METHOD FOR PROCESSING OF SULFIDE POLYMETAL IRON-BEARING MATERIALS Russian patent published in 1994 - IPC

FIELD: hydrometallurgy; hydrometallurgical processing of sulfide non-ferrous-metal-bearing materials. SUBSTANCE: polymetal iron- bearing material processing includes oxidizing leaching of source materials in a water slurry under oxygen pressure at a temperature lower than the sulfur melting temperature to convert: nonferrous metals into solution, the sulfur into free sulfur, and iron to oxides; treatment of oxidized slurry with sulfur conversion run- offs containing unsaturated sulfur compounds. Then either, at the redox potential of [+390] - [+310] measured with platinum electrode relative chlorine-silver reference electrode, sulfide precipitation at the temperature lower than that of monoclinic sulfur melting; or, at the redox potential of [+140] - [+60] , sulfide precipitation at the temperature higher than that of monoclinic sulfur melting. After the precipitation of nonferrous metal sulfides the sulfides and the elemental sulfur are segregated into sulfur-and-sulfide concentrate, and the iron oxides - in tailings. Sulfur and sulfide concentrates are produced from sulfur-and-sulfide concentrate by treating with calcium-containing hydrophilic agent; calcium run-offs of sulfur conversion stage containing unsaturated sulfur compounds are directed to the oxidized slurry treatment. EFFECT: improved performances of the process. 1 tbl