Metal recovery from the copper sulfide tailing with leaching and fractional precipitation technology

• Metals leaching recovery from the copper sulfide tailing has been investigated.
• The metals were recovered as settling sludge with fractional precipitation technology.
• Process mineralogy analysis was employed for the leaching process.

A study was conducted for metal recovery from low-grade copper sulfide tailings using the leaching and fractional precipitation methodology. Mineralogical characterization of the materials shows that the primary weight proportions of pyrite minerals, silicate minerals, and quartz in tailing are 31.50%, 38.85%, and 15.06%, respectively. Based on the optimum conditions, the achieved leaching efficiencies for Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe are 98.45%, 21.41%, 56.13%, and 17.25%, respectively. Fractional precipitation technology was then employed for the Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn recovery from the leachate. Sludge generated in sequential step contained 49.13% Fe, 19.53% Cu, 33.48% Zn, and 14.10% Mn. These results show how the metals can be recycled for environmentally friendly disposal of tailings and reveal their resource value.