New developments in the recovery of copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese in the Boleo process.

The Boleo metallurgical plant in Santa Rosalia, Mexico, is currently being constructed to recover Cu, Co, Zn and possibly Mn products from a complex oxide-sulphide orebody. The key steps involve acid oxidation and acid reduction leaching in seawater, counter-current decantation washing of the leach residue to recover a mixed metal solution, conventional Cu solvent extraction and electrowinning recovery as Cu metal cathode, treatment of a portion of the copper solvent extraction raffinate for Fe oxidation and removal, direct solvent extraction (DSX) recovery of Co and Zn using the CSIRO DSX solvent system consisting of a mixture of LIX 63 and Versatic 10, Zn recovery from the DSX bulk strip solution using solvent extraction and crystallisation to form a zinc sulphate monohydrate product, Co recovery from the zinc solvent extraction raffinate by solvent extraction and electrowinning as Co cathode rounds and the possible precipitation of a manganese carbonate product from the DSX raffinate. The manganese carbonate product can be further refined to produce electrolytic Mn metal. Laboratory testing to refine various aspects of the process is described.
The Boleo metallurgical plant in Santa Rosalia, Mexico, is currently being constructed to recover Cu, Co, Zn and possibly Mn products from a complex oxide-sulphide orebody. The key steps involve acid oxidation and acid reduction leaching in seawater, counter-current decantation washing of the leach residue to recover a mixed metal solution, conventional Cu solvent extraction and electrowinning recovery as Cu metal cathode, treatment of a portion of the copper solvent extraction raffinate for Fe oxidation and removal, direct solvent extraction (DSX) recovery of Co and Zn using the CSIRO DSX solvent system consisting of a mixture of LIX 63 and Versatic 10, Zn recovery from the DSX bulk strip solution using solvent extraction and crystallisation to form a zinc sulphate monohydrate product, Co recovery from the zinc solvent extraction raffinate by solvent extraction and electrowinning as Co cathode rounds and the possible precipitation of a manganese carbonate product from the DSX raffinate. The manganese carbonate product can be further refined to produce electrolytic Mn metal. Laboratory testing to refine various aspects of the process is described.