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. W. Mu, F. Cui, Z. Huang, Y. Zhai, Q. Xu, and S. Luo: J. Cleaner Prod., 2018, vol. 177, pp. 371–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. F. Cui, W. Mu, Y. Zhai, and X. Guo: Sep. Purif. Technol., 2020, vol. 239, p. 116577.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. H. Qin, X. Guo, Q. Tian, D. Yu, and L. Zhang: Miner. Eng., 2021, vol. 164, p. 106822.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. H.E. Jamieson, S.R. Walker, and M.B. Parsons: Appl. Geochem., 2015, vol. 57, pp. 85–105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. C.W. Bale, E. Bélisle, P. Chartrand, S.A. Decterov, G. Eriksson, A.E. Gheribi, K. Hack, I.H. Jung, Y.B. Kang, J. Melançon, A.D. Pelton, S. Petersen, C. Robelin, J. Sangster, P. Spencer, and M.A. Van Ende: Calphad, 2016, vol. 54, pp. 35–53.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. G.M. O’Connor and J.J. Eksteen: Miner. Eng., 2020, vol. 154, p. 106401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. S. Yu, B. Yang, C. Fang, Y. Zhang, S. Liu, Y. Zhang, L. Shen, J. Xie, and J. Wang: Hydrometallurgy, 2021, vol. 201, p. 105585.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. S. Yu, R. Liao, B. Yang, C. Fang, Z. Wang, Y. Liu, B. Wu, J. Wang, and G. Qiu: Chin. J. Chem. Eng., 2022, vol. 41, pp. 109–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U2202254, 51974025, 52034002) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. FRF-TT-19-001).

Conflict of interest

The corresponding authors state that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China

    Weijiao Yang, Baozhong Ma & Chengyan Wang

  2. BGRIMM Technology Group, Beijing, 100160, P.R. China

    Weijiao Yang

  3. Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, P.R. China

    Weijiao Yang, Hua Wang & Chengyan Wang

  4. School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China

    Yubo Liu, Xiang Li, Baozhong Ma & Chengyan Wang

Authors
  1. Weijiao Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yubo Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xiang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Baozhong Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hua Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chengyan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yubo Liu or Baozhong Ma.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (PDF 862 kb)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, W., Liu, Y., Li, X. et al. Selective Extraction of Cobalt and Copper From Cobalt-Rich Copper Sulfide Ores. Metall Mater Trans B 54, 2332–2346 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-023-02834-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-023-02834-0

Search

Navigation