METHOD OF PRODUCING OF HIGH PURITY COPPER Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC C22B15/00 C22B3/04 C25C1/12 

FIELD: metallurgy.

SUBSTANCE: method for obtaining copper of high purity (not worse than 99.999 %) includes sulphatization firing of the initial copper concentrate and leaching of the cinder with copper evolution by electrolysis. Sulphating firing is carried out in air, the sinter is cooled to room temperature and sieves are carried out to a fraction of less than 1.0 mm. Received product is leached with bidistillate and separated from the cake by filtration of the working solution. Subsequently, concentrated sulfuric acid is introduced into the working solution and the first electrolysis is carried out with an insoluble anode, releasing 30–50 % of the total copper content and obtaining plate copper at the cathode, that is washed in hot bidistillate. Then copper refining is carried out by dissolving in bidistillate with the addition of concentrated sulfuric acid of special purity to obtain copper sulfate. Second electrolysis is then carried out at a temperature in range of 52 to 58 °C with constant stirring of the electrolyte, after that the plate of refined copper is removed from the substrate, cascaded and packed, and the spent electrolyte is sent for recycling.

EFFECT: increasing efficiency and reducing costs while ensuring environmental safety and the purity of the received copper.

9 cl, 1 dwg