Recovery of cobalt and copper through reprocessing of tailings from flotation of oxidised ores

In the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), effluents from flotation of oxidised ores of copper and cobalt are stored in settling ponds in view separation of tailings and the mill wastewaters, which are sent in the rivers. Tailings consist of the gangue minerals accompanied by the uncovered metals of interest. In some cases, tailings may contain copper and cobalt to concentrations that can be economically recovered. The present research aims at recovering copper and cobalt through reprocessing of tailings from flotation of oxidised ores of copper and cobalt achieved at the Kambove Concentrator (DRC). It focuses on the determination of the reagents’ dosage that enables obtaining the highest recovery of copper (44.80%) and cobalt (88.30%) through flotation of the studied tailings. Based on both the achievable recovery of the metals of interest and the concentrate grade (3.31% Cu and 2.22% Co), it was concluded that the reprocessing of tailings from the Kambove Concentrator through flotation appears to be an attractive practice because it could enable minimising the footprint of the mineral processing industry on the environment. It could also contribute to the resources conservation through the recovery of metals from the minerallurgical processes wastes.