Question 1:

Leaching: Acid leaching ( ) ( ) ( ( ) ) ( ) () ()

(1) (2)

( ) ( ) Oxidation leaching ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (

) ( )

) (3) () (4)

NaOH dissolution:

Acid Neutralization: ( ) ( ) ( ) () (5)

Fe precipitation: ( ) ( ) ( Cu precipitation
( ) ( )

( )

) ( )

(6)

) ( )

(7)

( Cu electrowinning:

Mass balance Assumptions

1. Non-sulphide copper minerals (CuO) are leached directly by sulphuric acid in the acid leaching stage. However, leaching of sulphide minerals (CuS) requires the oxidising agent (O2 from the air) as well as the lixiviant (Sulphuric acid). 2. Only 95 % of the sulphide is leached in the oxidation stage. The remaining 5 % remain as sulphide mineral. Furthermore, it was assumed all sulphide is oxidised to sulphate. It was assumed the covellite oxidation (CuS) iscompletely neutral, neither producing nor consuming acis. 3. It was assumed the insoluble Fe originates from ferric oxide and is all liberated by acid leaching i.e. 100 % conversion of ferric oxide in the acid leaching stage. 4. It was assumed conversion is complete (100 % conversion) at all stages. 5. It was assumed perfect separation of the leach liquor (solids-liquid mixture) from the acid stage, with the remaining CuO (10 %) and CuS entering the oxidation leach stage. 6. The concentration in the split stream and the resulting stream remains the same. Only the volumes are splitted. 7. The H+ refers to the amount of acid in the specific stream.