METHOD FOR PROCESSING SILVER SULFATE ORES Russian patent published in 1995 - IPC

FIELD: recovery of silver from silver ores. SUBSTANCE: method for processing mercury-containing silver ores involves gravity concentration, silver-nitrate leaching of silver-containing products in 28-30-% nitric acid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure determined by the relation G:T. After separation of the silver precipitate from the silver nitrate leaching solution, mercury is additionally precipitated in the form of cinnabar, returning the demetallized solution into the silver nitrate leaching cycle. The deposits of silver chloride are washed of mercury with 10-15-% nitric acid before melting into ingot and the washing solution is delivered into the leaching cycle. The tailings of gravity concentration are leached ad silver is precipitated by electroextraction from the solution, delivering cathode metal for silver nitrate leaching and the demetallized solution for leaching of tailings. EFFECT: reduced capital and operating expenditures for recovery of silver from ore and possibility of extracting silver and, simultaneously, the marketable product - cinnabar. 2 cl, 1 dwg