Development of minerai processing and refining process for organic carbon-containing copper ores

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K15487
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 31020:Earth resource engineering, Energy sciences-related
• Research Institution: Akita University
• Principal Investigator: Haga Kazutoshi 秋田大学, 国際資源学研究科, 准教授 (10588461)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 銅鉱石 / 有機炭素 / 浮選 / 高温・高圧浸出 / 溶媒抽出

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we attempted to develop a copper recovery process combining flotation, high-temperature and high-pressure leaching, and solvent extraction methods in order to establish a treatment process for difficult-to-treat copper ores containing organic carbon. As a result of a series of studies, it was clarified that copper minerals can be concentrated by flotation, copper can be selectively leached by high temperature and high pressure leaching, and copper can be condensed by solvent extraction, thus establishing a process that can recover copper from difficult-to-treat copper ores, which are difficult to treat using existing mineral processing technology.

Free Research Field

資源処理工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

銅は、ほとんどの工業製品になくてはならない言わば「産業のバックボーン」となる金属素材であり、今後更なる需要増加が見込まれる。ところが、銅の原料となる銅鉱石は、劣質化が進んでおり、銅を安定的に供給するためには不純物を含む鉱石から銅を選択的に回収するプロセスが必要となる。本研究で開発した、浮選、高温高圧浸出、溶媒抽出のプロセスは、炭素を含む鉱石のみならず、有害元素を含む鉱石、低品位鉱石からの銅回収にも応用できることから、今後の銅の安定供給に寄与するプロセスを考案できた。